Corey - Drums, Vocals, Dropping Cinderblocks on himself
Dave - Banjo, Vocals, Drunken Shenanigans
Kevin Scanlon - Banjo, Vocals, Whiskey, Actual Talent, Bluegrass Soul
Heath - Drums, Whiskey, Blackouts, Drunken Aggression, and Sombreros.
Influences
The Pogues, Mischief Brew, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, World / Inferno, Streetlight Manifesto, The Bouncing Souls, Social Distortion, The Stray Bullets, Pinkerton Thugs (Micah Era), The Old Edison, Billy Bragg, The Tossers, The Dubliners, Makem and the Clancy Brothers, Doc Watson, Kevin Scanlon.
Basically, anyone who has realized that music is timeless, and can start riots.
Getting fired, poverty, homelessness, alcohol, unheated houses during the winter, vandalism, the beat generation, anger, 3516 Washington St, being fucked around by authority, and New England are also huge influences.
Sounds Like
The Swaggerin' Growlers. Who else are we supposed to sound like?
The Swaggerin' Growlers second release. We got more shameless and brash on this record, if you can believe it. It's damn well near 60 minutes long, too. It kicks ass, and so will you if you buy it.
$10.00 + $3.50 Shipping and Handling ($5.50 International) USD
Praises for Keep Your Head Held High:
Bonnie (local drunken floozy, advanced reviewer)
The new CD came out great. I've had it in my car since Hutchie gave it to me Saturday night and I keep playing it over and over. Some songs are so good I've had to play them on repeat.
Opening with a gorgeous a cappella rendering of traditional Irish tearjerker "The Green Fields of America" (they need to let tin-whistle/violin player Annie Libertini sing more), the disc clatters through calamitous carols about drinking, poverty, friendship, and sentimentalizing all that, which is a very Irish thing to do. Shining bits include the title track, "Whiskey After Dark," and "Where Do I Go from Here."
the Swaggerin’ Growlers have shaped themselves into a more diverse and original outfit in the world of Celt-Punk [...] This is a welcome addition to my collection… and God bless you Annie for bringing the balance that was needed to make “Keep Your Head Held High” a contender for one of the best releases of 2009.
After a plethora of lineup changes, Jonny has finally surrounded himself with fellow musicians who compliment his songwriting ability. The current lineup of Jonny, Matt, Liam, Chestnut, and the sexiest hobbit since Rosie Cotton has put out an album with a unique sound, drawing from celtic influences as well as punk, ska, traditional, and whatever whatever you want to call that unlisted track [...] Several tracks stand out as anthems.
USA / Canada:
International:
The Bottle and the Bow
The Swaggerin' Growlers full length debut. 14 Songs about madness, living life in
the modern world, defiance, determination, love, friendship, loyalty, the open road,
and of course, drinking heavily.
$10.00 + $3.50 Shipping and Handling ($5.50 International) USD
Praises for The Bottle and the Bow:
Nominated for WBZTV's A-List: Best of Boston: 2007 Best Album. Go vote for us!
The Swaggerin’ Growlers is a great name for a band, and a very true to life name.
I knew Jonny Swagger (vocals) knew how to swagger as I’ve see him in action
at many a Skels show. What I didn’t know was Jonny’s ability to growl so masterfully as
demonstrated on “The Bottle and the Bow”. The music
and the growl is straight ahead Celtic Punk, very much in the vein of The Skels and
Flogging Molly with some Bouncing Souls/$wingin' Utter$ style punk. Recommended.
Long time Swaggerin Growlers have finally put together a release that lives up to the legends they have become in the Celt-punk underground in the Boston area. This 14 song release is a like the the road journal of a crazy drunkard talking about life experinces, love, friendships, and of course... drinking.... what's not to love there? I think I played this disc non-stop for 24 hours and still couldn't find a bad track on the disc... this is high energy celt-punk with both bite and humor... and my new disc to pre-game before going out to the pub. I can't wait to see these boys live!
If you dig the sounds of The Skels, Vandon Arms, Porters, or even early Dropkick Murphys... you'll love this disc!
Rating: 8.50 out of 10
By Senior Staff Writer C.W. Ross
The Bottle and the Bow is the self-released, first full-length CD from the New England-based band The Swaggerin' Growlers.
The band's Irish folk-punk sound has been compared to groups like the Pogues, Flogging Molly, The Tossers, and The Dropkick Murphys.
The 14 tracks of music found on this release run the gamut from all-out driving punk beats and bar fight type songs to those that have a meandering, melodic flow to them.
Fast or slow, soft or loud, the one thing that all of the songs have in common is that they're good. The band's rebellious spirit shines strongly in the lyrics.
It's also nice to hear something besides the usual guitar and drum parts grabbing all of the attention. You'll also be treated to accordion, tin whistle, mandolin, and banjo parts in the songs.
This is the kind of feisty music that gets your heart pumping and the blood flowing.
If you like your music with an Irish flavor to it, or just looking for something a little bit out of the norm, then The Bottle and the Bow from The Swaggerin' Growlers is for you.
The opening notes of “The Bottle and the Bow” sound like something off the “Braveheart” soundtrack. But within 30 seconds, the drums come crashing in, instantly bestowing the music with hard rock muscle. The first line on the CD seals the attitude: “I’d sell my soul for a bottle of Bushmills,” the Swaggerin’ Growlers promise, but they intend to drink their Irish whiskey without relinquishing their Irish souls. The song ends about a minute later with the line “The devil best be ready for a fight when he comes to collect his dues.”
The second song bursts directly into a fast-paced Irish punk anthem, paving the way for an assault of hardcore drinking songs with titles like “Drunk Before Noon,” “Beer, Women and Song” and “Kiss My Ass.” Despite the limited subject matter, the album features a variety of skillfully utilized instruments, including tin whistle, banjo, mandolin, violin and accordion.
Melding The Dropkick Murphys with The Kings of Nuthin, the Dover-based sextet growls through a recording that combines traditional Irish folk music with modern punk rock. Their appreciation for the traditional and the cutting edge grants them an appeal that bridges generations. The band has racked up well over 100 shows together in the Boston area, but “The Bottle” constitutes the band’s first full-length CD.
The Growlers unveiled their debut album with an appropriately decadent release party on March 3. “There were over 200 people there, and absolutely everyone was devastatingly hammered,” guitarist and vocalist Jonny Swagger reports on the band’s Web site, www.theswaggeringrowlers.com.
I'm no expert when it comes to Celtic/Irish anything since I'm not of Irish heritage. I have (however) been listening to my fair share of Celtic-influenced music. Everyone likes The Pogues, but a record I've really been digging lately is from the Boston, Massachusetts based Celtic folk-punk band the Swaggerin' Growlers. As to be expected, the band uses traditional Celtic instrumentation like fiddles, tin whistles, accordions, and mandolins accompanied by a fast-paced punk rock rhythm section and rough-edged vocals. Sorta like Flogging Molly or (perhaps even) the Dropkick Murphys.
I'd been meaning to post this for awhile now, but I was reminded that I needed to post about this album after unearthing "Fairytale Of New York" from my library of Christmas songs. Anyhow, The Swaggerin' Growlers' debut album The Bottle And The Bow is fast, frenetic, and just plain fun. As to be expected, it is great music to down a pint to and drown your sorrows with and also great for jigging around the living room. So by the boys and girls another round and and stumble out onto the dancefloor.
The Swaggerin' Growlers are a riot folk band. We play on Acoustic Guitars and Mandolins, Overamplified, too drunk, too loud, and fucking proud. We started with a love for the Pogues and old Irish Folk, then discovered Billy Bragg, Woody Guthrie, and grew up with fucking Bonston Hardcore Punk. What you see is what you get- No Apologies. No Remorse. No Regrets. Grab another drink and lets tear shit up and maybe make a difference.
Ní neart go cur le chéile. There is no strength without unity.
PS: If you're a nazi or racist scumbag, go fuck yourself. You're part of the fucking problem. We actively oppose everything you fucking stand for.
We are avid readers of:
And we also do silly things to promote ourselves, the cheap whores we are:
DAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMIT! I have been waiting for you guys to do a western tour for ages and now that you're finally coming to Vegas I'm in southern cali! Mother Efff! Sigh. I know you guys will rock you with your um, socks out. The Briggs are fabulous and the Divebar is, well, a divebar. Great spot, just watchout for the bathroom next to the bar, the door doesn't lock. ;o)
Great show last night in Lancaster, CA. Good times meeting and hanging out with you guys. Hope to see out this way again sometime. Hope everything gets better with the van as well.
Online Now!
