Barleyjuice, All the Sounds of Ireland, and None of the Potato Famine

I know I promised to talk about Voltaire in this post last time, but instead I wish to divert your attention to another band that is quite near to me, in both location and sentimentality. I speak, of course, of the band Barleyjuice. Barleyjuice is a band whose members hail from Philadelphia and Frederick, Maryland. They combine traditional irish music with a rock twist that forms an amazing sound. I have had the pleasure of seeing them live not once, nor twice, but four times since first hearing about them. Barleyjuice has made 5 albums containing mostly songs of their own writ, but has a few traditional songs and covers, including one of The Clash's hit London Calling on their latest album, Bonny Prince Barley. They have an amazing live show that contains witty banter, amazing medleys and even the occasional suprise appearance of the Man in Black. I suspect one might see him somewhere in the instrumental in the traditional song Whiskey in the Jar. Their line-up includes Kyf Brewer on the main vocal pipes and the bag pipes, as well as lead guitar, Swanny Keith Swanson on the mandolin, vocals, bag pipes and rythym guitar, Eric the Bass Player, Billy on the Fiddle and Jimmy Carbomb on the tinwhistles. For those just starting to get into the band, I would reccomend you listen to their third album, Six Yanks, as I feel that it has the perfect combiniation of studio sound of a modern rock band, and the traditional sound of an Irish band.