Ballydowse

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Ballydowse

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Origin = Chicago, Illinois
Genre = Christian
Christian punk
Celtic rock
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Ballydowse is a celtic punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois with a rare mix of anarchist and religious ideas infused into their music. Many of the group's members were from the Jesus People U.S.A. commune. [ [http://centerstage.net/music/whoswho/Ballydowse.html Biography] at Centerstage.net. Accessed October 25, 2007.] interview with Andrew Mandell group founder] In addition to the group's Mekons/Pogues-style Celtic punk influences, the group also draws from world musics such as klezmer and Tibetan throat singing. [ [http://www.tollbooth.org/features/ballyd.html Interview] , "The Phantom Tollbooth", August 1999. Accessed October 25, 2007.] [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3849/is_200003/ai_n8894053 Album Review] , "Sojourners", Mar/Apr 2000. Accessed October 25, 2007.] Ballydowse released two albums both engineered by Steve Albini. The debut was entitled "The Land, the Bread, and the People" and was a home place for many who found common cause with certain elements of Christianity while rejecting the American right wing bias so prominent in the church at the time. Their second album Fertile Crescent continued this trajectory with a growing Eastern European flavor. The group's political activism over the economic sanctions on Iraq in the 2000s, prison reform, death penalty and the short-comings of capitalism was unique among Christian bands of the time. The group disbanded in 2003.

Discography

*"The Land, the Bread, and the People" (Grrr Records, 1998)
*"Out of the Fertile Crescent" (Diamante Music Group, 2000)

Members

*Andrew Mandell (vocals)
*Robin Mandell (vocals)
*Nate Gustafson Peters (vocals, guitar, mandolin)
*Craig Holland (guitar)
*Brian Grover (bass, didgeridoo, whirligig, bodhran, bullroarer)
*Dan Kool (vocals, moohran)
*Chris White (drums)
*Dave Baumgartner (violin)
*Darren Davick - guitar, mandolin
*Levi Nerad-drums
*Don Anderson - drums on Out of the Fertile Crescent

External links

* [http://www.ballydowse.net Website]

References