The Whiskey Bards

www.rambles.net/whiskeybards_rec05.html
(self-produced, 2005)

Yar! I be doing this review in pirate talk, for this album be -- *hack cough cough*

Fine, I'm not going to do the entire review in pirate talk. You try it; it's hard. It's hard even to get in the mindset. But the Whiskey Bards manage to hold the pirate's mindset, and talk the sailor's talk, and do it all in rhyme, for an entire hefty album titled The Recruiter ... & Free Rum Ain't Free. Not an album of tired old filks and standard issue sailing songs, either; more than half the songs here are originals, and the traditional numbers are often unusual enough to sound new even to old filk and folk song fans.

The Whiskey Bards may or may not be real pirates; but they are sure fearless enough. It's not many all-male pirate bands who'll deliver a romantic ballad like "Bell Bottom Trousers," a sort of "Navy Blues" for the pirate crowd, sung from a serving wench's perspective. They can get romantic on their own accord, of course, so long as it's in metaphor, and besides being funny, their tales of love have some of the canniest lines. They're not afraid to spill a few gallons of blood in battle, either, though of course they'd rather stick with rum aboard Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Derelict."

But the Bards are at their best when they're doing a bard's job, being canny and wise. They know how to warn a sailor of "The Recruiter" while using his rum-handed methods, and they have the latest gossip on the dangers of the sea, like "Devilish Mary." Their lessons don't come with lyric sheets, so it's as well that they sing clear and loud, if a touch plain. There's very little in the way of instrumentation to cover up the singing, and nothing about the Bards' performance is elaborate or in the least bit fancy. Nonetheless, they're possessed of a rare appeal. The Bards' voices aren't bad, the songs are all terrible good fun to sing and they are obviously having great good fun singing them -- and The Recruiter is looking for people to join the party. I'd advise taking the offer next time the drinks come round.

by Sarah Meador
Rambles.NET
12 August 2006 - Rambles - A Cultural Arts Magazine

For the record: If Tucson, Ariz., were actually medieval Europe, Nevin Phull and his singing ensemble, the Whiskey Bards, would be rock stars. Born from the medieval re-enactment group the Society for Creative Anachronism, the Bards sing songs stylized to the popular melodies of the Middle Ages.

And though this unique brand of music may not sound like a genre for the masses, the Whiskey Bards' appearances have gone beyond the realm of re-enactments and Renaissance fairs. They've performed at weddings and bars, and the quartet will perform the National Anthem when the Tucson Sidewinders take on the Salt Lake Stingers this Saturday.

What first attracted you to this kind of music? "I think what really attracted me to the style was the fun and relaxed feeling you get from listening to it and performing it. This is the kind of music anyone can sing. You can get up and dance around the room or just sit down and tap your toes."

You cover a variety of medieval styles. What kind is your favorite? "We have two favorites really. I like the drinking aspects of it. For example, on our album we have the song 'Pass the Bottle.' It's a fun song. It's about drinking and having a good time. All of the lyrics are very funny, and it gets people clapping and up and laughing. It's great to see at the end of a song the somewhat exhausted and bright smiles on people's faces because it's just that catchy.

"On the other hand, I also really like sending people in the other direction and making them cry. One of the songs - called 'Cold October Wind' - is my favorite for that aspect because it tells the story of people going out to defend their homelands and then only three people come back. The imagery is relatively intense, and it's a good piece."

I am not sure if there are too many modern influences for this type of music but what influences does the group draw from, if any? "There is certainly no one group that we model ourselves after. We started off as an a cappella group. One of the biggest influences, in my own personal view, is Rockapella. They are an extremely aggressive a cappella group. Very popular. They were on 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego' for many years. Their ability to blend and sing aggressively is something I strive for."

Any memorable performances? "We've done quite a few. Singing 'Pretty Woman' to a bride at her wedding procession was kind of impressive. More recently at one of the medieval wars (re-enactments) we've had, we were asked to come and sing for one of the local visiting royals."

On your album, you do a rendition of "(What Do You Do With the) Drunken Sailor?" The song lists a variety of things you could do to confuse a drunken sailor. What is your favorite option and why? "I think putting him in the head with his skivvies on backwards is a very good thing. First of all, if your underwear is on backwards, you can't figure out how to lift the flap. On the alternate side, if you are wearing that kind of underwear, if you turn it around you just have to wonder where the hell were you last night? The look on their faces when they come out would be priceless."

Contact reporter Gerald M. Gay at 573-4137 or ggay@azstarnet.com - Arizona Daily Star Published: 04.14.2005

How do you define courage? There are many ways - far more than I care to get into at this time. But if I were truly put to task to come up with a single, all-encompassing definition, it might include four gentlemen singling "Bell Bottom Trousers" in the first person. Hearing their manly voices belt out lyrics regarding "he layed me on the bed until my blue eyes turned to brown" is both amusing and off-setting. An odd, odd creative choice, and in this way, quite memorable and worthwhile.

On their album The Recruiter... Free Rum Ain't Free, the Whiskey Bards venture forth more than once into gender-bending fields, although "Bell Bottom Trousers" is by far their boldest effort. However, lest you think this album is a tome of cross-dressing daintiness, let me set the record straight. Not only will you find many traditional favorites - all sung in an easy-on-the-ears, lyrical manner, and (with exception of "Bell Bottom Trousers") appropriately gendered. Included are Henry Martin, Fireship, The Derelict, and several more. But as anyone who's familiar with the Whiskey Bards knows, it's their original work that truly stands out.

We begin with the album's titular track, "The Recruiter... Free Rum Ain't Free", being a cautionary tale told in a somewhat more lighthearted manner than one might expect, even delving into the upsides of getting shanghai'd to sea. As with many of their songs, the various singers are well varied in character - of particular note is the Scottish accent of one of the singers, which leads a period-appropriate yet humorous quality to many of these bits. "Great to be a Pirate" comes next, also of the light-hearted variety, which is enjoyably in contrast with the lyrics that repeadedly wind up at the gallows. "Devilish Mary" is an energetic yet oh-so-sinister song about a woman scorned (these never end well - at least not for the one who didst the scorning.)

"Drunken Billy" and "Smoother Waters" are two more enjoyable original tracks that also follow in the Whiskey Bards fun-loving vein, but "Pirate Lullaby" sees them depart from their typical upbeat nature to take a more somber approach. It's a lovely song, and the soft, deep tone it follows plays remarkably well. "Life of a Privateer" marks a return to their usual approach, being a lively song about serving various nations in times of war. I could complain that the final cannon blast of this song sounds more like a toilet flushing, but I won't because it amuses me. The album's final song, appropriately titled "Final Journey" is again slower, more poetic piece, and very good indeed.

The majority of The Recruiter... Free Rum Ain't Free is sung a capella, with some occasional guitar work thrown in for good measure. From beginning to end it provides a highly enjoyable listen. For the most part the vocal quality is on the friendly side, lacking the graveliness that often suits the pirate medium so well, and as a result the album can sound somewhat "harmless" upon first listen. But I found it quickly grew on me, especially as I listened more directly to the lyrics. That said, I would make a point of recommending the Whiskey Bards non-pirate (but pirate-friendly) album Bottoms Up - being a much more risque project in which their "friendly" (and sometimes Scottish) voices are put to hilarious effect. - Bilgemunky.com