Artist description Iron Brew plays celtic songs and tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Canada with Highland pipes, uilleann pipes, and whistles in the lead, backed by guitar, bodhran and djimbe. Hard-driving jigs and reels and moving ballads about war, oppression, emmigration, love and pregnancy. Rhythmic, exposive and in your face.

Music Style Celtic

Musical Influences Pogues, Andy M. Stewart, Dougie MacLean, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, U2

Similar Artists Pogues, Dougie MacLean, Andy M. Stewart

Artist History Started at the Mid-winter Celtic Festival. Plays mostly in Saskatchewan but has appeared as far away as New York, this is their first CD.

Group Members Iron Brew is Gord Fisch on vocals and guitar, Micaheal Quinn on vocals and bodhran, Iain MacDonald on pipes and vocals, Barbara MacDonald on whistles and vocals and Tim "Captain Drummer" on Djimbe and floor tom. "Are You My Sister?" is their first CD.

Instruments acoustic guitar, Highland pipes, uilleann pipes, whistles, bodhran and djimbe

Albums Are You My sister?

Press Reviews ARE YOU MY SISTER? Review by Mike Burns As written for The Prairie Dog in February 1999. As a reviewer approaching the work of local musicians can often be a nerve wracking experience. You don't want to discourage the honest creative effort of friends and neighbors, but you can't allow personal feelings and/or relationships to cloud your judgment on the relative merits of a project. None of this has proved to be a problem with the upcoming release from the local Celtic group IRON BREW. The band has been refining their sound at a variety of venues around the city for years. I have seen them several times, but most occasions have not lent themselves to the art of listening. In fact it is somewhat intrinsic to the enjoyment Celtic music that you choose one of the following activitiestoengage in while not listening very hard; A) drink hard, B) dance hard, C) kibitz hard, D) do all three hard. Now with upcoming release of ARE YOU MY SISTER? we have an independent (and sober) means by which to assess their work. The songs are a mix of newly arranged traditional jigs, ballads and reels, a couple of originals by vocalist Gord Fisch and piper Iain MacDonald. They even throw in an ace version of the Dylan classic All Along the Watchtower. ARE YOU MY SISTER keeps a nice pace throughout by both an eclectic song selection and a by varying the lead vocal duties between the tunefully waifish Fisch and the rough edged brogue of Mike Quinn. Also, the tradition of reels and jigs within the songs is employed with great success giving the disc a boisterous energy. Stand out tunes are the rollicking, original Mcsorley's Ale Houseā written after the band's recent visit to New York, a haunting Thousand's are Sailing (first heard on an early Pogues release), and a real crowd pleaser penned by Robbie Burns: To the Weavers. The musicianship is top notch. Iain MacDonald's pipe playing is the bedrock upon which IRON BREW builds their music. He brings passion and creditability and nary a sour note. Also standing out are Barb Macdonald's whistles and vocals. This disc stands on its own merits in Dublin or Manhattan or Moose Jaw. If you like Celtic music there is no reason not to love this disc. And Paul Mather please note the band has in fact added a warning label: May contain pipers and other Celtic nuts.

Location Regina, SK - Canada

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