For more than nine years, Amadan has cut its teeth on the clubs, bars, stages, and highways of the Pacific Northwest. In the blue-collar tradition of other regional celtic- and folk-inspired rock acts, Amadan spent five years filling a heavy ~100-gig-per-year schedule with music and cultural festival appearances, college campus events, and the obvious staple: three- to four-hour, high-energy house gigs in various pubs throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Amadan swiftly developed a reputation for raucous, energetic, beer-swilling, punk-inspired shows. Filling those time slots with Gaelic traditionals, American folk tunes, and punk rock covers gave the Amadan players the sustainable energy and cohesive trad and rock chops to churn out a number of developed original songs.
Amadan’s second full-length record, 2004’s “Hell-Bent 4 Victory!,” represented a culmination of those strengths and efforts and an earmark from which the musicians could grow. Amadan filled the next three years honing performance at an increasing number of festival and rock performances on bills with bands ranging from the Clumsy Lovers to The Supersuckers and Eek-A-Mouse to Pepper. During the same period, members Eric Tonsfeldt and Kevin Pardew wrote, arranged, and, ultimately, co-produced the record that became 2007’s “Pacifica.”
Seeking to break the molds of traditional music, punk rock, and live performance with their intricate and fast-paced three-hour rock shows and searing musicianship, their third full-length album betrays a sound that is both post-punk and post-celtic in composition, feel, and influence and post-barroom in energy level and maturity. This is world music from the picket lines and the surface streets, and rock and roll from life’s daily struggles and rewards. This is music for the revolution. This is Amadan.
Amadan's third full length album, Pacifica, is available at CD Baby and Itunes. Here's what people are saying:
The interaction between the instruments is what really shines. Banjos and didgeridoos weave in and out of fiddles and distorted guitars to create interesting tableaux, making for something unique but still familiar and comforting.
“Pacifica” allows Amadan to continue to embrace broader world music influences that go beyond the Celtic punk core...In a genre where it can be difficult to tell one band’s sound from another, Amadan has created a sound all its own here.
Instead of just copying other Celtic/punk bands, these guys make their own way; set their own course--and it makes them stand out from the crowd...Traditional rock music makes an appearance here and there as well for a braid of three influences.
In much the same way that contemporary bands like the Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly take a flight to Dublin without ever leaving your room, this bunch offer up 12 tunes with a kindler, gentler approach than the 2 previously mentioned bands. "Used to Know" should be a major hit.
One of the most pleasant surprises to reach these ears in some time, Portland, OR's AMADAN is a Celtic-fueled punk band that combines all sorts of world music influences with the accessibility of THE CLASH, the irreverence of THE POGUES and the insight of that liberal professor from college that you liked so much.
When we get new music around Celtophilia HQ, I have a tendency to just throw it on while I’m doing something else. Pacifica is not that kind of CD. It demands your full attention, if you’re going to get the most out of it. Thoughtful lyrics, inventive instrumentation, and masterful blending that require the listener to be on guard at all times.
Musically, these Oregonians have typically been all over the place, as much country and “oi!” as they are Celtic and “aye!” and though this time around the sound is no less varied, it’s a much more focused affair.
Hello AMADAN, Whenever I listen to your music. I feel like singing too. But your talent is unmatched. How much time you spend to rehearse per day AMADAN? Love ya. Di PS:Follow Me Twitter at http://twitter.com/iaent
Dear Amadan, You are wonderful and unbelievable musicians, I listen to your album.. and I dream about your concert in Europe.. maybe in Poland.. Is it possible?
