Craic "Sounds of Vandemark"
Release date: August 11, 2017
Running time: 28:19, 9 tracks
Release date: August 11, 2017
Running time: 28:19, 9 tracks
At the beginning of 2017 I got an e-mail from Céline, a girl from France. She and her friends intended to play a St. Patrick’s Day gig and they needed the lyrics for Craic’s song “Hold the Penny”. I e-mailed Brett and he sent to me the lyrics straightaway. Céline got the lyrics and they played the show. A little video was shot and Brett got the copy. New bands usually choose to cover Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys stuff. The fact that some friends from Burgundy decided to cover “Hold the Penny” is a proof that Craic are an fantastic band.
“Sounds of Vandemark” is the new offering by Cleveland’s finest band. The band rehearses at a place on Vandemark Rd, hence the album title. Some line-up changes have occurred. Aleks Patsenko joined Craic last year to play electric guitar and James McWilliams is the new drummer. As they told on facebook in March, "tin whistler, Nikki Wolfe, has decided to step down. Nikki is one of the founding members of CRAIC and it has been an honor to work with such a talented musician for the past 7 1/2 years. She will remain a part of our family and will join us from time to time as a backup. She is also a huge fan of the band, so you will continue to see her in the crowd at CRAIC shows. She has handed the reigns over to our newest whistler, Theresa Kalka, and has helped Theresa get up to speed very quickly. We really appreciate the teamwork and we are excited about Theresa joining the crew". But don’t be misled: the band is in fine form. Once again they have worked with producer and ex-Dropkick Murphys member Ryan Foltz and have delivered a top-notch album.
There are 9 tracks on “Sounds of Vandemark”: 2 Irish standards, 2 covers and 5 self-penned songs. “Drunken Sailor” and “Rocky Road to Dublin” are the standards. Old member Nikki Wolfe plays tin whistle on both of them. “Drunken Sailor" starts off with some drums and after Brett begins to sing, the rest of the band arrive. Apart from the whistle and the kick-ass banjo, there is an interesting fiddle arrangement. “Rocky Road to Dublin” is also based on fiddle and tin whistle, and James does a great job on drums.
If the standards are quite obvious, the choice of the other covers is very attractive. “It’s Dangerous out There” is a Bill Morrissey’s song. This is the third track on which Nikki plays tin whistle. Bill Morrissey was an American folk songwriter and the original song can be found on his album “North” (1986). “Anything, Anything (I’ll Give You)” is a song from Dramarama’s debut album "Cinéma Vérité" from 1985. This song was featured on the “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” soundtrack. Craic’s rendition is a fiddle led song. Brett’s vocals are powerful, and electric guitar and banjo add something new to the song. Let alone James’ drums.
“20 Years later” original version was written by bassist Jason Kollar together with his high school mates Joey Kovach and Zach Biery 20 years ago. This drinking song is one of the album’s highlights: fecking good vocals à la Dropkick Murphys and excellent job by the girls on fiddle and tin whistle.
“Getting’ Up & Getting’ Out” has that bluegrass touch that made Craic famous. It's a lively number showcasing Jennifer and Mitch on fiddle and banjo. The bluegrass and cow-punk end is clearer on the amazing “Hal”. Jennifer’s fiddle is different on this cut too. “Wool” is a cut where all the band members showcase their musicianship. “Sounds of Vandemark” is over with “Cleveland”. If The Tossers have several odes to their hometown (Chicago), Craic have written the definitive anthem for Cleveland. No special title was needed for that track, just one word, “Cleveland”. One of the best songs of the year. Grab the album booklet and sing along!
Craic have shown again in less than 30 minutes that they are one of the most innovative bands in the Celtic punk scene. They probably have the best banjoist, awesome fiddle and tin whistle players and a charismatic frontman. Long live Craic!
“Sounds of Vandemark” is the new offering by Cleveland’s finest band. The band rehearses at a place on Vandemark Rd, hence the album title. Some line-up changes have occurred. Aleks Patsenko joined Craic last year to play electric guitar and James McWilliams is the new drummer. As they told on facebook in March, "tin whistler, Nikki Wolfe, has decided to step down. Nikki is one of the founding members of CRAIC and it has been an honor to work with such a talented musician for the past 7 1/2 years. She will remain a part of our family and will join us from time to time as a backup. She is also a huge fan of the band, so you will continue to see her in the crowd at CRAIC shows. She has handed the reigns over to our newest whistler, Theresa Kalka, and has helped Theresa get up to speed very quickly. We really appreciate the teamwork and we are excited about Theresa joining the crew". But don’t be misled: the band is in fine form. Once again they have worked with producer and ex-Dropkick Murphys member Ryan Foltz and have delivered a top-notch album.
There are 9 tracks on “Sounds of Vandemark”: 2 Irish standards, 2 covers and 5 self-penned songs. “Drunken Sailor” and “Rocky Road to Dublin” are the standards. Old member Nikki Wolfe plays tin whistle on both of them. “Drunken Sailor" starts off with some drums and after Brett begins to sing, the rest of the band arrive. Apart from the whistle and the kick-ass banjo, there is an interesting fiddle arrangement. “Rocky Road to Dublin” is also based on fiddle and tin whistle, and James does a great job on drums.
If the standards are quite obvious, the choice of the other covers is very attractive. “It’s Dangerous out There” is a Bill Morrissey’s song. This is the third track on which Nikki plays tin whistle. Bill Morrissey was an American folk songwriter and the original song can be found on his album “North” (1986). “Anything, Anything (I’ll Give You)” is a song from Dramarama’s debut album "Cinéma Vérité" from 1985. This song was featured on the “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” soundtrack. Craic’s rendition is a fiddle led song. Brett’s vocals are powerful, and electric guitar and banjo add something new to the song. Let alone James’ drums.
“20 Years later” original version was written by bassist Jason Kollar together with his high school mates Joey Kovach and Zach Biery 20 years ago. This drinking song is one of the album’s highlights: fecking good vocals à la Dropkick Murphys and excellent job by the girls on fiddle and tin whistle.
“Getting’ Up & Getting’ Out” has that bluegrass touch that made Craic famous. It's a lively number showcasing Jennifer and Mitch on fiddle and banjo. The bluegrass and cow-punk end is clearer on the amazing “Hal”. Jennifer’s fiddle is different on this cut too. “Wool” is a cut where all the band members showcase their musicianship. “Sounds of Vandemark” is over with “Cleveland”. If The Tossers have several odes to their hometown (Chicago), Craic have written the definitive anthem for Cleveland. No special title was needed for that track, just one word, “Cleveland”. One of the best songs of the year. Grab the album booklet and sing along!
Craic have shown again in less than 30 minutes that they are one of the most innovative bands in the Celtic punk scene. They probably have the best banjoist, awesome fiddle and tin whistle players and a charismatic frontman. Long live Craic!
Track listing:
1 - 20 Years Later 2:35
2 - Drunken Sailor 3:04
3 - Gettin' Up & Gettin' Out 2:34
4 - It's Dangerous out There 3:16
5 - Rocky Road to Dublin 3:03
6 - Hal 3:44
7 - Wool 3:19
8 - Anything Anything 3:19
9 - Cleveland 3:04
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Review by Kinksmarkham
1 - 20 Years Later 2:35
2 - Drunken Sailor 3:04
3 - Gettin' Up & Gettin' Out 2:34
4 - It's Dangerous out There 3:16
5 - Rocky Road to Dublin 3:03
6 - Hal 3:44
7 - Wool 3:19
8 - Anything Anything 3:19
9 - Cleveland 3:04
Website
Reverbnation
Click to buy
Band's Store
Amazon
iTunes
HMV digital
Review by Kinksmarkham
Thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteJames R. McWilliam