Ballydowse
Encyclopedia
Ballydowse is a celtic punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois with a rare mix of anarchist and religious ideas infused into their music. Many of the group's members were from the Jesus People U.S.A. commune. In addition to the group's Mekons/Pogues-style Celtic punk
influences, the group also draws from world music
s such as klezmer
and Tibetan throat singing. Ballydowse released two albums both engineered by Steve Albini
. The debut was entitled The Land, the Bread, and the People and was a home place for many who found common cause with certain elements of Christianity while rejecting the American right wing bias so prominent in the church at the time. Their second album Fertile Crescent continued this trajectory with a growing Eastern European flavor. The group's political activism over the economic sanctions
on Iraq in the 2000s, prison reform, death penalty and the short-comings of capitalism was unique among Christian bands of the time. The group disbanded in 2003.
Celtic punk
Celtic punk is punk rock mixed with traditional Celtic music. The genre was founded in the 1980s by The Pogues, a band of punk musicians in London who celebrated their Irish heritage. Celtic punk bands often play covers of traditional Irish folk and political songs, as well as original compositions...
influences, the group also draws from world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
s such as klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
and Tibetan throat singing. Ballydowse released two albums both engineered by Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
. The debut was entitled The Land, the Bread, and the People and was a home place for many who found common cause with certain elements of Christianity while rejecting the American right wing bias so prominent in the church at the time. Their second album Fertile Crescent continued this trajectory with a growing Eastern European flavor. The group's political activism over the economic sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
on Iraq in the 2000s, prison reform, death penalty and the short-comings of capitalism was unique among Christian bands of the time. The group disbanded in 2003.
Discography
- The Land, the Bread, and the People (Grrr RecordsGrrr RecordsFounded in 1975 by Jean-Jacques Birgé, GRRR is a French independent record label of new music.The first LP was Défense de by Birgé-Gorgé-Shiroc which became a cult-album after having being quoted in the famous Nurse with Wound list...
, 1998) - Out of the Fertile Crescent (Diamante Music GroupDiamante Music GroupDiamante Music Group was a Newport Beach, California based independent record label distributor active from 1993 through 2004. During its heyday, Diamante was home to several dozen small independent record labels, some of whose artists later gained worldwide recognition.Among such were Rescue...
, 2000)
Members
- Andrew Mandell (vocals)
- Robin Mandell (vocals)
- Nate Gustafson Peters (vocals, guitar, mandolin)
- Craig Holland (guitar)
- Brian Grover (bass, didgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
, whirligigWhirligigA whirligig is an object that spins or whirls, or has at least one member that spins or whirls. Whirligigs are also known as pinwheels, buzzers, comic weathervanes, gee-haws, spinners, whirlygigs; whirlijig; whirlyjig; whirlybird; or plain whirly. Whirligigs are most commonly powered by the wind,...
, bodhranBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, bullroarerBullroarerBullroarer may refer to the following:*Bullroarer , a ritual sound instrument and an ancient communication device used for communicating over greatly-extended distances*"Bullroarer" , a song on Midnight Oil's Diesel and Dust CD...
) - Dan Kool (vocals, moohran, bodhranBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, concertinaConcertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
) - Chris White (drums)
- Dave Baumgartner (violin)
- Darren Davick - guitar, octave mandolin
- Levi Nerad-drums
- Don Anderson - drums on Out of the Fertile Crescent