| The Drovers | |
|---|---|
The Drovers, 1998 at Chicago's Annoyance Theatre L to R: David Callahan, Paul Bradley, Mike Kirkpatrick and Merritt Lear |
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| Background information | |
| Genres | Celtic music, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, folk |
| Years active | 1988–2002 |
| Labels | Tantrum Records |
| Associated acts | Big Hat, Black 47, Big Buildings, Fairport Convention, Pentangle (band) Joker's Wild |
| Website | [1] |
The Drovers are a Chicago rock band whose original songs were influenced by Irish traditional dance music.
Founded by Irish traditional fiddler Seán Cleland in 1988, the group recorded four albums and soundtrack music for the motion pictures, Backdraft and Blink. Songwriters Mike Kirkpatrick (guitar) and David Callahan (bass, vocals) drew from Irish rhythms to craft songs that became increasingly psychedelic over a 12-year period until the band ceased performing in September 2002. Kirkpatrick, in particular, created uniquely Irish compositions, often including reels and jigs of his own invention. Callahan's songs, while obviously influenced by Celtic/American folk music, tended toward a less ethnic-sounding psychedelia.
Driven by Cleland's powerful and exciting fiddle playing the group is remembered for its unpredictable, incendiary live performances as the "house band" at Chicago's Cabaret Metro during the early to mid 1990s. They exported this act and won ardent fan bases in Upstate New York and New York City, the rust belt, and Midwestern college towns from Oberlin, Ohio to Omaha, Nebraska. Even though they gained worldwide exposure through the release of Blink, in which they appear onscreen as themselves, the band toured exclusively in North America.
The Drovers' 1991 first studio album, World of Monsters, featured Kathleen Keane on flute, vocals and button accordion and Jackie Moran, in addition to Cleland, Callahan and Kirkpatrick. "Book of Songs" brought the Drovers their first commercial radio exposure. The songs, "Boys and the Babies" and "When Fortune Turns Her Wheel", would later be re-recorded on the Blink soundtrack.
The follow-up to Monsters was the 1993 EP Kill Mice Elf, noted for the epic, acid-drenched "She's as Pretty as Brian Jones Was".
In 1995, the Drovers were at the top of their game, sharing bills with some of the 1990s' most interesting bands, such as the Coctails, Yo La Tengo, Steve Earle, Ani DeFranco and Poi Dog Pondering. The continuous touring left them little time to record, so when they released the Steve Albini-produced Little High Sky Show, their increasingly psychedelic sound took many fans by surprise.
The album fared poorly in sales, compared to World of Monsters and the next five years were spent recording a full-length in their custom-built studio. The final album was never released but for a limited run they sold only at a few final shows.
While never officially dissolving, the Drovers eventually stopped performing and Callahan formed the Stroby Alliance, a band with the Swedish artist, Anna Liljas, and sat in frequently as bassist/mandolinist with Chicago rock band, Big Buildings.
Seán Cleland started the band bohola (www.bohola.com) with piano accordion player Jimmy Keane and released four albums on the Shanachie label. He is now the direcctor of The Irish Music School of Chicago (www.irishmusicschool.com) and teaches and performs throughout North America and Ireland.
Kirkpatrick is producing and teaching music.
Bradley co-founded Eventric, a provider of concert tour logistics support solutions.