The River Drivers – Live at Steelstacks
The River Drivers are a Philadelphia based folk group originating in Ireland and Scotland, with a new live album of traditional style Celtic – American folk songs, Live at Steelstacks. Trading vocals Kevin McClosky and Mindy Murray take turns singing lead, as the feel of the lyrical protagonist changes hands throughout the album but it’s always aimed at real workers’ struggle for fundamental basic human needs and rights from insurrections to mining to railroad and losing the family farm. It’s all anguish, delivered with quick paced fiddle, acoustic guitar, mandolin and concertina. Fittingly, this album was recorded on the grounds of land formerly owned and worked by Bethlehem Steel and is releasing on Labor Day.
“Connolly Was There” by Irish songwriter Domenic Behan tells the tale of “brave and undaunted, James Connolly” who was there organizing and trying to improve worker’s lives. “Going Once” was written by the River Drivers’ Mindy Murray, and blends in seamlessly with the traditional flow as it shares the tale of a farm that is sold at auction for a pittance during the Great Depression of 1929: “it’s going once, going twice, sold.” The tale of hardship is recounted among merry fiddle and forward driving rhythms.
“Kelly the Boy From Killane” is the traditional song by Patrick Joseph McCall popularized by the Dubliners that tells the tale of James Kelly from County Wexford in Ireland, a fighter in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 who was sentenced to hang on June 1798. “Glory to the brave sons who died.”
Original by Mindy Murray “Blair Mountain” describes the struggles and fate of union workers in West Virginia leading to a large insurrection. “We have a list of eight demands / And basic are they all / The right to speak and organize / And assemble in our union hall.”
“Moonshiner” and “Pat Works on the Railway” are traditional songs that speak to some folks’ lives still today, delivered in the River Drivers’ adept, solid and quick paced style. “Moonshiner” demonstrates the way that making moonshine could offer a small relief from the grueling poverty of mine work. “Pat Works on the Railway” highlights the painful struggle of working on the railways. On this one the band does a great duet for the chorus. And soberly:”I felt myself more dead than alive.”
Throughout the River Drivers’ music and choice of songs to cover there are folks just trying to survive doing backbreaking but important work and not being dealt a fair hand along the way by those in power. The style is a Celtic folk base with some American folk threads, and it’s all eminently listenable. Find more details here on their website: https://theriverdrivers.com/about-2/
Musicians on the album are Kevin McCloskey on vocals, guitar, and mandolin; Mindy Murray on vocals, guitar, and banjo; Marian Moran on Irish whistle, concertina, and background vocals; and Meagan Ratini on fiddle.
This live recording was by Matthew Stengel on March 18, 2023. The album was produced by Richard Hartline and Tom Murray; and mixed and mastered by Richard Hartline.