To coincide with the summer solstice we're releasing our second single this year. It's available as a download only.......click on the downloadmusic icon below to have a listen and to buy for only 0.99 cents, or if you live in Ireland text music 1252 to 57501 .... As usual..... we've got downloadable art work for your jewel case. Right click, 'save as' and off you go.... See you soon...............eamonn
To buy this track with SMS, users should text music 961 to 57501 (Rep. of Ireland only, for the rest of the world....click on the link and follow instructions)
Find out more about The Racketeers, by visiting their website, click on the pic above
Silver & Dust are now available for sale on Itunes and all other
major digital outlets.
The video for Rambling Jack
Eamonn on Balconytv.com
Influences
Them, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, The Pogues, The Clash, Johnny Thunders, Clarence Carter, Fats Domino, Van Morrison, Green On Red, Holly Golightly, Sam Cook, Hank Williams, WB Yeats, Billy Childish, Big Youth, The Gun Club, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Loretta Lynn, Angela Carter, Link Wray, Charlie Feathers, Richard Brautigan, Horslips, The Rolling Stones, Tamla Motown, The Cramps, Birthday Party, Thin Lizzy, Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground, The Stranglers, Northern Soul, Southern Soul, Captain Beefheart, Dusty Springfield, Irma Thomas, Nikki Sudden, Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazelwood, Elvis Presley, Tom Waits, Aleister Crowley, Charles Bukowski, The Kinks, Ann Peebles, T Rex, the DIY ethic, red wine, cold beer, outsider art.................
Sounds Like
Alternative country/ americana / rock n roll....Steve Earle, Johnny Cash, Crazy Horse, Green On Red............
The Racketeers have been described by Hot Press as a band that "combine rock 'n' roll and country in just the right proportions...."
Albums Silver & Dust and
Exit Helsville
are available for download @ the digital outlets above.
(To download, click on the pictures)
Bio I played my first gig in the summer of 1980 in a shed
in rural South Mayo in the west of
Ireland
. Within a few months we had made the gloriously stupid mistake of changing our
name from The Vibration Squad to New Testament. I think it was something to do
with a changing line-up. With Joy Division and The Clash as major
influences we were equal parts Gothic doom and rock 'n' roll swagger.
Low slung guitars and eye liner were the order of the day, and we must have
raised a few eyebrows as we brought our songs of angst and rebellion to dance
halls, pubs, parish halls, and student events around the Wild West.
My next ensemble was even more bizarre. Formed in 1986, The Swinging
Swine combined country, folk and psychedelic rock 'n' roll in a way that
offended more than a few journalists. It was that dark bleak decade when it was
a novelty to have a friend who had a real job. Money was hard to come by and it
took us until 1990 to find funds to release a record. Appearing on more TV
shows than I care to remember, we had a small following for a few years, and
even scraped onto the lower rungs of the Irish Top 30. There was scant loyalty in those days and the band
imploded shortly afterwards. Following a Kerouac type sojourn on the American west coast, I arrived back
in
Ireland
with a bunch of new songs and quickly put together Captain Hex. Back in those
days the Irish music business wasn't so corporate, so we could manipulate the
media and score TV shows easily enough, and we gigged happily for a few
years, but with a couple of single releases under our belt we were staring
disinterest in the face. Around that time ecstasy was the new big thing and live
music seemed to take a back seat to the clubbing scene. I wrote the music for a
play that had a two week run at
Dublin
Castle
, and with that I quit music.
With a young son in my life, I took on jobs as a roadie, bar tender, bootlegger,
jewelry salesperson. I played harmonica on one of Blink's records, and mandolin
on a Hyper Borea record that won a Hot Press Award. I eventually got hired to
play rhythm guitar with ex-Beautiful South singer Brianna Corrigan. The band
toured the
UK
and it was a never ending party....until the record company pulled the
plug. With the money I had saved, I started to record what would become the
first Racketeers album, and within six months of the albums release I was on a ferry,
looking back at the solid white cliffs of Dover
It was a hectic time. Paddy pubs and mad houses
masquerading as music halls, we continued to bring them the songs they often did
not want to hear. Our adventures took us from the lowlands of
Holland
to the
Arctic Circle
, through the Baltics and beyond. I imagined myself the rock 'n' roll equivalent
of Ed Wood. But if the money was right and there was a place to kip, we would
turn up and put on a show of sorts. Not unlike Horslips in the 70's who played
rural Irish ballrooms, we played dodgy bars throughout
Europe
where cover bands reigned supreme. What they made of us is any body's guess,
but we got away with it for a long time. While the first album, 'By Hook Or By
Crook' got us good publicity and opened new doors for us, its follow-up, 'Long
Time Gone' suffered a distribution nightmare. Occasionally I meet people
who tell me it's their favourite racketeers album, and who am I to argue.
It would take four years before 'Exit Hellsville' would see the light of day and
put us back on track. With Jack White calling his new band The Raconteurs, and
there being 3 (at the last count) other racketeers out there, one in Boston, one
in L.A and one in the UK, the recent album 'Silver and Dust' is credited to
Eamonn Dowd and The Racketeers and released by cool German label, Cannery Row Records. This year we're in the process of releasing 4 download/promo singles on each equinox and solstice. It's my pagan way of marking time on the wheel of the year. There's a new album in the pipeline too.
Of the 80 -100 gigs a year that I play, about 70% are
solo, the rest with the band - Chris Teusner on drums
and Leslie Keye on bass. Other players come and go, and I've been lucky to
have played with some talented musicians over the past decade, and I've met
some great people along the way. So, if you make it down to a gig some night,
come up and say 'hello'. We might have more in common than you
realize..............
Eamonn Dowd and The Racketeers's Friend Space (Top 20)
The brilliant radio show "På Verandan" on Swedish Gothenburg based radio station www.K103.se, is Featuring The Racketeers this Friday @ 4pm local time (3pm GMT) plus a lot of other great acts. Tune in and listen live by clicking http://130.241.172.94:8000/listen.pls
PA VERANDAN 103,1 MHz GOTHENBURG We try to give you the best of what we know about Folk-rock, Bluegrass, Americana, Roots and Country - music. Mostly American but sometimes British and hopefully Swedish. We keep focus on what's happening in the southwest of our narrow but musically developing country of Sweden http://www.myspace.com/paverandan
the records came from the heart. for me, it was a pleasure.- great songs and nice to meet you - anytime - again!! i´m looking forward to check the next gig on third october! you are very welcome!
FINALLY . " The Stars Are Underground" the legendary low budget documentary film concerning alternative, hardcore and independent music way back in Celtic Kitten 90's Dublin is up and embedded on it's page in three easily digested parts. Come take a look if you get a chance.
you will also notice clips for Mexican Pets and Jubilee Allstars among others .
hey friend, do some hocus pocus for me if you have some spare time the angels or the prince of darkness, who will tell, are mocking me big time again! allways think i'm at the bottom but i'm realizing now there ain't no bottom... anyway your "Evil" made it to another jukebox-tape of mine, between Neil and Lucinda i hope to see you you and Asa in june when i can finally make it out of this shitty small town x 23
Just to let you know that you’re on the current show from Tom Fahey Productions Presents AmericanaOK http://www.americanaok.com
CMR Nashville http://www.cmrnashville.net/ - Fridays at 23:00 and Saturdays at 11:00 and then again at 19:00 (UK times). Requests, dedications, comments to tom@cmrnashville.net
Radio Six International http://www.cmrnashville.net/ - Tuesdays at 18:00 and on Fridays at 23:00 GMT. Requests, dedications, comments americanaok@btinternet.com
kyouRADIO San Francisco http://www.kyouradio.com – Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 07:00 (PT), Saturday at 18:00 (PT) and on Sundays at 17:00 (PT). Requests, dedications, comments americanaok@btinternet.com
Podcast - AmericanaOK @ Radio Six International. The show can be downloaded from iTunes and other podcast directories.
Details of music played and links to artists web sites http://www.americanaok.com/ . Note that artists and or record companies have given written permission for all music played.
Reporting to both the Euro Americana Chart and the Freeform American Roots chart.
Happy Easter Blessings To you all!! Cool songs! I just added a new song to my player called 'Outside Looking In' hope you like it! New TV program'Turnin To Country' www.turnintocountry.com Dish Network#231--Direct TV#379 and Comcast- Nationally televised 'Turnin to Country' on RFD-TV. The show airs every Fri 1pm est & 11pm est Sat morn 10am est. Check your time zone at www.rfdtv.com Show times subject to change. Available soon on DVD. ~TV Host~ Nashville,TN Please sign my Tresa Jordan guest Book. Grad of Florida School Of Performing Arts-Singer-Songwriter