The Pints: Irish Celtic Music From The States!

I recently listened to The Pints at a small soiree here in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. This self described, "Two parts traditional Irish Music, one part Whiskey" band thoroughly lived up to their Irish roots as they mesmerized dancers into dancing up and down pounding on the hard wood floors. If your ears are tired of all the worn out pop music ubiquitous today, see The Pints play here in the Midwest, buy their upcoming CD (debuts on St. Patrick's day 2010) or better still, book them to play in your town, Belfast, Chicago, Boston, wherever. My impression of this band was that they played with real heart and cared about their music. Some bands can get people to dance a little, these folks had everyone dancing like their pants were on fire.

Band members include: "Captain" Ray Murphy on drums, spoons, concertina and washboard! Sheri Six on vocals, auxillary percussion aka bodhran and/or tambourine! Jerry MacKill'em also on vocals, Irish bouzouki, guitar, bass and mandolin. Jessie "Lil' Debbie MacDelay"on flute and tinwhistle! Earl O'Cameron on banjo and guitar. Megan McKeggin' on violin and Brian O'Brien on stand up bass. As mentioned above, several members harmonize at once, and they do it well. I was particularly drawn to the sultry, sometimes viscerally throaty vocals of Sheri Six. I would be remiss not to mention that the band has had various members come and go from their 2000 origins of Captain Ray Murphy and Joe Wyatt. The Pints count among their influences:The Clancy Brothers, The Pogues, The Stone Ring, Loreena McKennit, Flogging Molly, Christy Moor, Seamus Egan, Chris Norman, Medeski Martin and Wood, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Altan, Frank Zappa, Dropkick Murphys, and Flogging Molly to name a few!

As founding member "Captain" Ray Murphy puts it:

"I'm trying to keep the music alive introduce the tunes to those who have never heard of Irish music. I feel like Irish music has made me more sensitive to my environment and my deeper self. I feel like I have a better ancestral understanding too. Irish music is so diverse with jigs, reels, sea shanties, rebel songs, ballads, etc."

A few more notes of interest, Sheri Six formerly played in two other bands, Deflowered and Rayging Whoremoans. After a four or five year hiatus from playing the violin, Megan McKeggin connected with The Pints while enjoying a few pints at a local pub, now the fiddle plays her!Jerry MacKill'em introduced the Celtic Bouzouki to the band supplementing or supplanting the bass. Before gracing the Pints with her flute, flautist Jessie MacDelay played in the musicals Into the Woods, Pirates of Penzance, The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, and Seussical. Earl O'Cameronhas traded in a standard five string banjo for the more succint tones of the Irish Tenor banjo while playing more complicated winding reals and leaping jigs. Bassist Brian O'Brien co-hosts The Harmony Bar's Bluegrass Jam, an open bluegrass jam that meets two Fridays a month, fall through spring in Madison, Wisconsin.

Be sure and check out the Pints official website and their myspace page for more information. The Pints debut CD, First Round is due to be out by March 17, St. Patrick's day here in the States. You can also hear The Pints on WORT Madison Radio 89.9 FM Check their website for more information.

THE PINTS CD RELEASE PARTY TONIGHT!!! ST.PATTY'S DAY MARCH 17, 2010 !!!

7PM AT THE HIGH NOON SALOON 701 EAST WASHINGTON MADISON WISCONSIN

(608) 268-1122