PAPA'S UNIVERSE
Celtic Punk & Traditional bands.
Also, see my Top 31 albums.
| 1. Flogging Molly from Los Angeles, CA, USA | 8. Greenland Whalefishers from Norway |
| Flogging Molly is a seven-piece Celtic punk band, that formed in Los Angeles. Their music is heavily influenced by The Pogues, and ranges from boisterous punk rock to more somber songs. I was fortunate to be able to witness Dave King's gravelly voice and Bridget Regan's manic fiddling for free at a wonderful, small record store in Seattle called Easy Street Records. As of 2006, Flogging Molly has released three major studio albums, Swagger, Drunken Lullabies, and Within a Mile of Home. | Greenland Whalefishers are an Irish folk punk band from Norway, formed in 1994. The Whalefishers are boisterous, rough and slightly less coherent than The Pogues on a good day. They sound like an old village band that got transported to a modern city, discovered electric amplifiers and went more than a bit mad. |
| 2. The Tossers from Chicago, IL, USA | 9. The Waterboys from Ireland |
| Raised on the South Side of Chicago which is known for its huge Irish Catholic community, The Tossers emerged in the early 90šs with their own brew of Celtic music fueled by a love of traditional folk songs and punk rock fury. The Valley of the Shadow of Death is their best album to date. | The Waterboys have played in a number of different styles, but most often their music can be described as a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll, or folk rock. It either influenced or was used to describe a number of other bands, including Simple Minds, The Alarm, Big Country, The Hothouse Flowers, and World Party. My favorite album is Fisherman's Blues, especially the songs And A Bang On The Ear and Strange Boat. |
| 3. The Pogues from UK | 10. Dropkick Murphys from Boston, MA, USA |
| The Pogues are a very popular Irish folk rock band of the 1980s and 1990s. They have a strong following, essentially inventing Celtic Punk and having a large influence on the larger Celtic Fusion scene as well. Their politically-tinged music was reminiscent of The Clash, with whom they played (Joe Strummer produced one of their albums and even joined the group briefly), and used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin, accordion, and more. In the later incarnations of the band, after the departure of Shane MacGowan, rock instruments such as the electric guitar would become more prominent. | Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic Punk band formed in the Irish Catholic working class neighborhoods of South Boston. They have been influenced by The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, The Pogues, and The Swinging Utters. Listen to their The Singles Collection album to hear a number of their angry anthems, many live. |
| 4. The Real McKenzies from Vancouver, BC, Canada | 11. Black 47 from New York, NY, USA |
| The Real McKenzies are a Scots-inspired Celtic punk band founded in Vancouver, Canada, in 1992, described as a guitar-and-bagpipe wailing Celtic punk rock-and-roll. These guys have personality plus and energy to spare. So the next time you're feeling an overwhelming desire for all things Scottish, but with a twist, just listen for the sound of the bagpipes mixed in with lots of cursing and attitude.Swords of a thousand Men and Gi' Us A Dram songs off of the Loch'd & Loaded album are wonderful. Two other high-energy albums to hear, 10,000 Shots and Oot & Aboot. | Based in New York City, Black 47 is a Celtic rock band made up of Irish expatriates, formed in the Bronx by Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne in 1989. Their name is derived from the worst year of the Irish Potato Famine, 1847. Black 47 is at once political, irreverent, militant and feisty. Their broad musical influences include rock, Irish music, rap/hip-hop, reggae, and soul. |
| 5. The Chieftains from Ireland | 12. Great Big Sea is from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| The Chieftains are by far the world's most recognized and qualified ambassadors of Celtic sound and rhythm. They have been playing traditional Irish music for decades. The Long Black Veil is a highly recommended collaboration album with the likes of Mick Jagger, Sting, Sinead O'Connor, Willie Nelson, and more. Irish Heartbeat with Van Morrison is another very good collaboration album. | Great Big Sea (GBS) is a Canadian folk-rock band, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea chanties, which draw from the Island's 500 year old Irish, English, and French heritage. The band also performs original material. Rant and Roar is the band's sixth CD, which presents the best songs from two of their earlier releases, Up and Play. The Hard And The Easy is an acoustic album of traditional Newfoundland folk tunes. |
| 6. Altan from Ireland | 13. Siòbhan from Ottawa, Canada |
| Altan is a premier traditional Irish music band from County Donegal, Ireland. Their twin fiddle attack, plus Frankie Kennedy's flute and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh's voice are all distinctive trademarks of the sound. Many songs sung in Gaelic. Island Angel and Harvest Storm are superb albums. | Siòbhan is a six piece Celtic punk band, formed in Ottawa, Canada and made up mostly of members who attended Carleton University together. The band was best known for loud, punk style live shows and their obscenity laced tirades at the audience between sets. Alternately described as drunken sailors on shore leave, and purveyors of whiskey-fueled Irish mayhem. They also boasted a Spinal Tap like rotation of drummers. Their stage names made little sense but endeared them to many fans. |
| 7. Blood or Whiskey from Ireland | 14. The Mahones from Ontario, Canada |
| Blood or Whiskey, an Irish punk folk band from the Republic of Ireland. The band was formed in September 1993 taking strong influence from Shane MacGowan. These six feisty Dubliners spit out a batch of drunken, sweaty street punk anthems and rollicking social commentaries. In typical street punk fashion the band covers topics such as drinking, working class struggles, unity, drinking, deceased friends, and of course, drinking. | The Mahones are a Canadian Celtic punk band, whose blend of Celtic folk with alternative rock was a popular draw on the Canadian live music circuit in the 1990s. The band was formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1990 as a one gig band for a St. Patrick's Day party. |
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