Drunken Boat IE

Brian Walsh has been recording and writing music and lyrics for the last 13 years. With in excess of 100 songs, many routed in folk and others in alternative styles, the music made varies from strumming some chords, to minutes of hissing amps and feedback, to improvisation and experimentation with recording techniques. These bedroom recordings resulted in 4 demos which were handed out to friends under the name Howie Walshberg.

In 2007 Brian got together with Simon Brennan in Dublin and put together a mini-album. Hours were spent going through synth sounds and working around guitar lines and loops to create “Cut the Engines, Raise the Sails”. It was an outlet for guitar pieces that could not find a natural home, and was an experiment to see how folk and ambient sounds would work. The light synths derived mainly from Brian Eno and gave the recording a relaxing and sensitive feel.

Brian travelled for the following year and did a lot of writing and came up with a loose concept for the next album and a new direction. In January 2009 he began playing guitar with Dror Zur joining on drums. The new songs are reminiscent of Bedhead, New Year, Dirty Three, Pavement, SMOG, Neil Young, Wilco, Codeine, Jim O’Rourke, Built to Spill, Brian Eno, Yo La Tengo, M Ward and Joan of Arc.

From April 2009, the band headlined in Anseo with Red Eskimo and Peter Delaney, supported At Last An Atlas for their EP launch in Dublin and Galway. They've played with heroes Joan of Arc and Love of Everything from Chicago and supported The Jimmy Cake. They’ve also played in Twisted Pepper and Roisin Dubh on a double headline tour with Autumn Owls in addition to slots in Seomra Spraoi and Whelans.

Incorporating pre-recorded loops or samples made with guitars and harmonicas, electric guitar, drums and vocals Brian and Dror produce alternative folk with a willingness to experiment and surprise. They constantly shake their style keeping it interesting for themselves and listeners while maintaining a folky and floaty feel that is associated with Drunken Boat.

“Plumb the Depths” is about exploration and discovery; musically and lyrically. It is the second in what will become a loose trilogy. The follow up will be out in the first half of 2010.

Some reviews of Plumb the Depths:

Road Records: "… this is a much more intense listen compared to the very laid back sounds of the debut ep. its a collection of totally fuzzy post rock and slowcore sounds comparable at times to the meeting of slint and codeine. the album also has some beautifully rambling dirty three like passages with lots of looping intricate guitar action going on over almost jazz like brushed drum sounds."

harmlessnoise.wordpress.com "One of the loveliest albums to emerge in the late stages of 2009…Sailing into the broad unknown, this album is a complement to the experimental talent offered in works ofThe Jimmy Cake and Groom. It’s beautiful and poignant, doing so much for contemporary Irish which in less capable hands, often steers into the safe and homely coves of folk music."

Totally Dublin " … all ill-fitting line lengths and strange geographical metaphors. It's more than a little poetic…Add this to the growing list of Irish things to be excited about."