REVIEW: The Young Dubliners, Alive, alive'O (Earth / Cargo)
- Daniel Aloi
You may have heard them, without realizing it, on the recent season finale of "Brooklyn South" or on CNN's "Showbiz Today" -- or seen them playing in the reception scene in "The Last Don." Or at the San Jose stop of The Guinness Fleadh this past weekend, where their name might have inspired images of a Van Morrison-inspired Menudo. There are some career perks, it seems, to being the best Celtic rock band in Southern California.
Not that San Diego's Young Dubliners didn't work for that exposure -- they tour the Golden State tirelessly and have embarked on national tours to support every release (they're out in the western states all summer, in fact). Fulfilling a long-standing desire to have their fiery live shows preserved on disc, they released "Alive, alive'O" earlier this year.
Recorded by "noise guru" Steve Albini at their premier home club, The Belly Up Tavern, in 1997, the seven-song live set catches the Dubs in fine form. It also throws their genre-blending into stark relief -- are they an Irish band perfect for a drunken good time (the fiddle-infectious "Rising," "Follow Me Up to Carlow"), or straight-ahead roots-rockers with a tuneful modern rock sound ("What Do You Want from Me?" and "One and Only")? Yes, and yes. Nowhere else in music does traditional meet contemporary with such undeniable force as in the Dubs' lively, well-crafted rock'n'reel. While not as overtly political as their east coast counterparts in Black 47, the Dubs' music is no less compelling.
The live set also gives fans six new songs, as well as a faithful and joyous cover of The Waterboys' "Fisherman's Blues" and a new studio recording, "Blink," an upbeat contemporary love song.
Alive, alive'O is distributed to stores by Cargo, and the single "Blink" has received airplay in markets across the country, from L.A. to Akron to Brooklyn. Also well worth seeking out are the band's Scotti Bros. releases -- the Rocky Road to Dublin EP showcases their diversity well, as does the 1995 full-length Breathe -- and the label's Straight Outta Ireland compilation on which the Dubs appear.
The band's website is at http://www.youngdubs.com ; you can also email dubs@youngdubs.com to get on a mailing list for tour news and updates.
