Poxy Boggards
Encyclopedia
The Poxy Boggards are an American all-male folk
band based in Pasadena
. They were founded in 1994 at the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire
. Since this time, they have achieved success in the re-burgeoning of the Irish
-folk movement, playing with bands such as The Fenians. Currently with 13 members, all of them singers and most of them instrumentalists, the Poxy Boggards have a richly layered sound. The Poxy Boggards group were founded by good friends Stuart Venable and Bill Roper
. Roper was formerly the CEO of Flagship Studios
, makers of Hellgate: London
and Mythos. During his tenure at the gaming company Blizzard
, the music of the Poxy Boggards was featured in the game Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
.
The Boggards have played venues throughout southern California, including the Galaxy Theatre to a near-sellout crowd on St. Patrick's Day 2006 and 2007, the House of Blues
in Anaheim and the El Rey Theatre
in Los Angeles
. They were lauded as a major new voice in folk at the 2004 Just Plain Folks Music Awards, where they placed third in the Celtic
Song category for their title track "Lager Than Life," and third in the Novelty Song category for "The Rooster, The Donkey, etc." At the 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards, they received Best Celtic Album for Liver Let Die and Live Act of the Year for their 2004 performance at the awards show.
.
from their first CD was played on the Dr. Demento
show. "Inbred Local" was a thematic departure from their Renaissance
-inspired music, and set a trend for including a hidden track at the end of every CD (currently 6 CDs under the Angry Folk label). This trend was broken on "Anchor Management". On their fourth album, "Liver, Let Die," guest artists are listed as "Proxy Boggards."
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band based in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. They were founded in 1994 at the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
. Since this time, they have achieved success in the re-burgeoning of the Irish
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
-folk movement, playing with bands such as The Fenians. Currently with 13 members, all of them singers and most of them instrumentalists, the Poxy Boggards have a richly layered sound. The Poxy Boggards group were founded by good friends Stuart Venable and Bill Roper
Bill Roper (video game producer)
Bill Roper is a video game designer and has been a well-known person in the worldwide gaming industry since 1994. He personally represents the games he works and has built a solid reputation with his strong relationships with press, developers, and gamers...
. Roper was formerly the CEO of Flagship Studios
Flagship Studios
Flagship Studios was a computer game company founded by Bill Roper along with Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik, the original developers of Diablo and former high level Blizzard North executives...
, makers of Hellgate: London
Hellgate: London
Hellgate: London is a dark fantasy themed action role-playing game originally developed by Flagship Studios, released on October 31, 2007. It was developed by a team headed by former Blizzard Entertainment employees, some of whom had overseen the creation of the Diablo series...
and Mythos. During his tenure at the gaming company Blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
, the music of the Poxy Boggards was featured in the game Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy-themed real-time strategy game published by Blizzard Entertainment and first released for DOS in 1995 and for Mac OS in 1996...
.
The Boggards have played venues throughout southern California, including the Galaxy Theatre to a near-sellout crowd on St. Patrick's Day 2006 and 2007, the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in Anaheim and the El Rey Theatre
El Rey Theatre
El Rey Theatre is currently a live music venue in the Miracle Mile area of the Mid-Wilshire region in Los Angeles, California. "El Rey" means "The King" in Spanish....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. They were lauded as a major new voice in folk at the 2004 Just Plain Folks Music Awards, where they placed third in the Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
Song category for their title track "Lager Than Life," and third in the Novelty Song category for "The Rooster, The Donkey, etc." At the 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards, they received Best Celtic Album for Liver Let Die and Live Act of the Year for their 2004 performance at the awards show.
Recent events
On Sunday, February 7, 2010, one of the Poxy Boggards' songs (I Wear No Pants from their CD Liver Let Die) was featured in a commercial for Levi-Strauss/Dockers, which aired during Super Bowl XLIVSuper Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
.
Hidden tracks
Early in their career, the hidden trackHidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
from their first CD was played on the Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
show. "Inbred Local" was a thematic departure from their Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
-inspired music, and set a trend for including a hidden track at the end of every CD (currently 6 CDs under the Angry Folk label). This trend was broken on "Anchor Management". On their fourth album, "Liver, Let Die," guest artists are listed as "Proxy Boggards."
Discography
- Bawdy Parts - Original and Traditional Songs of Drinking and Revelry (1996)
- Barley Legal - More Songs About Women and Beer (2000)
- Lager Than Life - Songs of Excess and Debauchery (2002)
- Liver Let Die - Celebrating Ten Years of Behaving Badly (2004)
- Whiskey Business (2006)
- Anchor Management (2008)
- Bitter & Stout (2009)
- I Wear No Pants: the EP (2010)
- Live in Consort (2011)