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Wild Colonial Bhoys is a Celtic rock group based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Formed in 2003, they have since released six albums. They have toured the United States, Ireland, and Scotland. Members include front-man and guitar player Adam Coolong, fiddle player Tony Comeau, bass player Andy Schuster, and drummer Pete James Johnson. Their mix of original songs and Irish standards is guitar-driven with a strong rock foundation.

History
The Wild Colonial Bhoys were formed in 2003 by Adam Coolong and Geno Carlson. The two met while playing in Twin Cities rock band H block 10. The newly formed Wild Colonial Bhoys started out by playing local pubs, but they soon began touring the region. Both Coolong and Carlson had previously played in rock bands in the Twin Cities and were originally looking to add some Irish flavor into their existing repertoire. After the release of their first album  Graffiti on the Wall  (2004), they began to establish a solid base of "fhans" in the Twin Cities area.

Discography

 * 1) Graffiti on the Wall (2004)
 * 2) Almost Live...Seven Second Delay (2005)
 * 3) Irish in America (2007)
 * 4) Live...What's it to Ya?! (2009)
 * 5) Heads or Tails (2011)
 * 6) On Our Own (2015)

Current
Adam Coolong Tony Comeau

Andy Schuster

Danny Schwarze

Pete James Johnson

Former
Geno Carlson

Cody McKinney

“At the time, we were really just looking for a way to incorporate more of an Irish flavor into our existing rock music”, says frontman Adam Coolong. “We loved the tunes and the atmosphere and wanted to emphasize our cultural heritage but I never expected that we’d still be doing it after eleven years! It was one of those situations where things just clicked and we hit the ground running.”

The Bhoys’ first album Graffiti on the Wall (2004) was met with rave reviews by the Twin Cities Irish music community. The first run of a thousand discs was quickly sold out, and the show calendar began to fill up. Their plan was simple--gig constantly. This approach was to serve the Bhoys well, and would contribute to their musicality and tightness onstage. Over the past eleven years they have logged thousands of miles and have averaged over 200 shows a year.

Graffiti on the Wall was followed by Almost Live… Seven Second Delay in 2005.

Some of the Twin Cities’ best Irish traditional players (Sean Conway, John Wright, Todd Menton and Tom Dahill among others) helped the Bhoys record their first “full band” album, Irish In America (2007).

A sold-out CD release show led to more and more opportunities. Soon WCB was on the bills of some of the biggest Irish festivals in the country, including the Milwaukee Irish Fest, Irish Fair of Minnesota and the Iowa Irish Festival. 2009’s Live…What’s It To Ya?! captured the band’s fiery live shows, and led to their next big opportunity—a tour of Ireland. “We were approached by a local tour company and asked about leading a group on a trip to Ireland,” remembers Adam. “At first the only thing I was thinking about was how to word the letter we’d have to write to the five people who signed up, when we returned their checks. We’d have to apologize and explain that we didn’t get enough people to go.” How wrong he was. Seventy-five of the band’s faithful and devoted followers came along with WCB, seeing the sites by day and watching the Bhoys rock by night. “It really was an incredible trip, and now we’ve done three, with a fourth to come in November of 2015. I’m really glad we took that step!” Adam says with a smile.

2011 saw the release of Heads or Tails, a double album featuring both the “full band” sound and the acoustic duo treatment that started it all. As the Irish American Focus newspaper said, “there is no need for a coin flip on this one. Any way it comes up, Heads or Tails is a winner.” Paddyrock.com agreed, naming it #9 on their list of the Top 20 Celtic Punk and Rock CDs of 2011.

And now it's 2015... It's been four long years since their last album, and the Bhoys are finally ready to unleash their latest effort, On Our Own. "This is an album of upbeat fun tunes, and we're really excited for it" says bassist Andy Schuster. "We've had some lineup changes and a new focus, and this album will really showcase a new and confident WCB."

The Bhoys’ sound has been honed by these past twelve years of constant road work and recording, and they have really hit their stride. As Paddyrock.com explains, “take the Young Dubliners, The Elders, Carbon Leaf, Great Big Sea and put them in a blender... you’d have a Wild Colonial Bhoys smoothie!” Their sound is guitar-driven with a strong rock foundation, underpinned by Pete James Johnson on drums and Andy Schuster on bass. Tony Comeau’s fiddle work adds the Irish lilt, guitarist Danny Schwarze provides the grit, and Adam’s vocals provide the cherry to the WCB sundae.