Band: The Tossers
Album: Gloatin and Showboatin
Genre: Irish punk/rock
Label: Victory
Tracks:
1.Good Mornin' Da'
2. The Crutch
3. Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
4. No Loot, No Booze, No Fun
5. Buckets Of Beer
6. Madrin Rua/Tell Me Ma
7. I've Pursued Nothing
8. Press Gang
9. Seven Drunken Nights
10. Teehan's
11. Holy Ground
12. The Crock of Gold
13. Preab San Ol'
14. Instrumental
15. The Irish Rover
Even though St. Patrick's Day only comes once a year, it's now possible to treat everyday like the beloved drinking holiday thanks to The Tossers. Recorded in 2006 at the beautiful Metro music venue in Chicago, Gloatin' and Showboatin' on St. Patrick's Day is a relentless and fun recording of the Chi-town natives own brand of Irish Punk on the one day of the year it should be heard. However, after listening to this album, you may want to start spinning this up and coming group a bit more often.
Gloatin' kicks off with the single, "Good Mornin' Da'," a fast paced number about wakign up in jail with oen phone call home. It seems like a tale all to familiar to anyone living the heavy drinking, fun loving lifestyle depicted in most songs by The Tossers. As the song ends, vocalist Tony Duggins makes a remark about already being slightly drunk from an evening of whiskey shots and it's with this line that we, as a listener can really embrace the mood that was in the air when the performance was recorded. The mix seems a bit off at times, with the drums and bass overpowering Duggins Mandolin along with other instruments, but Duggins vocals take the lead and in first class style. So many singers [*cough* Tom Delonge *cough*] fail to bring their the sound of their vocals on an album to the live settings, but Duggins has never sounded better. "No Loot, No Booze, No Fun," the slower paced lead single from the band's first Victory Release seems to showcase the band's musicianship quite well as the whistle and mandolin lead finales to the song are clear and awe-inspiring. Now, since this is a St. Patrick's Day album, there are a fair share of over the top drinking jams, such as the aptly titled, "Buckets Of Beer," which plays like a b-side from a Dropkick Murphy's album, but has the bass line of a Rancid hit. Its these songs that seal the album as something special because they make you long to not only see the band live, but to have been one of the people to be at this exact show. I mentioned earlier, Duggins remark of being slightly intoxicated as the show begins and by about the 9th track, the level of intoxication begins to show, not with bad playing, but as the vocals begin to slur which really ruins some songs, but hey, it's a holiday, I'm sure it's not always like that. The album closes with two solid tracks that really seal The Tossers as a great live act. The first is an instrumental that showcases how, even when under the influence of alcohol, this band can play like few others. the next and final number, "The Irish Rover," which just showcases each member wonderfully and ends with a call out to the audience that it is time to get completely trashed and the album closes. It may seem like a stereotypical thing to say on St. Patrick's Day, but with the themes shown in the music and the state of everyone in attendance, I couldn't think of a better way for it to end.
The Tossers are an amazing live band and it shows on this album, but not as great as it could. A poor mix and vocal slurring on the latter half hold this album back from the perfection it could have been. However, as a whole,t his album does showcase a celtic punk band performing with more heart than almost any band today. They manage to translate the fun, yet deep sounds of their studio albums into a live show that gets you as a home listener moving and if that's not the goal of a live album, I don't know what is.
*A Side Note: This album includes a full length dvd of the show and the band's music videos which was not reviewed for this post, but I will admit: it's quite entertaining and make the total package a must own for any fan of this genre*
*Written By: James Shotwell*
Grade: 8/10
MYSPACE
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