Along came Pint o’ Guinness
In the Spring of 1995 at the University of Puget Sound a chemical mixing of multiple musical genres transpired: 1 part punk, 1 part SKA, 1 part metal, 1 part folk, 2 parts Celtic, and a dash of bluegrass to taste. The end result was a flavor and combination that can only be described as Pint o’ Guinness, the punk rock irish carnival of mayhem and chaos. At any one time during our 5 years as a band there could be anywhere from 5 to 8 members, with instruments ranging from Tin Whistle, Banjo, Mandolin, Bodhran, Guitar, Accordian, Drums, Bass, Sax, Clarinet, Trombone, Trumpet, Fiddle…the list goes on.
Sound Life Section of the Tacoma News Tribune, March 17, 1998
Ultimately we all played several instruments and swapped places often. I was a part of this delicious mess, from the band’s early inception all the way to the bitter end. From practices held in a campus chapel basement– being kicked out by security officers, to concerts in front of hundreds of amazing fans. We were a force to be reckoned with and went nowhere quietly. By some standards we were an early version of The Pogues, or close to bands like the Dropkick Murphys. An odd brotherhood that spawned a number of other projects and bands but to this day in many regards still stands out as the musical pinnacle of success for a number of its members (but then what is success?). I could write volumes on band stories, fights, political battles, and the stuff that makes films like Spinal Tap so sad, funny and true. But this perhaps for another day, yes? As for recordings, there are many, sadly none of them ever really did justice to represent the juggernaught of sound we created live but you can imagine right?
Check these out for size yo:
Pint o’ Guinness–Whiskey Watered Down
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