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Release Date: September 5, 2017
Run Time: 17:05
Label: LeonRecords
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Track Listing:
1. Roll The Old Chariot
2. Пияка-Гультяй
3. Der Stern Der Grafschaft Daun
4. Topor Polka
5. Kiltartan Cross
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Folk music of various traditions has been melded with rock and roll to create some powerful music over the years. There’s just something so elemental, so tied into our collective unconscious that makes this combination so potent and human that it is hard to resist, especially after a couple of drinks.
ShamRocks is a band from Ukraine that puts Irish, Scottish, Breton, and Finnish folk together with rock and metal to make music that undoubtedly inspires serious drinking and furious dancing. They call it Stout Rock and are considered the founders of Ukraine’s Celtic punk scene.
The band plays original songs, Celtic punk, sea shanties, and folk tunes that it turns into incredibly energetic music by infusing the mix with the power of strong rock and roll. The group’s latest EP, Ye Olde Chariot, is slightly less than 18 minutes of music you’ll be amazed you’ve been able to live without up until now.
The five-man band has been in business since 2009 and has gotten significant press and airplay almost from the beginning. One listen to the new record and it’s easy to understand why. The hooks are so strong and the vibe and energy so high that these guys become your new favorite band upon first listen.
From the opening acapella pirate singalong of “Roll the Old Chariot,” you’re interested , once it turns to reggae you’re blown away, and by the time it explodes into full-on punk, you want to follow the band to the next gig. That’s just one song. There are four more. They all kick ass.
The band uses instruments like violin, mandolin, accordion, and flute alongside the expected guitar, bass, vocal, and drum tracks and it all makes perfect sense as soon as you hear it. Listen to “Topor Polka” or “Der Stern der Grafschaft Daun” and try to sit still.
Yes, that’s a dare. ShamRocks takes the amped-up folk/rock approach most of us discovered via The Pogues and gives it modern rock energy. It’s a sound that must be mighty, indeed, in the confines of a bar or small venue. Tell everyone you know to buy this record. They can thank you later.
