Press Reviews SiriusXM 2009 Listeners Poll Ranks "Emerald" #56 on Top 100 Celtic Songs of All Time  [+ Show] Sirius XM Satellite Radio ........ 10/20/09 - SiriusXM's 2009 Listener Poll... ........ 10/20/09 - SiriusXM's 2009 Listener Poll ranks "Emerald" as #56 on the Top 100 Celtic Songs list.  We're humbled, and offer our thanks to everyone who voted for us! Cheers! The Top 60 from the list will be aired tonight at 11pm ET on the Spectrum on Sirius (18), XM (45), DISH Network (6018), and DirecTV (832). Sirius XM 2009 Listener Poll Top Celtic Songs Top 30... 30            The Rocky Road To Dublin - The Dubliners 29            Fairy Tale of New York - Christy Moore 28            Ocean and a Rock - Lisa Hannigan 27            Scarlet Begonias - Wake The Dead 26            Travelling People - Turner & Kirwan of Wexford 25            Dirty Old Town - The Pogues 25            Buile Mo Chroi - John Spillane and Louis De Paor 24            Beeswing - Richard Thompson 23            Arthur McBride & The Sergeant - Paul Brady 22            Fairy Tale of New York - The Pogues 21            Funky Ceili - Black 47 20            Fields of Athenry - Paddy Reilly 19            Whiskey in the Jar - Thin Lizzy 18            Whistles The Wind - Flogging Molly 17            Wedding Reel - Lunasa 16            Menez - Alan Stivell 15            Life's Like That, Isn't It - Larry Kirwan 14            The Band Played Waltzing Matilda - Liam Clancy 13            Ora Se Do Bheath Abhaile - Sinead O'Connor 12            Birches - Bill Morrissey 11            Green Fields of France - The Furey Brothers & Davy Arthur 10            Empty Glens - Runrig 9            The Big Fellah - Black 47 8            Wacko King Hacko - Peatbog Faeries 7            Sing All Our Cares Away - Damien Dempsey 6            Say You Love Me - Sharon Shannon/Dessie O'Halloran 5            Raglan Road - Van Morrison & The Chieftains 4            The Galway Girl - Steve Earle 3            Kilkelly - Moloney/Keane/O'Connell 2            Lisdoonvarna - Christy Moore 1            Northwest Passage - Stan Rogers                                   REMAINDER OF TOP 100 33            One Starry Night - Davy Spillane 34            Into The Mystic - Van Morrison 35            First Light of the Day - Paddy A Go Go 36            James Connolly - Black 47 37            Matty Groves - Fairport Convention 38            Fishermen's Blues - The Waterboys 39            Thousands Are Sailing - The Pogues 40            Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys 41            Star of the County Down - Van Morrison & The Chieftains 42            Fanatic Heart - Black 47 43            N 17 - The Saw Doctors 44            Home For a Rest - Spirit of the West 45            Johnny, I Hardly Knew You 46            One - Johnny Cash 47            Patriot Game - The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem 48            Black Velvet Band - Dropkick Murphys 49            Laid - James 50            Delirium Tremens - Christy Moore 51            Aisling Gheal - Seamus Heaney/Liam Og O'Flynn 52            Never Any Good With Money - Martin Simpson 53            Sweet Sixteen - The Furey Brothers/Davy Arthur 54            Here Comes The Night - Them 55            Wild Rover - Dropkick Murphys 56            Emerald - Voodoo Loons 57            Amazing Grace - Flatfoot 56 58            Kilroy Was Here - Larry Kirwan 59            I Was Watching You - Rosanne Cash 60            Rainy Night in Soho - The Pogues 61            Halelujiah - Jeff Buckley 62            Sunshine Serenade - The Mighty Stef 63            Downtown Baghdad Blues - Black 47 64            Tobacco Island - Flogging Molly 65            Release - Afro-Celt 66            Hard Times in Old England - Billy Bragg 67            The Parting Glass - The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem 68            Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway - Finbar & Eddie Furey 69            If I Should Fall From Grace - The Pogues 70            Welcome To The Cabaret 71            Nobody's Baby Now - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 72            All Around My Hat - Steeleye Span 73            Wexford - Pecker Dunne 74            1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson 75            Rocky Takes a Lover - Bell X1 76            Baisteach - John Spillane & Louis De Paor 77            Muirsheen Durkin - Johnny McEvoy 78            Man You Don't Meet Every Day - Sharon Kaye 79            Livin' in America - Black 47 80            Lord Offaly - David McWilliams 81            Rock on Rockall - The Wolfe Tones 82            Si Do Mhamo - Hothouse Flowers 83            Zombie - Dolores Riordan 84            Street of Dreams - The Oysterband 85            Ride On - Christy Moore 86            Love Is Teasing - The Chieftains 87            It Makes No Difference - The Band 88            Leaving of Liverpool - Gaelic Storm 89            The West Coast of Clare - Planxty 90            Pipe Solo - The Bothy Band 91            The Musical Priest - Cora Smyth 92            Sleepy Maggie - Ashley MacIsaacs 93            Mingulay Boat Song - The Makem and Spain Brothers 94            The Battle of Aughrim - The Chieftains 95            Wicklow Hills - Pierce Turner 96            Caledonia - Dougie Maclean 97            Carrickfergus - Van Morrison & The Chieftains 98            The Blue Idol - Altan 99            On a Sea of Fleur De Lis - Solas 100            Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - U2 Recording Magazine Reviews  [+ Show] Recording Magazine, (US) Holy Phil Spector! The Voodoo Loons may have submi... Holy Phil Spector! The Voodoo Loons may have submitted the only “wall of sound” recording featuring a mandolin that we can remember. Mixes like this one are some of the most difficult to dissect because, with the exception of the drums, it’s often hard to tell what sound source is responsible for what sound. Things start out with some definition, acoustic guitar (12-string?) and mando (panned at approximately 2:00 opposite each other), along with the lead vocal and some nice percussion. Rather quickly an electric guitar appears right on top of the mandolin and either replaces or masks it. Next in are the bass and drums, and off to the races we go. As we said earlier, from this point on, it becomes tough to tell exactly who’s doing what, and that was through studio monitors. What we would be able to tell via a car radio at 65 mph with the windows rolled down is anyone’s guess, but somehow we can’t help but get the feeling that Chris and the guys are far too skilled for that to have been an accident. Which leads us to the matter of intent—a slippery slope if there ever was one. Countless hours of debate have been logged through the years as to the method and the madness (skip the pun) of Mr. Spector’s “Wall of Sound”. Would it have really mattered if there were only five guitar players and two bassists on the recordings? Were four pianos really required? And let’s not even get started on the reverb chambers! The answer is, only Phil knows for sure, and he’s not talkin’. What is clear is, that for at least a brief shining moment, the concept was hugely successful and influential—just ask Brian Wilson if you don’t believe us. My point is, no novice was involved in the making of “Downhill”. We’ve heard enough accidental masking in our day to know the difference. No, what we have here is a conscious plan to create an agitated state of sound that fits the band’s lyrical message, and Chris and the fellows have pulled it off with precision, energy and conviction. Will it be everyone’s cup of tea? Who knows. What we can say with some relative certainty is that the Voodoo Loons obviously had a plan with their mix, and it was executed and brought home safely. Summary: This ain’t your granddad’s mandolin! http://www.recordingmag.com/tapereviews/2009/09/82.html Concert Review:  Voodoo Loons Wow Crowd  [+ Show] Associated Northcliffe Digital, (UK) Great review of our first "stealth" UK show.  From... Great review of our first "stealth" UK show.  From print edition. http://www.voodooloons.com/VLUKreview.pdf The Dark Side of the Loons  [+ Show] CityBeat Magazine (Cincinnati) "As for Euphobia itself, O'Hagan is infinitely pro... "As for Euphobia itself, O'Hagan is infinitely proud of the work that he, McCarthy and Hooks have invested in the album, which bears the mark of their musical and writing influences (Pixies, Jane's Addiction, Ray Davies, Bob Dylan, Paul Westerberg) focused through a soaring, careening Afghan Whigs-like Indie Rock sonic filter, resulting in the expansive sound of a major label album." http://www.voodooloons.com/DarkSideLoons.pdf http://citybeat.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A144086 Album review/band profile  [+ Show] IMI/RCS (US + EU) Archived at http://www.voodooloons.com/VLIMIprofil... Archived at http://www.voodooloons.com/VLIMIprofile.html Full page profile and review.  Here are a few of our favorite excerpts:  The album, titled Euphobia (which is an actual, albeit obscure, medical condition in which the afflicted have “a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of hearing good news"… seriously) is a fascinating piece of work.  Launching straight out of the gate with the edgy and herky-jerky “Hello”… it seems at first like a punkish rocker, then evolves into a technodelic landscape.  By the end of the tune it is clear that this is a band with a different slant.... ....The next few tracks are equally aggressive, with each song introducing yet another element of the Voodoo Loons equation.  The uber-tight rhythm section of bassist Chris Hooks and drummer Bill McCarthy quickly establish themselves as a muscular force to be reckoned with, creating intricate yet dense foundations that are sometimes funky, sometimes turbulent, occasionally sparse, but always tasteful and intriguing....   O'Hagan takes advantage of the strength of the rhythm section in his arrangements, using his guitars to create textures that range from Pixies-like impenetrable barrages of sound to airy psychedelic pillows that float around lyrics and Hooks' melodic bass lines.  The result is simply a fantastic soundscape that you can really only describe via odd comparisons.  Think early Pink Floyd with Flea.  XTC with balls.  U2 if you they dropped acid and really rocked out. And that's only the first 5 of 15 tracks on this nearly hour-long album.  The rest of the album embarks on a journey that wanders through O'Hagan's Irish and American influences, both musically and through the occasionally politically pointed lyrics.  The epic “Emerald” is clearly Celtic, while the instrumental “Downhill (Reprise)” is one of several tracks that feature top notch mandolin and hints at bluegrass inspiration.  Several others are just solid alt/pop rockers, and another has an almost Beck-like aura about it… yet the Loons cover all this ground while maintaining their own sound. “Play In the Rain” is a delicate number that, like several of Euphobia's songs, could easily be wildly popular… if only radio still played good music.  Which brings us back to how and why the Loons do what they do. OnlineRock.com; Euphobia CD Review  [+ Show] OnlineRock.com (San Francisco) http://onlinerock.com/CDreview/review_voodoo_loons... http://onlinerock.com/CDreview/review_voodoo_loons.shtml When folk singers dropped the ball – or, you could say, when listeners dropped folk singers – it was the rockers who picked it up. Now everyone from U2 to Sublime has a political song in their arsenal. Voodoo Loons takes that to a new level with their album Euphobia. Though only one song on the album is listed as “the unabashedly political song” most of the songs have political overtones. And, unafraid to rock, the band mostly succeeds in disguising their intentions long enough to get your head banging – and thinking about their message. Take “Paranoia,” for example. Without ever losing track of the hook that catches their listener fishes – the powerful chords (but not power chords), rough beat and fierce energy of the song –Voodoo Loons reaches down and unwraps the part of the brain where you keep your fear. Not those strange fears of spiders or men’s ties, but the perfectly normal fear of government, of conspiracy, of being in the dark. “They were tapping my phones...reading my emails...I stepped outside my house and noticed that everybody was wearing the same shoes. They were wearing the same shoes,” moans lead singer Dennis O’Hagan, while the music rumbles and sputters, perfectly capturing the lurking terror of a society of Nike-inspired automatons. (Uh...these views do not necessarily reflect the views of OnlineRock.com.) Whether you’re on board with their message or not, Voodoo Loons’ grungy hard rock will surely hook you. Be afraid of the government, by all means. But do not fear the rock. This Is An Artist's Rock-n-Roll Band  [+ Show] MicControl blog (Boston) The strength of Voodoo Loons new album, Euphobia, ... The strength of Voodoo Loons new album, Euphobia, comes from the variety that lies within. The first track on the album, entitled Hello  is a tour de force of hard rock, but just as many other times throughout this album, the following song is a complete curveball. This 'curveball' that I speak of, happens to be one of my favorite tracks on the album. As stated in the titled, The Unabashedly Political Song  is both obviously political and satirical, but the spoken aspect of the song is extremely effective and well written. Voodoo Loons clearly had an strong opinion and felt the need to get it off of their chest. I'm all for this idea, but only if it is well done and tasteful; thankfully it is. The interesting part about this song is that it is really the only politically charged track on the album; at least the only obviously political track on the album. The song ends quite well too, with a plethora of drums and percussion creating a dense wall of rhythmic sound. Another aspect of the Voodoo Loons that I really enjoyed, is their knack for hearing out the specific sound of a song, and correctly complementing that feeling with specifically chosen instruments. The musicianship and craftsmanship of a band is looked at very positively when close attention to detail is paid, as it is here. Each song seems to be represented using a different collection of instruments; some songs have the typical electric guitar, electric bass and drums, but this lineup is the minority on Euphobia. For the most part, each song has a different arrangement of instruments including upright and fretless bass, keyboards, percussions, harmonica, and mandolin (the mandolin playing on track 4, entitled Downhill, is quite tasteful). There is even a track that has more of an electronica/ techno feel to it than anything else (track 5, entitled Paranoid), meanwhile another curveball appears when the very next song starts; an entirely acoustic reprise of Downhill. The variety within Euphobia gives the feeling that each song has been meticulously crafted as opposed to just thrown together so that the band can rock out. This is an artist's rock n' roll band. http://miccontrol.com/#/blog/2009/04/30/album-review-euphobia-by-voodoo-loons/ Rated Higher than Panic/Disco, Tea Leaf Green, many others  [+ Show] Music Reviewer (NY) Voodoo Loons have blended a multitude of influence... Voodoo Loons have blended a multitude of influences across genres to capture a unique sound of their own.  The Loons borrow sounds from traditional folk roots, psychedelic rock, funk, and strong overtones of early REM-style college rock.  Their willingness to contort classical conventions, whether musical or political, transcends the audio of the disc, and bleeds into the text on the cd case itself, where they infiltrate the copyright protection warning.  On the case, it reads “Warning: Unauthorized duplication of this recording is a violation of applicable laws and could result in extremely bad karma.” The Voodoo Loons musical appeal is as far stretching as their apparent influences.  The opening track Hello could easily be heard over lubricated conversation at a dorm room party, while the mandolin driven Emerald could satisfy a bluegrass/folk fan.  The Loons most polarizing quality lies with their often in-your-face political views.  As the opening to the aptly titled The Unabashedly Political Song states, “If you watch Fox News, you might as well just turn this shit off right now.”  What follows is a funk driven spoken word tirade in which the Loons sound off on topics ranging from the war in Iraq, to the war on drugs.  The only track that stands out as lacking in originality is Trouble to Come, in which the bass and guitar parts often sound like a cover of the Beatles classic, Taxman. Consisting of Bill McCarthy on percussion and backing vocals, Chris Hooks on bass and keyboards, and Dennis O’Hagan on guitar, harmonica and lead vocals, Voodoo Loons are a tight-knit trio, hailing from Cincinnati, OH.  All members play their respective instruments well, and the recording quality allows this to show.  The bass tone specifically stands out on every track (possibly due to bassist Hooks also engineering the album.) http://www.music-reviewer.com/june-2008/rock-pop-alternative/voodoo-loons-::-euphobia/#itemdescription Full page feature, Irish paper  [+ Show] The Donegal News (IE) This is a full page feature on the band and it's t... This is a full page feature on the band and it's ties to Ireland.  March 9, 2008 It's a daily newspaper, but their website seems to be pay-only, so here's a link to an archived PDF of the story http://voodooloons.com/DNewsLoons.pdf MidPoint Music Festival review  [+ Show] CityBeat Magazine (Cincinnati) ""We then saw the tail-end of local trio Voodoo Lo... ""We then saw the tail-end of local trio Voodoo Loons, who were a lot of fun and excellent musicians, jamming out funky, head-bob-worthy Pop/Rock tunes (like the psychodots crossed with a less manic Chili Peppers)."  - Mike Breen, CityBeat music critic, on our 2006 MPMF set. Also from CityBeat: Working two fronts, one here in the Queen City and the other in Donegal, Ireland, Voodoo Loons have managed to attract a fervent audience on two continents. With an appealing mix of visceral Punk energy and cerebral psychedelia, they find the right balance between frenetic chaos and studied control. Dig It: The Grateful Dead teach the Pogues how to jam, who teach World Party how to drink, who teach The Stones how to relax, and everyone gets their degrees from Professors Zappa, Waits and Dylan.