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NOVEMBER
12,
2018 
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his pursuit to put together a band capable of issuing a
boisterous celtic punk sound, BRENDAN SHEEHY left his native land of
Ireland, packed his bags and settled in Koping, Sweden in 2002. I'm not
quite sure that is the textbook instruction for doing so, but it's
managed to work out for SHEEHY and his band SIR REG. We're also not
sure how this band stands out in their Scandinavian surroundings, but
their approach seems to help their cause and not hurt it. Five albums
into their career, the band has released THE UNDERDOGS. Despite the "us
versus them" that can be implied from the title, the album is a
collection of
songs that speak to the daily struggles of love and life.
"An underdog represents everyone who's trying to reach the top of their
game but is met with next to impossible odds," says SHEEHY "These odds
only exist because you let them. Put your head dow, work hard and you
can achieve your goals. It's all about believing in yourself. I think
we an allrelate to that in one way or another." This
"pick
yourself up" message is something new for the band who were never
afraid to get a little political in the past, but in these times marked
by right versus left, we could all do with a little less politics and a
little more uplift. Due to scheduling conflicts, ROCKWIRED was only
able to secure an email interview with BRENDAN SHEEHY regarding SIR
REG'S new album. Here is what he had to say. THE UNDERDOGS is a
fine album and now that it's out there for people to get a listen to
you how do you feel about the finished work?
We're
pretty happy with how it turned out. By the time it was released we
must've listened to it a thousand times. Still hearing new things in it
though with every listen.
CHECK OUT THE MUSiC VIDEO FOR FiGHT OF OUR LiVES!!! What sets this album apart from your previous
releases? What is different this time?
The
majority of the previous albums were a little bit more political based,
mostly focusing on the economic climate in Ireland at the time when the
bubble burst for the Celtic tiger. This is a bit more about ourselves
and where we find ourselves situated within today's society and the
will to keep going and make our voices heard.
Who all did you
guys work with in terms of production?
Our band members CHRIS and
MATTIAS produced this record and worked on it in rehearsal rooms in
Sweden, at a rural Swedish country house and in a rehearsal studio in
Ireland. This was a DIY effort and made the way we wanted it to sound.
The guy who then mastered it, CHRIS SNYDER added some magic and really
brought forward what we wanted to portray.
THE
ARTiCLE WiLL CONTiNUE
FOLLOWiNG THE ADVERTiSEMENT BELOW So far, have their been any reactions to the album
that have surprised you or that you didn't see coming?
No, most were pretty
predictable depending on what musical background the reviewer was
coming from. The punks liked the punkier numbers, the pop guys liked
the quieter ones and the folk fans liked the more traditional ones.
Something for everyone, as we hoped for.
I understand that you guys were out in Hollywood to
shoot clips for a segment of your music video trilogy FOOL (FIGHT FOR
OUR LIVES). Describe what the experience was like?
One
of the music videos was recorded during our show at Get Shamrocked
festival in Murrieta, California.We just did our thing while the main
character in the trilogy TERRY hopped around in the crowd and on stage
like a maniac. Was pretty fun actually!
What is the message of the single and
music video FOOL (FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES)?
It's
all about accepting who you are and not being afraid to express
yourself. TERRY, the video's main character is secretly a
cross dresser
and has been hiding it away for some time. Sometimes it's the
fear of
what others think that stops us from being our true selves.
SIR REG is a band
known for it's Celtic punk sound, yet it's interesting that the only
Irish member is the the front man and every one else is Swedish. This
questions goes out to BRENDAN SHEEHY specifically. What drew you to
moving to Sweden in 2002 to find musicians to put together the ultimate
Celtic punk band?
I
moved to Sweden in 2001 as I heard it was the place to be for
musicians. A Swedish ex girlfriend showed me a magazine article about
how Sweden was the 3rd biggest musical exporter of music on the planet
and it seemed obvious to me that I should make the trip.
How easy or difficult was it to find the right
people for this band, being a Irishman in Sweden?
It
was a nightmare! It wasn't really a Celtic punk band I had intended to
make though. That came a bit later. I lived in small town and all the
musicians I met were either already in bands or not serious enough
about music.
Specifically for BRENDAN: What was your musical
experience before SIR REG?
I've
been part of musical groups since I was 15 years of age when I played
with a group that played mostly 50s music. When I got to my
late teens
I joined a few 60s and 70s style bands and played a lot of Britpop.
Moving away from Ireland was what put me in touch with the Celtic side
of things, as the homesickness I felt made me write more in that style.
Talk about the members of the current lineup. Tell
me who they are and what it is that you think each of them brings to
the table that makes this thing work?
KARIN
ULLVIN plays the fiddle. I met Karin in 2002 and have been playing with
her ever since.She has a mainly classical background and provides the
frills for our sound along with a dark haunting edge. Few fiddlers I've
seen match this legend of a woman. MATTIAS SODERLUND plays
bass. He's
like a musical encyclopedia and his musical taste stretches over many
genres. His punk background and rockstar stage persona combine
to give
us an explosive energy infusion. MATTIAS LISS is the drummer. This guy
surprises us constantly with his eagerness and broad range of talent.
He thinks outside the box and always adds the spice that was missing to
everything that he plays. CHRIS INOUE plays guitar. He's the
tech-head
in the band and the one that makes sure things get done. Somehow his
punk and pop background make him the perfect guitarist for a Celtic
punk band. He just doesn't play as you'd expect a guy in our genre to
play. Doesn't stay confined to a safety zone. FILIP BURGMAN is
the
mandolin player. He's from a folk background, completely self-taught
and is the trad lad in the band. His strength lies in keeping us folky
while we dabble in other musical styles.
Explain the songwriting process within
this band. How does it get accomplished?
I'll write the core and
structure of the song and then send it off to CHRIS who puts guide
tracks of drums, bass and other instruments on it before we introduce
it to the rest of the band. Each member then puts their own stamp on it
and comes up with the parts they should play.
THE
ARTiCLE WiLL CONTiNUE
FOLLOWiNG THE ADVERTiSEMENT BELOW What songs off of the album have you the most
excited to get people to hear and why?
THE
UNDERDOGS, as it was our favourite track to play in the rehearsal room
and we believed in it from the very start. Also, SINNER OF THE CENTURY
because it just gelled together from the first time we played it. I
think we played it about twenty times that first day.
You guys are
touring until the end of the year. What shows have stood out for you
the most and which upcoming ones have particularly excited?
Personally
I've enjoyed the Swedish shows we've done, along with Get Shamrocked
festival in California and Shamrock Castle in Germany. Really looking
forward to our Swiss shows later this month. The Celtic punk scene has
really taken off there the last few years.
With the album THE
UNDERDOGS, what is the big idea? What would you like for people to come
away with after they hear it?
We'd
just like people to think positive after they've heard it and go out
and do something about the things they're not happy with and change
them!! Life's too short to be afraid of what others think. It's your
life! Make it a good one!
And with this album
behind you, what is next for the band musically?
We
are gonna tour as much as possible and start writing for our next album
pretty soon.
RELATED LiNKS: http://www.sirregband.com    rian Lush is a music
industry
professional and entrepreneur. In 2005 he launched the
online music
site Rockwired.com to help promote new music artists in conjunction
with the weekly radio show Rockwired Live which aired on KTSTFM.COM
from 2005 - 2009. In 2010 He launched the daily podcast series
Rockwired Radio Profiles which features exclusive interviews and music.
He has also developed and produced the online radio shows Jazzed and
Blue - Profiles in Blues and Jazz, Aboriginal Sounds - A Celebration of
American Indian and First Nations Music, The Rockwired Rock N Roll
Mixtape Show and The Rockwired Artist of the Month Showcase. In 2012,
Brian Lush and his company Rockwired Media LLC launched the monthly
digital online publication Rockwired Magazine. The magazine attracts
over 75,000 readers a month and shows
no signs of stopping. Rockwired Magazine also bares the distinction
of being the first American Indian-owned rock magazine. Brian Lush is
an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Brian Lush's background
in music journalism, radio and podcast hosting, podcast production, web
design, publicity, advertising sales, social media and online
marketing, strategic editorial planning and branding have all made
Rockwired a name that is trusted and respected throughout the
independent music industry.CONTACT BRiAN LUSH AT:
djlush@rockwired.com
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