Pipes and Punk

By Jenna Croyle

Though there are many styles and genres of music such as Rock, Punk, Folk, Country and Jazz, few styles merge two very different cultures into one phenomenal sound as Celtic Punk does.

Celtic Punk is a blending of traditional Celtic music with the more contemporary Punk sound, creating one of the most fascinating and entreating musical styles of today.

The Pogues, a band of punk musicians in London who celebrated their Irish heritage, founded the Celtic Punk genre in the 1980s. Over the last few decades, many bands have picked up The Pogues’ lead by melding Celtic folk music with punk-rock energy.

Whether or not you are Irish, you are bound to get into the infectious sounds of Celtic Punk, and locally nobody does it better than this week’s featured band, The Tradesmen.

These seven creative musicians offer their fans lightning-fast beats, slashing Guitars, with dazzling accordion work and of course the Bagpipes that blow you away every time.

The Tradesmen are without doubt among the most talented of all the local musicians of the Punk genre, offering our scene a style of music that is certainly unique to our city and served up with all the energy of a nuclear reactor.

The Tradesmen are made up of members T.J. Sandell on Vocals, Jeremy Fuchs on Guitar, John Ski on Lead Guitar and Vocals, Andy Alm on Accordion with Jason Slaughter on Bass Guitar, Brian Gray on Bagpipes, Tin Whistle and Vocal and Michael Russell on Drums.

Performing mostly original music, The Tradesmen lay down a mix of sounds, vocals, and musical instruments in such perfect harmony, with amazing stage presence and top it all off with passion and a cool that you can’t buy, making every show truly special.

With a set list that is just as hard-hitting as it is progressive, The Tradesmen rattle of rapid-fire tunes, one after the other such as Not Without a Fight, Barstool Battle Cry and Don’t Give Up The Ship.

T.J. Sandell on the Mic is riveting and captivating, showing true vocal power and versatility while delivering the lyrics with such enthusiasm and energy, that you cannot help but to get excited.

The accordion is one of the most interesting instruments, a reed instrument with numerous buttons and keys, making sounds with every push and pull of the bellows. It takes strength and patience to play the accordion and the Squeezebox work of Andy Alm is simply stellar and a true treat.

John Ski rocks the Lead Guitar, sonic and powerful, with slamming riffs and innovative melodies that rock the house, Ski offers up amazing performances every set.

The baselines boom as Jason Slaughter rips through the song, leaving a trail of blazing beats that hit you like a ton of bricks. Slaughter’s beats are wide and rich with talent and strength, compelling not only the music, but everyone to groove as well.

As not an easy instrument to play, Brian Gray serves up the stirring sounds of the Great Highland Bagpipe, lending not only a very unique sound to The Tradesmen, but also one that is dripping with enthusiasm and flair as Gray offers amazing performances at every show.

The sick sticks of Mike Russell are hard and crushing, but always tempered with rhythm and are groove driven with pulse pounding patterns that show off his real gift for the drums.

Since they began, The Tradesmen have been carrying the torch lit by their Celtic Punk forefathers like the Pogues with a formula that consists of an Oi! Punk head flowing off of a frothy glass of Celtic tradition.

The Tradesmen storm the stage, fusing a dynamic marriage of Celtic and the Punk genre, honing it to a razor’s edge of contemporary progress and originality that never disappoints and always invigorates the musical mind and cultivates the soul.

Pipes and Punk equal a party in a bottle as The Tradesmen leave a raging trail of fast times and hard rocking behind them every time they play.

For more information of The Tradesmen and their show dates, please visit Facebook Page.