RSS
Entertainment


Home Page > Entertainment > The Bible According to MacManus

Blogs


comment on article Make a comment
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

The Bible According to MacManus

By
Mike Farragher,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 4:08 PM
Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:47 PM

See more: Entertainment  

Bookmark and Share

DO you remember a time when Shane MacGowan had a working set of choppers? How about the time you heard bands like the Saw Doctors and Black 47 for the first time?

Here's something that makes you feel old - those bands are about to mark their 20th anniversaries!

While seeing those bands today is still a nice kick, when was the last time you got knocked over the head with fresh new music in the Irish rock genre?

Your wait is now over, though. The music of Biblecode Sundays takes you back to that time, offering a wildly original voice to the Irish rock genre with their CD Ghosts of Our Past.

Led by Elvis Costello's kid half-brother, Ronan MacManus, Biblecode Sundays bring that famous sibling's defiant energy while neatly avoiding any comparisons. Songs like "Pirates of Clew Bay" and "See You at the Crossroads" have a big, meaty rock undercurrent that flows beneath banjos and flutes; if Bruce Springsteen snorted some Lucky Charms, it might sound something like this.

The band can put down the whiskey long enough to write a tearjerker that will hit every Irish immigrant in the gut. "The moonlight where we used to walk/I left you standing there/I left you alone/I could swear the my sorrow you could see from my shadow," MacManus sings to his lover before he boards "the coffin ship to New York" on the gorgeous "Mayo Moon."

This six-piece band of "Irish Londoners" are music industry veterans who have been breaking festival records in the U.K. and Europe. The group is led by McManus, Andy Nolan (ex-MacGowan and the Popes) on accordion, Carlton Hunt (ex-Bad Manners) on drums, Enda Mulloy (son of Tom from the legendary Mulloy Brothers) on harmonica, bass and vocals, Joe Moran (ex All-Ireland champion) on flute, whistles, guitar and vocals and one of the best young fiddle players in London, Patrick Franklin.

I first caught a glimpse of the band last year during a raucous, unforgettable set at Rocky Sullivan's, where they were playing to small crowds in an attempt to build a fan base over here.

They literally shredded their instruments. There was only one string on Ronan's guitar when he walked off the stage.

1 2 3 Next page >

See more: Entertainment

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Be the first to make a comment.

It may take several minutes for your comment to appear.


Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password