User:KavaVitex/Barleyjuice

History and Timeline
Barleyjuice is a musical group from the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed originally in 1998, the group began as a side project for musicians Keith Swanson and Kyf Brewer, who met as bagpipers in the Loch Rannoch Pipes & Drums of Pineville, Pennsylvania. Barleyjuice’s focus was to perform traditional Irish and Scottish songs in a pop/rock fashion, and the band remained a seasonal St. Patrick’s Day project for the first few years of its existence.

After the release of the band’s first collection of recordings, initially entitled Barleyjuice, and later known as One Shilling, engagements year-round began to materialize and the band became a full-time working group by 2001. The album contains traditional songs of Ireland and Scotland, and one original song, “Donnie Scot”, penned by Brewer, which can be heard briefly in the feature film Driven.

In 2003, a second offering, Another Round, was released. This album includes seven traditional-sounding songs written by band members Swanson, Brewer, Ford and Parker. The trademark Barleyjuice sound, which has many elements of traditional Celtic music, sometimes confuses listeners, who are unable to discern whether the songs are original offerings or very old traditionals. The album also includes “Potatoes” by Swanson’s former band, the Flailin’ Shilaleghs, as well as a rockabilly version of “Whiskey in the Jar.”

Another Round earned the band notoriety with the song, “What’s Up Yours?”, an ode to the kilt named Song of the Year by listener vote at Celtic Radio. In 2004, Another Round’s “Jig Set” was also featured in Episode 13 ("Cheer Factor") of the eighth season Season 8 of King of the Hill. Brewer’s “Whiskey to the Sea” won additional attention with its inclusion in the complete set of the iTunes Irish Music Essentials Collection.

In 2006, Barleyjuice released Six Yanks, their third full-length album. Six Yanks featured nine original songs, penned by Brewer, Swanson and Jimmy “Carbomb” Parkinson. The demeanor of the album was tougher, as the band explored a rockier sound. Highpoints of the record included the band being asked not to play “Love With a Priest”, (a song about Guinness), at an upstate NY festival where a notable priest was in attendance. The music and performances continued to receive rave reviews. Celtic Mp3s named Six Yanks Best Celtic Rock CD of 2006.

The fourth Barleyjuice album, Bonny Prince Barley was originally released to the public in 2008, but released officially to radio in 2010, mainly due to the scheduling of an appearance on the QVC television network in the USA in 2008. The band stopped promotion of Bonny Prince Barley to rush release The Barleyjuice Irish Collection, a double CD, and their biggest seller to date, which included selected tracks from the other four studio albums. Songs from Bonny Prince continued to be crowd favorites at festivals, and so the decision was made to re-release the album in January 2010. Bonny Prince Barley contained eight new originals by Swanson, Brewer, and Parkinson. Most popular tracks include “Weekend Irish”, “Swig”, “Songs For Sinners”, and the band’s version of the Clash tune, “London Calling”. Chicago’s Irish American News, the Midwest Irish Focus, and radio show “Blarney on the Air” all named Bonny Prince Barley “Celtic Rock Album of the Year 2008”. In 2008, Paddy Rock Radio listed the album #6 in their top twenty new albums, while listeners of Celtic Radio voted “Celtic Girl”, from The Barleyjuice Irish Collection, Best Celtic Song of the Year.

Barleyjuice began working on their fifth studio album in 2010.

Band members
1998

Kyf Brewer – vocals, acoustic guitar, whistle, harmonica, accordion, piano, bagpipes

Keith Swanson – vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, whistle, bagpipes

Blaine Hornbuckle – vocals, acoustic guitar, bagpipes

Ross Frankenfield – drums

2000

Kyf Brewer – vocals, acoustic guitar, whistle, harmonica, accordion, piano, bagpipes

Keith Swanson – vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, whistle, bagpipes

Ian Parker – vocals, bagpipes, whistle, button accordion

Griff Miller – drums

2003

Kyf Brewer – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, accordion, piano, bagpipes

Keith Swanson – vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, whistle, bagpipes

Graham Ford – vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, mandolin

Ian Parker – vocals, bagpipes, whistle, button accordion

Julie Baker – fiddle, vocals

Gregor Schroeder – drums

 2004 

Kyf Brewer – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, accordion, piano, bagpipes

Keith Swanson – vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, whistle, bagpipes

Billy Dominick – vocals, fiddle

Dennis Schocket – vocals, bass

Jimmy “Carbomb” Parkinson - whistle

Gregor Schroeder – drums

 2005 

Kyf Brewer – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, accordion, piano, bagpipes

Keith Swanson – vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, whistle, bagpipes

Billy Dominick – vocals, fiddle

Eric Worthington – vocals, bass

Jimmy “Carbomb” Parkinson – whistle, banjo, vocals

Jeremy Berberian – drums, vocals

 2006 

Kyf Brewer – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, accordion, piano, bagpipes

Keith Swanson – vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, whistle, bagpipes

Billy Dominick – vocals, fiddle

Eric Worthington – vocals, bass

Jimmy “Carbomb” Parkinson – whistle, banjo, vocals

Gregor Schroeder – drums, vocals

Other Musicians

Rich Mossman – live drums, 2005

Keith Barnes – live drums, 2007