If Tullamore Dew had a sound, this would be it.

15 MP3 Songs
WORLD: Celtic, ROCK: Folk Rock



Details:
CRAIC (n): (pronounced âcrackâ) Irish colloquial term for a good time with other people, especially good conversation, fun. âWhatâs the craic?â--Whatâs up? Howâs it going? Whereâs the party?

The release of their last album, âThis Time Around,â found The Sandcarvers coming of age. Now, with the release of âDealinâ Craic,â the band is truly hitting their stride. One gets the feeling that The Sandcarvers are ready to place their name right up there among the elite within the genre of Celtic rock.

Part of this maturing process has to be attributed to the bandâs two newest members, A.J. Laird and Jeffrey Miller. The two share lead and harmony vocals (a welcome addition to the bandâs repertoire), with Laird providing percussion (and even a bit of harmonica) and Miller handling the acoustic guitar duties. They come to the band with stellar credentials: A.J. was a theater major and made a name for himself as one of the top vocalists in and around Penn State as well as Southeast Wisconsin, while Jeff has been playing numerous instruments since junior high and was a veteran of the Irish Pub circuit in Michigan.

And, as we hear on âDealinâ Craic,â theyâre also a strong song writing duo as well...a veritable one-two punch, both lyrically and musically. Whether it be their own individual compositions or songs on which they collaborated, this is some of the strongest, most well-crafted writing youâre going to hear today, no matter the genre.

âDealinâ Craicâ finds the band going beyond the usual âCeltic adornmentsâ found in most bands of this type. From the fine selection of traditional numbers to the originals penned by the band, this is truly a mixture of âCelticâ and âRock.â If you didnât know better, youâd swear that the new songs have been around for hundreds of years, but kicked up with rock infusion.

From the searing guitar work of Jamie Verbeten; the solid âin the pocketâ drums of Tom Mlot; the straight-ahead bass lines of JJ McAuliffe/Chris Trotier; the enormous talent that is Raven âof the 1001 instrumentsâ: to this quartet add the soaring vocals of A.J. Laird and the high energy strumming--and humor--of Jeff Miller and, well...you have a band that is ready to move!

TRACKS

âEmerald Isleâ (Laird, Miller, Raven) A song about a man who realizes that, no matter where you go in this world, home is always with your family and friends. Included in the bridge is a song called âReel-y Fathter,â named by Ravenâs then-three-year-old son, Casey.

âBlack and Tansâ (Trad.) Come on...its âBlack and Tans.â The break in this one includes the traditional reel, âCaptain McBain,â newly-harmonized by Raven, in which Jamie lays down a mean riff.

âAnnie McGrewâ (Miller) Written by Jeff about a woman who always seems to show up "uninvited" wherever a glass or twelve is being raised. This one features some nice accordion sounds.

âKingâs Crownâ (Miller) Have you ever had the feeling that you â...can do anything...â after youâve had a few? Even if you just know someone like that, youâll relate to this song. Featuring some beautiful and haunting bassoon work by Raven, whoâs been known to refer to this one as âPage Nineteen in Jeffâs Personal Diary.â

âHideawayâ (Laird, Raven) This one began as a slow instrumental by Raven, who passed it along to Jeff, who gave it a righteous beat, who then presented to A.J., who found it the perfect vehicle for lyrics inspired by his brother-in-law, who is currently serving in the military.

âCarrickfergusâ (Trad.) Resurrected by A.J. and Raven from the Sandcarver archives, THIS is why A.J. is one of the top vocalists out there. His rendition of âCarrickfergusâ is one of the most emotive vocal performances in years.

âTrampolineâ (Miller) The Sandcarvers get a little Techno in this semi-autobiographical song written with âThe one who shall remain namelessâ--who keeps bouncing in and out of your life--in mind.

âThe Ringâ (Miller) Boy meets Girl. Boy falls head over heels. Boy writes song with happy ending, because in real life, Boy doesnât even learn Girlâs name before Girl returns to Ireland. Just a little tip from your ole Uncle Jeff: Donât let opportunity slip through your fingers. This one has some over-the-top chanter work...in case you wanted to rock out a little.

âNeverendingâ (Roberts, Woolford) The Sandcarvers take a stab at The Young Dubliners tune and really hit the mark. This song is big. REALLY big! Rumor has it they left this one in the same key as the original... you know, just in case a certain composer ever wants to join them onstage sometime.

âLast Wednesday Nightâ (Miller) Drunk again. Hey, whatâs an Irish band without a few drinkinâ songs? Another song based on actual events, with some smokinâ harmonica from A.J.

âMairiâs Wedding/Nolanâs Game/Iâll Tell My Maâ (Trad., Raven) Two trad songs linked in the middle by a wonderful little ditty written by Raven about her older sonâs favorite [baseball] game [baseball] ever [baseball] of all time.

âLiamâs Rompâ (Trad.) A medley of four traditional reels: âClarkâs Hornpipe,â The Silk Handkerchief,â âThe Eight and Forty Sistersâ and âThe Hunters Hornpipeâ and collectively named for Tomâs son, Liam. The song was recorded as a true Irish session, with Tom on bodhran, Raven on soprano recorder and Jeff on guitar, all in a semi-circle around a single microphone.

âMiles Ahead, Miles Behindâ (Laird, Miller) Much inspiration is to be found in this song with lyrics by A.J., who originally had a slower song in mind, until he handed it to Jeff who came up with the melody heard here. The world has been waiting for a Celtic Rock Anthem...this is it!

âRoll Me Overâ (Trad.) Here we have traditional lyrics that have gone by multiple titles, including âCaptain Dixonâ and, more notably, âCaptain Wedderburn.â Many fine performers from Cathy Ryan to Great Big Sea have taken a turn at this one. Now, we have âRoll Me Over,â and The Sandcarvers own this song! This one was progressing nicely, but then Jamie got nasty on electric guitar, Tom ODâd on Bo Diddley, and the rest is history. A.J. and Raven share vocal chores on this one and, if youâre not dancinâ, youâre dead!

âTullamore Dewâ (Miller) In loving tribute to the Michigan- based Irish trad duo of the same name who corrupt--...er, got Jeff started on the Irish Pub circuit. Yeah, thatâs it. (Jeez! Does Raven ever breathe on this song?)

The Sandcarversâ songs are songs of life...its joys and sorrows, its battles both won and lost. But in the end, each one is a song of hope...Itâs all good as long as youâre âDealinâ Craic.â

The Sandcarvers are:

A.J. Laird: vocals, percussion, harmonica, bodhran
Jeffrey S. Miller: acoustic guitars, vocals
Thomas C. Mlot: drums
Raven: recorders, keyboards, bassoon, flute, chanter, vocals
Jamie Verbeten: electric guitars
JJ McAuliffe: bass
Chris Trotier: bass