Donal McCarthy
A native of Ireland hailing from Killarney (via Limerick), Donal sings and plays trad guitar, harmonica, bodhran and whistle. Like alot of Irish, he grew up with little or no appreciation for traditional Irish music until he actually picked up an instrument and discovered that it has more bollocks that any other genre he'd messed around with. He is of the opinion that certain raw elements have been lost in recent times, an opinion which is shared by the rest of the band and which drives the direction of the Bottle Boys' music. As owner of Slap Studios in Olde City he has spent much of his career as a sound engineer and producer. He has played in bands on both sides of the Atlantic, released a number of solo CDs and is currently finalizing production work on THTBB's first 2 original CDs, due out in early 2008.
Christian Bradley
An accomplished musician and songwriter, Christian played guitar in local rock bands for over 10 years before finding his true calling; the fiddle. Within months of picking up his first beat-up fiddle in a Philadelphia thrift store, he was already playing complicated Irish trad tunes. Being of Irish heritage, his love of the music grew and before long he was a Bottle Boy. He is also a gifted sound engineer and some of his production work can be heard on the band's first album.
Mike "Hotdog" Wolfrom
Banjo player and bassist extraordinaire, Hotdog Wolfrom is currently taking a break from the world of jam bands and bluegrass to play bass with the what he considers to te the best Irish band on the East Coast circuit. Known as HotDog to his culinary friends and drinking buddies, Mike is well known for his fast, clever basslines and subtle vocal harmonies. Also a gifted songwriter, he is currently working on tracks the Bottle Boys third original album, due out in the summer of 2008 (not the early 2008 releases, which are already in mix/master phase).
Ed Docktor
A multi-instrumentalist and singer, Ed brings a tight and melodic mandolin style to the band. As a kid, when he first discovered his love of traditional and folk music, he asked his parents for a set of bagpipes. They visited a folk instrument shop in Maine but dreading a 10-hour car ride back home filled with horrific back seat noises, they instead bought him a mandolin. He is an accredited song writer with many albums under his belt. In the past he has fronted rock band, Mardou, and also played bass with Philadelphia live hip hop troubadors The Rowdee Black Giants.
Kurty "Chief Wompum" O'Shea
Kurt is one of the finest traditional percussionists and drummers on this side on the Atlantic. Hailing from a Cherokee Indian and Irish background, he combines his knowledge of both tribal percussion and traditional Irish rythms to produce the energy and the heartbeat that is so lacking in much Irish music today. And he drives a Jeep Wrangler. A new one. Please make a point of telling Kurt how good he looks in his Jeep Wrangler . If you dont', I'm sure he'll make a point of telling you. . . .
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