New Discovery: The Saw Doctors

I first time I saw the Saw Doctors was at the Chicago Celtic Festival in the fall of 2004. I had never heard them before but a few of their songs stuck in my head for a few years. At the end of the spring semester one of my professors commented to me about the band, knowing my affinity for all things Irish. Most recently, while at work, I noticed some of their tunes on the shared iTunes network at work. After a few virtual spins I was hooked. They remind me of a college/party band, along the lines of Jimmy Buffet, but their social and cultural commentary is pointed, on the ball, and identifiably Irish. Their most recent stuff seems a bit more mainstream, a bit slicker, and, dare I say, over produced, but on the whole these guys write great tunes, have a great sense of humor, and a unique worldview. They don't delve into traditional Irish instrumentation, an occasional accordion seems to be the closest they get, but the motifs of exile, home sickness, social frustration, and others reinforce some of the accepted (read: nationalist, except the anti-Clericalism really) ideas of what is Irish (see Kerby Miller). By no means does this reflect quotidian Irish life, but catering to your audiences' expectations is what sells records - on both sides of the Atlantic. So to put my musical and intellectual snobbery aside, I give the Saw Doctors a big thumbs-up (hopefully Roger Ebert won't take exception to the use of his trademark "thumbs" rating).