Tag Archives: Winter Codes

Feature, News

Best of 2022

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Screw the Oscars, screw the MTV awards, screw Rolling Stone and the CMA, here is Shite’n’Onions best of 2022 list. The only list that matters.

#1 THE MAHONES: JAMESON STREET

A full force Céilí romp and possibly the most authentic trad sound I’ve ever heard coming out of any Celtic punk band.

#2 FINNEGAN’S HELL: ONE FINGER SALUTE

 As good as anything the big boys are doing

#3 THE WINTER CODES: SET THE DARKNESS REELING

Barney still has a voice that could strip paint at 50 feet

#4 FLOGGING MOLLY: ANTHEM

Their most Celtic-sounding album with an almost Seán Ó Riada style Celtic orchestration

#5 SIR REG: KINGS OF SWEET FECK ALL

Something you can’t fake. 

#6 JESSE AHERN: HEARTACHE AND LOVE

This is real blue-collar rock’n’roll with the authenticity you can only get from someone who actually works hard for a living.

#7 DAN BOOTH & NICK BURBRIDGE: ICONS

 Beautiful – musically, lyrically, and sounding

Best album to piss off your neighbors with:

THE TEMPLARS OF DOOM: RISING OF THE DOOM!

And on this one, the bagpipes go up to 11.

Best vanity project (just kidding) album:

DROPKICK MURPHY: THIS MACHINE STILL KILLS FASCISTS

Dropkick Murphys ode to Woody Guthrie

Best punk supergroup album:

ULTRABOMB: TIME TO BURN

Fast, powerful punk rock with great melodies, kind of like, well,…………Hüsker Dü

If there was an justice these guys would be huge album:

BRAND NEW ZEROS: BACK TO ZERO

Back to Zero, is really great rock’n’roll and an album I suspect I’ll be listening to for a long time into the future.

Review

The Winter Codes: Set The Darkness Reeling

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The Winter Codes are an Irish folk duo featuring David Walshe and Barney Murray…..yes that Barney Murray, the original legendary signer of Blood or Whiskey, here joined by David Walsh another ex-Blood or Whiskey man. It’s been 20 years since Barney’s last outing with Blood or Whiskey. Now there have been a few crumbs dropped over the years, an appearance on Shite’n’Onions volume 2 in 2003 and a digital EP a few years back. I’m happy to report  Barney still has a voice that could strip paint at 50 feet though the music has moved away from Celtic-punk to a more traditional base – think Luke Kelly/The Dubliners or even Damien Dempsey with an attitude. Yeah, the Barney Murray attitude is still there.  

“I’d rather die all alone in a bedsit off the North Circular Road than go back to you” North Circular Road


There are 14 tracks here of attitude-filled contemporary Irish folk with an edge. Highlights included the aforequoted, North Circular Road, an f-you break-up song. Troublesome Girl, was originally on Shite’n’Onions volume 2, it’s more polished here with folk singer Lisa Loughrey guesting on lead vocal. The Irish folk with horns,  Friend in Tullamore, about coming back from rock bottom. The Fenian rebel song Erin’s Lovely Lee and Ovidstown about the men of 1798 keep the green flag flying high. In all, a very good album and it’s good to have both lads back.

http://www.thewintercodes.ie/

News

The Winter Codes (ex-Blood or Whiskey)

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The Winter Codes, an Irish folk/punk duo featuring former Blood or Whiskey members David Walshe and Barney Murray release their long in the works debut LP, Set The Darkness Reeling, in August. The album is an emotional tribute to fallen band member Paul Walshe, who tragically passed away ten years ago. With this release, he is immortalized, and the album even features some of his expert musicianship on some of the tracks.

The album was recorded at the famous Grouse Lodge recording studio where both Flogging Molly and Michael Jackson have recorded.

We are long time fans of Barney’s here at Shite’n’Onions so we are super stroked to get new music from him after all these years.

http://www.thewintercodes.ie/