Larry Fortson: Highland Bagpipes, Shuttlepipes, Irish Whistles, Vocals
Ken Roberts: Fiddle, Vocals
Influences
The Prodigals, The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys, The Mahones, Gaelic Storm, Radiohead, Solas, The Frames, The Shins, Slide, Mike Meyers (as Stuart MacKenzie and Fat Bastard), AC/DC, Prong, The Seldon Plan, Enter the Haggis, Lunasa, The Fray, Social Distortion, The Clash, Violent Femmes, Echo and the Bunnymen, Flogging Molly, Seven Nations, Tonic, Snow Patrol, The Fuschia Band, HQAX, Waylon Jennings, The Battlefield Band, Def Shepherd, David Hasselhoff, Old Blind Dogs, Bad Haggis, Sublime, The Static Brigade, The Fred Morrision Band, The Foo Fighters, The Elders, The Glengarry Bhoys, The Mudmen, Muse, The Findlay MacDonald Band, Judas Priest, The Smiths, The Peatbog Faeries, Mike Katz, Ceolbeag, The Killers, Mark Saul, Gordon Duncan, Chris Armstrong, Mark Katz, Paddy Maloney, Sean Potts, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Mr. T....
Sounds Like
Sounds like some d**n good Celtic rock!
Unlike many Celtic rock bands that 'feature' bagpipes but simply play standard rock and roll with the bagpipes thrown in as an afterthought, 9 Castle Close integrates the bagpipes and all the instruments in its arsenal to produce a sound true to its Celtic music roots but with a modern Celtic rock sound that appeals to an ever-growing following. The influence of the modern Celtic rock bands such as Seven Nations, The Pogues, The Saw Doctors, Enter the Haggis, Flogging Molly, The Young Dubliners, The Prodigals, Black 47, and the Elders, to name a few, can be heard and felt in 9CC's music--but the band's unique background and style puts new twists on the music. Whether playing completely original Celtic rock pieces, covers of both modern rock/pop and Celtic rock classics, or new interpretations of traditional Celtic songs, 9CC delivers great music in a modern Celtic rock style while never leaving its deep Irish & Scottish roots.
The 9CC sound is true to legacy of those Irish and Scots that carried the heart of Celtic music to the shores of America--and the music that has evolved into modern Celtic rock. The 9CC sound celebrates the good times and like a modern day ceilidh 9 Castle Close's jigs, reels, and rock and roll makes you hold your glasses high then get up on your feet and dance! There's no other sound like it!
9 Castle Close is a Dayton/Cincy-based Celtic Rock band that began in 2008 and was met with enormous success. Within a few months 9CC was blowing the roof off the local pubs and playing to standing-room-only crowds. Despite being virtually unheard of 9CC was accepted to music festivals, where even the top bands such as Gaelic Storm and Slide took notice of the band's incredible sound.
The diverse backgrounds and exceptional musical talent of the band has produced an incredibly tight sound with a broad range of styles ranging from edgy versions of traditional Irish songs to Paddy rock punk to modern rock to their own original songs and celtic rock instrumentals driven by one of the areas top bagpipers and that deliver a punch like a Mike Tyson uppercut! Despite 9CC's edgy rock style, the heart and soul of the Irish and Scottish music tradition remains at the center of a hard-hitting show. From the opening set, 9CC kicks it into high gear--setting the stage on fire with lightning-fast reels on the pipes. The follow it through with foot-stomping jigs & hornpipe sets and original versions of traditional songs that will have the crowd AND YOU on your feet dancing and singing--only letting you rest long enough to throw back another drink of your Guinness before kicking you in the a** with another incredible Paddy rock set! It all happens so fast that you won't even know what hit you--but you'll be on your feet screaming for more! So...it's nearly show time...take a deep breath...hold onto your Guinness and get ready for a white-knuckle Celtic rock ride that ain't gonna let up until LAST CALL!
About the Name:
The band's name was actually the piper's house number and street name when he lived in the United Kingdom. A 'close' is a cul-de-sac, or a 'dead-end' street.
Here's the link to the real 9 Castle Close house...courtesy of Google!
About The Recordings:
In 2008, we were met with FAR more success than we had expected. Instead of focusing on writing and recording, we played shows. In the Fall, Life caught up with us and we were forced to postpone recording until late Winter. We are currently IN the process of recording the CD. Please note that most of the recordings posted on this site are raw audio of some early practice sessions. These were never intended for public release...only for us to practice on better arrangements at home. We will replace these recordings over the next several weeks as we continue to mix and develop tracks for the upcoming (and yet to be named) CD.
The Lochaber Badger Set at the Dayton Celtic Festival
Please ignore the less-than-ideal sound quality...the video was taken by one of our fans! Thanks Roger!!!!
"Say It" - One of our own tunes we played at the Dayton Celtic Festival Festival
Things went just great. 3 gigs in a day is a LOT of work, but it was worth it. Hope your St. Drinky's Day went well too. Got a few vids up now too, so you can at least see what we are all about. Take care!
Thanks for adding us! We did a two-week tour of Ireland in the fall. It was awesome. In June we'll be playing at the Ft. Collins, Colorado Irish Fest. Other than that, we're looking for more festival action around the country. How about you?
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