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Plays: 28933
Views: 19548 |
Members:
Kuisma Korhonen [Vocals, guitar, accordeon]
Hannu Kylkisalo [Vocals, bass]
Aku Lappalainen [Whistles, banjo]
Petro Loukimo [Drums]
Ilkka Ranta-aho [Vocals, guitar, banjo]
Matti Viirimäki [el. guitar, mandolin]
Formed: 2000
iSound Site: www.isound.com/redhill_rats
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Monday, September 21st, 2009
These things seem to take time
I know, we promised to have the new material ready before autumn, but summer came and went so fast the six of us just could not align our schedules.
We did some backing vocals in June, but then we all went our separate ways to enjoy the beautiful but short Finnish summer.
Now we have agreed to set up the recording gear in early October and track the remaining parts.
THEN the material will be sent to a professional engineer for mixing. Mastering may be another thing altogether...
Here are some song titles we have laid down:
The Perfect Traveller
Days Of Pushing Daisies
Goblin's Inn
Strange People
Flowers
The Douchebag Song
King Lear Of The Serpent's Head
Sincerely Yours
We Will Always Be Lovers
Memo To Self
Crazy George
Tales Of Broken Shadows
Cape Wolf Rag
We'll see if all of these make it to the record. Thing is, all but one (Cape Wolf Rag) are original songs. We planned to record some trads as well, but found out soon enough that we had no need for them this time.
It would be fun to record some of those to be published only here on iSound... We'll do that if we have some extra time during the October sessions.
Meanwhile, take it easy.
Cheers, The Rat Pack
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Buy the Some Heroes cd at CdBaby. Click the image.
Redhill Rats was formed, many years ago, as a traditional Irish music band. Other influences, however, crept in gradually.
When the musical form was liberated from excessive Irishness, original material began to emerge. Our years in Paddyland have left their mark in the new songs, of course, but so have other musical styles like British folk, Americana, Bluegrass and various forms of pop and rock.
We suppose we can call this folkrock, as there are quite a few acoustic instruments involved.
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| Monday, September 21st, 2009
These things seem to take time
I know, we promised to have the new material ready before autumn, but summer came and went so fast the six of us just could not align our schedules.
We did some backing vocals in June, but then we all went our separate ways to enjoy the beautiful but short Finnish summer.
Now we have agreed to set up the recording gear in early October and track the remaining parts.
THEN the material will be sent to a professional engineer for mixing. Mastering may be another thing altogether...
Here are some song titles we have laid down:
The Perfect Traveller
Days Of Pushing Daisies
Goblin's Inn
Strange People
Flowers
The Douchebag Song
King Lear Of The Serpent's Head
Sincerely Yours
We Will Always Be Lovers
Memo To Self
Crazy George
Tales Of Broken Shadows
Cape Wolf Rag
We'll see if all of these make it to the record. Thing is, all but one (Cape Wolf Rag) are original songs. We planned to record some trads as well, but found out soon enough that we had no need for them this time.
It would be fun to record some of those to be published only here on iSound... We'll do that if we have some extra time during the October sessions.
Meanwhile, take it easy.
Cheers, The Rat Pack
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 5:27 AM |
| Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
The Cape Wolf Sessions
These are exciting times. When making plans for our third album, we decided to ditch the normal route of going to studio, laying down basic tracks, doing massive overdubs, analyzing the material on a computer, correcting the inevitable mistakes with various processors and so on.
Instead we packed our gear in a van and headed for Kuisma's spacious loghouse at Susiniemi. That's Cape Wolf in English. How cool is that?
We took along some great microphones and preamps and a top-notch recording console. Drums and tinwhistle were set up in makeshift booths in the main parlour. Matti's guitar amps (Vox AC30 and Fender Reverbsomething) were put in the kitchen as the noise they make is earshattering. Matti says those all-tube amps need to be cranked up real loud in order to sound right. Who am I to argue?
After a relaxing sauna session and a case of beer we just pushed the big red button and started playing. If a take was not what we wanted, we erased it and played again. Perhaps bass and bass drum did not align perfectly all the time, but the feeling conveyed by those recordings was wonderful. No more sterile studios for us ever again.
Each day we worked well into the night. When the eastern sky began to glow with the morning light, we sat on the porch with another case of beer and marveled at the sounds of birds in the woods and over the lake. We took a sensitive condenser microphone outside and recorded some of that racket in order to include it in one of the songs. I'm no expert in bird calls, but I was told we heard oral performances by storks, swans, geese, cuckoos, pheasants, owls, blackbirds and various small critters that to my ear sounded all alike.
We have a song called The Perfect Traveller (music by Hannu, lyrics by Ilkka) that will really benefit from a shot of tranquility provided by those birds. We shall conclude the recordings in the near future with backing vocals and some banjo, mandolin and accordeon parts. After that we'll send the tracks to a professional recording engineer for mixing and mastering. New Rats material should be ready for distribution sometime during the summer. We'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, take it easy.
Greetings from the Rat Pack.
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 6:50 AM |
| Thursday, November 13th, 2008
Story behind Snowy Breasted Pearl
Hello y'all! As you propably found out already, we have uploaded a new song on this site. It's a ditty called Snowy Breasted Pearl.
We found this song in a book of old Irish tunes. We had never heard a recorded version, but when we plowed through the sheet music, this version presented itself almost by default. We went like: hey, this sounds like a long-lost Crazy Horse classic!
When we spent a weekend in retreat, preparing new songs for our upcoming album (no, the studio has not been booked yet), we played Snowy as a warm-up piece.
Playing the damn thing felt so good that we pushed the Big Red Button on Kuisma's BR-1600. This is what stuck to the hard drive.
The lyrics are quite silly, really. Boy fancies girl, gets no response. Boy agonizes over unfulfilled romance, threatens to "brave the seas" to get to girl (no oceans, mind you, but just over to France, maybe Spain). In the end boy, the pathetic loser, commends girl's looks, saying she has really nice tits.
Today that sort of comment would result in a deserved slap on the mugger, but perhaps things were different in the days of yore...
Here are the words, in case you're interested:
There's a colleen fair as May
For a year and for a day
I have sought by every way her heart to gain
There's no art of tongue or eye
Fond youths with maidens try
That I've tried with ceaseless sigh, yet tried in vain
If to far off France or Spain
She crossed the watery main
To see her face again the seas I'd brave
But if 'tis Heaven's decree
That mine she may not be
May the Son of Mary me in mercy save
But a kiss of welcome bland
Or a touch of thy fair hand
Are all that I demand would'st thou not spurn
But if not mine dear girl
Oh, my Snowy Breasted Pearl
May I never from the fair with life return
Most likely we won't include the song on the next record, it's not really our type of music, but we keep playing it on gigs, it has this wonderful raise-the-roof effect when we occasionally hit the groove big time.
So here goes. Hope you like it.
Cheers, Redhill Rats
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 7:01 AM |
| Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Song lyrics, part 6
Sailing ´round the world (Ranta-aho)
1. We set off across the Baltic sea aboard a schooner called Debris
Our captain he did say to me: We’re sailing ´round the world.
The Tallinn girls were mighty nice, the beer they sold was half the price
We didn’t drink it once, but twice and afterwards we hurled.
Ch: Whoa-ho! Sailing ´round the world! I don’t think you will see us for a while.
Whoa-ho! Sailing ´round the world! Before we go just let me see your smile
2. The Visby nights were warm and fair. A fine place for a millionaire
They have no Kossuvissy there. An Absolut disgrace
I saw this girl down by the sea, her dearest wish was to be free
The king of Sweden yelled at me: ”Get off me daughter’s face!”
3. Rostock did not treat us well, the Ossies wished us all to hell
We made a blunder trying to sell them well-worn pairs jeans.
A lady offered me a kiss, she promised some unworldly bliss
More of a mister than a miss, she was the king of all the queens
4. The Channel drove us to the brink We thought our ship would surely sink
The captain nearly spilled his drink. It really was that rough.
The world’s smaller than it used to be. We’ve seen all there is to see
We’re sailing back to Helsinki Having had enough.
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 6:49 AM |
| Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Song lyrics, part 5
Rain from Hell (Korhonen)
Raising the toast
For their fellows abroad
They stagger their words of hate
They are dreaming
Of the furies and the glory
Blinded by the rain from hell
The spider is weaving,
The shadows are creeping
Around the flaming stone
They get helmets of belief
And the birds of shining steel
That bring the rain from hell
Through the night
And through the hail
And through the howling wind
They are riding
On their stallions of fire
They bring the rain from hell
Back from their mission
They drink and forget
Until the night begins
And they are gliding, again
Over the cities on red fire
Bringing the rain from hell
The ashes are still warm
When the serpent is born
The revenge is seeking new flesh
And the shadows, they still linger
A lonely skeleton’s finger
Call for the rain from hell
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 6:45 AM |
| Monday, May 12th, 2008
Song lyrics, part 4
Older (Ranta-aho)
1. Young Dan was blessed with bedroom eyes,
a brave lad like his name implies
He wanted things and would not be denied.
Local girls they screamed his name,
he saw and conquered, then he came.
And when he left they all broke down and cried
He made his mark in the world, and how!
Everything was here and now
Life was grand and the road ahead was wide
Then he got older, and then he died.
2. Patrick was a music man,
he was his own greatest fan
Some people said he sucked, but they all lied
He knew if he just kept at it,
someday he'd surely score a hit.
Persistence was his best and only guide.
Pouring out those words and tunes,
dreaming away the afternoons
he took his time, cos time was on his side
But he got older, and then he died
3. I rose, turned off the TV set,
the show not being over yet
I'm sure that ending would have made me cry
Those boys were heading for a fall, with silly songs, good looks'n'all
You can't have it all, no matter how you try
I think I'll fix myself a brew,
there's really nothing you can do.
The devil takes our flesh and then we fry.
The devil takes us all and then we fry.
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 6:55 AM |
| Monday, May 12th, 2008
Song lyrics, part 3
Your love has served me well (Ranta-aho)
A1. Your love has served me well in a crazy kinda way
Now that things have calmed down and the fat lady has sung I find it quite easy to say
A2. The pirate's flag we flew was red right from the start
No prisoners be taken, no mercy be shown: a shot straight thru the heart
B1. As our city blew fuses we danced in the street, oh the stories that we could tell
I found the reason to live in your smile. Yes, your love has served me well
A3. Now you walk a tired mile along the lonely shore
shaking your fist at the wide open sea that grants you passage no more
A4. And our pictures fade away in the lover's Hall of Fame
Approved by history's frozen truth, untouched by its passionate flame
B2. You forget all the big things, remember the small. Like those nights in that fancy hotel
With some effort there's only one thing I recall: your love has served me well
C1. I never bought flowers, their splendour's so vain. Kind words never suited the strong
I thought it was all about pleasure and pain. I'm beginning to suspect I was wrong
A5. This is what I feared the most: my dreams have all come true
I would give away everything I ever owned to be able to dream about you
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 6:52 AM |
| Monday, May 12th, 2008
Song lyrics, part 2
Heroes of the Modern Times (Korhonen)
We bluff our way at school
We bluff our way at home
We bluff our way in business
We bluff our way, like fools
There is nothing in the world we won’t try
There is no real reason to cry
There is nothing we really care about
There is never enough stout
We are not afraid of tomorrow
There will always be something to buy
We are not afraid of facing the truth
We know it’s just another lie
‘Cause we are the heroes, oh, we are the heroes,
we are the heroes of the modern times
We’re ready to face the Nature
And eat all we can find
We’re ready to steal the Power
And leave our shit behind
We are not afraid of leaving
Our bills for others to pay
We are not afraid of stealing
We know we are not gonna stay
Chorus
We bluff our way in IT
We bluff our way in Media
We bluff our way in University
We bluff our way in Irish Bars
We are not afraid of Guinness
Or inhaling some heavy fumes
We are not afraid of singing along
And faking some Celtic tunes
‘Cause we’re the heroes, oh we are the heroes,
We are the heroes of the modern times
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 6:51 AM |
| Monday, May 12th, 2008
Song lyrics, part 1
My Father Was A Werewolf (Ranta-aho)
1. My father was a werewolf and he roamed the countryside
His fangs were long and sharp, his territory was wide
Along the way he sang his songs and sang them out of tune
He left a trail of tears and grief beneath the yellow moon
2. In a far-off village I heard he broke some hearts
I guess young hearts break easily in those foreign parts
Drunken frenzy has no fear, no shame and no remorse
There were burning bridges left behind and a hundred broken doors
Ch: Come all ye wankers, hear the story of the beast that stunk
Buy me a whiskey and a beer, I'm not completely drunk
If you have loose change about you, ring those service bells,
and if this story spooks your wits, I'll tell you something else.
3. On a night-time rampage he encountered some old friends
and left them lying in a pool of blood, this is where that story ends
When he came home next morning, he was all smile and charm
By the dirt under his fingernails I knew he'd done some harm.
4. My playground was a field of thorns behind a sandy hill
Grown-ups could not come there against the childrens' will
A haunted house stood in that field, all derelict and torn
I played there with the bones of the damned and the ghosts of the forlorn
Chorus-
5. I believe that I'm in love right now, a feeling that remains
is a twisting pulse inside my head and a bloodrush in my veins.
That girl is sweet beyond compare, she is my only one
But my father was a werewolf and I am a werewolf's son
Yes, my father was a werewolf, that makes me a werewolf's son.
Outro (Galician tune)
Posted By Redhill Rats @ 6:50 AM |
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