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The Peelers are a Canadian Celtic Punk band, formed in Kirk Hill, Glengarry County in 1999, but now based in Montreal, Quebec.

Biography
The Peelers were formed in North Glengarry County in Eastern Ontario Canada in 1999, and are now based out of Montreal. The band has evolved to become one of the most notorious Celtic punk acts in the genre. Glengarry has always been a hub of Gaelic culture, and original members immersed themselves in this legacy from youth. Separated from New York State by the St. Lawrence River, it was originally settled by Scottish emigrants who chose the name Glengarry in memory of home. The Peelers bow the rules of tradition, with their blend of punk rock & traditional Irish music.(1)

Over the past 18 years the band has performed throughout North America. They performed on the Psycho Fleadh Tour in 2003, featuring The Mahones, as well as Terry Woods and the late Phil Chevron from The Pogues. They have played most major Celtic festivals in the northeast(2) including the Chicago Gaelic Park Festival, The Irish 2000, The Great American Irish Festival, and the Syracuse Irish Festival. The band also appeared at the U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships in Stratton, Vermont, and the 2017 Grey Cup Festival in Ottawa. Band members have performed, or shared bills with every major act in the genre. Several members of The Peelers have also performed or toured with fellow Canadian band, The Mahones.

For eighteen years, The Peelers have contributed to the growth of the Celtic Punk genre in North America. In 2002 the band debuted the album 'Boots and Suits'. In 2004 the band released 'Liquordale'. That album was subsequently named Album of the Year by Boston based website Shite n’ Onions, considered the online bible for Celtic punk rock enthusiasts.(3) After a hiatus that lasted almost 11 years, a brand new 13 track album, entitled ‘Palace of the Fiend' was released on January 3rd, 2017. It was recorded in five different studios, located in Montreal, Toronto, and Casablanca, Morocco. The album featured many special guests including Johnny Fay from The Tragically Hip on several tracks, Sean “Riot” Ryan and Finny McConnell from The Mahones, and Lorraine Muller of Canadian ska band The Kingpins. “Palace of the Fiend” was also named Shite n’ Onions 2017 Album of the Year, writing “This is Celtic-punk at it’s very, very best, fast, powerful, raw, the poetry of those who have really lived.”(4) “The Peelers are a living legend…” wrote Celtic Folk Punk Europe as they proclaimed it 2017 Album of the Year (5), and Paddy Rock Radio in the U.S. also declared it 2017 Album of the Year.(6)

The band is currently working on a new full length album for Stomp Records, expected to be released in 2019.

Name
The name, The Peelers, was chosen as a replacement for the original working name of the band, The Kirk Hillbilly’s. The name was taken from a line in a song called “Ballyhooly” which the band heard performed by singer-songwriter Brendan Nolan. The name "Peeler", is British and Irish slang for a police officer, named after Robert Peel, who created the modern concept of the police force.

Band members
Current Members
 * Dave Barton – lead vocals, guitar, songwriter
 * Eric "Double" Diamond - tin whistle, vocals
 * Scott Lee Mitchell - bass, vocals
 * Christopher "Stew" Stewart - drums

Former Members
 * Jonathan Moorman
 * Kevin Cadieux
 * Nelson MacPherson
 * Ben Griffin
 * Tim Duggan Walsh
 * Chris Smirnios
 * Ewen McIntosh
 * Nick Oliver
 * Miranda Mulholland

Discography
Studio albums
 * Boots and Suits (2002)
 * Liquordale (2004)
 * Palace of the Fiend (2017)

Compilations
 * Shite ‘n’ Onions Vol 2: What The Shite (2006)
 * Whiskey Devils - A Tribute to the Mahones (2010)