The Dreadnoughts
Encyclopedia
The Dreadnoughts are a 5-piece folk-punk band from Vancouver
. The band combines a wide range of European folk music with modern street punk
.
area of Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
.
, Gogol Bordello
, Goran Bregovic
, and Rancid
. The band commonly record and perform Sea Shanties
, polka
s and klezmer
songs, and are also strongly influenced by English West Country
folk music. Generally they aim to provide an alternative form of folk-punk which is not dominated by Irish
and Irish American
themes (see Celtic Punk
).
Their 2009 release, Victory Square was ranked the 4th-best folk-punk release of 2009 by folk-punk magazine Shite N' Onions. Their previous release, Legends Never Die, was ranked #7 on the magazine's 2008 list. Multiple cross-Canada tours and European tours have helped to contribute to the band's steadily rising profile.
Other acts that have shared the stage with The Dreadnoughts include: Stiff Little Fingers
, The Cider Fecks, Swingin' Utters, Hepcat
, The Real McKenzies, Goran Bregovic
, IAMX, Okean Elzy
, Talco, The Creepshow
and Mad Sin
.
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. The band combines a wide range of European folk music with modern street punk
Street punk
Street punk is a working class-based genre of punk rock which took shape in the early 1980s, partly as a rebellion against the perceived artistic pretensions of the first wave of British punk. Street punk emerged from the Oi! style, performed by bands such as Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney...
.
History
The Dreadnoughts formed in 2007 in the Downtown EastsideDowntown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is known as "Canada's poorest postal code"....
area of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Sound and influences
Noticeable influences in their sound include acts such as The PoguesThe Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
, Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring.Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music...
, Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
, and Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
. The band commonly record and perform Sea Shanties
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
, polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
s and klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
songs, and are also strongly influenced by English West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
folk music. Generally they aim to provide an alternative form of folk-punk which is not dominated by Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
themes (see Celtic Punk
Celtic punk
Celtic punk is punk rock mixed with traditional Celtic music. The genre was founded in the 1980s by The Pogues, a band of punk musicians in London who celebrated their Irish heritage. Celtic punk bands often play covers of traditional Irish folk and political songs, as well as original compositions...
).
Their 2009 release, Victory Square was ranked the 4th-best folk-punk release of 2009 by folk-punk magazine Shite N' Onions. Their previous release, Legends Never Die, was ranked #7 on the magazine's 2008 list. Multiple cross-Canada tours and European tours have helped to contribute to the band's steadily rising profile.
Other acts that have shared the stage with The Dreadnoughts include: Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
, The Cider Fecks, Swingin' Utters, Hepcat
Hepcat
Hepcat is a ska and reggae band formed in southern California in 1989.Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave....
, The Real McKenzies, Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
, IAMX, Okean Elzy
Okean Elzy
Okean Elzy is one of the most successful and popular Ukrainian rock bands. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. The band's vocalist and frontman is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. Okean Elzy is the best-loved Ukrainian rock band not only in Ukraine but also in most CIS countries...
, Talco, The Creepshow
The Creepshow
The Creepshow is a band from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The band formed in 2005 when the four original members got together with the purpose of starting a psychobilly band. The Creepshow writes the majority of their songs about horror films....
and Mad Sin
Mad Sin
Mad Sin is a German psychobilly group that began in 1987.-Style:Mad Sin, formed in 1987, have been inspired by horror punk and B-movie, with a theatrical style. Without abandoning the psycho-horror lyrical content, their musical arrangements have widened to incorporate other variables...
.
Current members
- Nicholas Smyth, Guitar and Vocals (Uncle Touchy or the Fang, depending on the day)
- Kyle Taylor, Accordion, Violin and Vocals (Seamus O’ Flanahan)
- Drew Sexsmith, Mandolin, Banjo and Vocals (sometimes known as the Dread Pirate Druzil)
- Andrew Hay, Bass and (Squid Vicious)
- Marco Bieri, Drums (Stupid Swedish Bastard)
EPs
- Cyder Punks Unite - July 2010, (Leech Redda)
- Uncle Touchy Goes To College - July 2011
Albums
- Legends Never Die – July 2007 (Golden Tee Records)
- Victory Square - June 2009 (Stomp RecordsUnion Label GroupUnion Label Group is a record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was formed through the merger of the smaller labels Stomp Records, 2112 Records, and Tyrant Records. Mayday! Records was later created as a genre imprint....
) - Polka's Not Dead - October 2010 (Stomp RecordsUnion Label GroupUnion Label Group is a record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was formed through the merger of the smaller labels Stomp Records, 2112 Records, and Tyrant Records. Mayday! Records was later created as a genre imprint....
)