Band Bio The Drovers are: David Callahan - Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Drums, Keyboards
The Drovers have spent the past 12 years investigating the territory where pop meets Irish folk music, in the process becoming one of the United States' most well-known celtic bands. The Drovers debut release, World of Monsters, was an instant classic among fans of both Irish~Folk and rock/pop. Attention was drawn from many different circles, including Hollywood's film industry. In 1993, the band accepted a feature role in the suspense thriller "Blink" {starring Madeleine Stowe} and the soundtrack sold over 100,000 copies. They also appeared in Ron Howard's film, "Backdraft," starring Robert DeNiro. They appeared at the prestigious 1992 Winnipeg Folk Festival with Richard Thompson, Pentangle and Ani DeFranco, and many other esteemed artists. This appearance was followed up with extensive touring of the East Coast, where they appeared repeatedly at New York's Sine Cafe and Wetlands; Northampton, Mass.'s Iron Horse, and the legendary Middle East Cafe in Boston. The Drovers second release, Kill Mice Elf, was immediately added to college and commercial radio stations throughout the country. The Drovers continued to build a national presence through relentless touring. Their live performance captures elements of folk, jazz, Celtic, and pop all coupled with free~form improvisation and lovely melodies. Little High Sky Show, was recorded by engineering mastermind, Steve Albini (Nirvana, The Pixies, & P.J. Harvey). Critics lauded the record's inventiveness and its bold, elegant melodicism. Their latest recording was their contribution on the benefit record, The Inner Flame (Atlantic). The album contains cuts from Emmylou Harris and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, among others. In the summer of 1998, The Drovers performed at the first American Guinness
Fleadh with Sinead O'Conner and John Lee Hooker.
They were again honored to appear the following year when the Fleadh
presented Elvis Costello and Van Morrison.
What others have said.... "What the Drovers do is impressive. The songs on Little High Sky Show metamorphose with absolute control, always elaborate and mesmerizing, finding their own organic structure. The result is a surprise-filled listen" -Riverfront Times "Consistency through diversity seems to be the The Drovers1 goal along with creating music without restriction. As a possible side effect from their rigorous touring schedule, the band members have built a penetrating live set which tends to vary from show to show." -The Badger Herald "The Drovers take the instrumental polish of traditional music and blend it with the endemic power of rock to create a sound that stands above the usual alternative menu." -Chicago Sun-Times "If you take the word gamut to mean the 'complete medieval musical scale,' then you understand the range of styles that the Drovers encompass. World of Monsters reaches back to the instrumentation and arrangements of traditional Irish and British folk music, but also swallows up the simple rock 'n' roll melodies of Lennon and McCartney circa '63. Consequently the Drovers achieve a real folk music, one that uses its embrace of traditional forms as a funnel that gathers in other homespun styles and creates and aural history." -CMJ "Unsigned But So Fine: The Irish-ish Chicago-based band the Drovers have been named by critics as local "Best Unsigned Band" at the Illinois Entertainer's Chicago Musician Awards. The four-piece outfit recently released their debut album, World of Monsters." -Spin "The Drovers create ambient music with acoustic instruments - minus any pretention. You'll find that this follows the path of some of the Rolling Stones' forays into psychedelia as on Satanic Majesty's Request, without the three-minute pop song format." -Oil "While we're still thinking about strange foreign instruments, what do accordians bring to mind? The boulevards of Paris? Romantic nights sipping wine by the Seine? Being pursued down dark alleys by garlic-swilling Frenchmen on onion-laden bicycles? The Drovers' World of Monsters conjures these fates and more. A stomping, stonking good time which combines the purest pop with my favorite instrument the bodhran, the one noise maker which combines martial splendor with mist-whipped mystery." -AP "Combining myriad influences from Middle Eastern melodies to, yes, Irish rhythms, to Rolling Stones-style stomp rock, this a mesmerizing mix of hypnotic music and infectious melodies." -Boston Rock "The Drovers have crafted an impressive body of original material that defies easy categorization." -Chicago Tribune "The Drovers: Live Chicago-based quartet that combines the powerful instrumental drive and subtle melodic structure of traditional Irish music with the raw emotion of rock." -Option "The Chicago quartet put a mystical spin on acoustic Celtic and Middle Eastern motifs, swirling together with violin, bass, tribal drumming and unorthodoxly tuned 12-string guitar. Their improvisations were precious." -The Other Paper "....Full of dark musings on lost love swirling in a smoky mix of shamanic bodhran pounding, demonic fiddling and mournful guitar strumming, the Drovers carry on their tradition of taking the music of their Celtic folk roots as a jumping off point for improvisational excursions to places no rock band has been before." -Arts & Entertainment Journal "The Chicago-based Drovers continue their Irish-inflected sound with their new album. Composed of 8 songs, Little High Sky Show moves like a bird, darting from moody, violin-strung waters and to open mandola-edged expanses." -Rayolux "The best part of the movie 'Blink' was that you get to hear great new music from Chicago's finest alternative band, The Drovers, who put together the movie's soundtrack." -Mademoiselle "...All kinds of instruments take you through songs that twist and turn, build, fall and streamline throughout the room. It's a show in itself. These guys are great." -Flagpole "Chicago has produced some of the more interesting alternative rock acts including Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill, Ministry, and Liz Phair. Add The Drovers to the list." -Los Angeles Daily News ã...The mostly Irish-American Drovers are one of the hottest combos in the city, and were recently named best unsigned band by Chicago music critics. The Drovers combine elements of traditional Irish music with improvisational guitar rock, which becomes even more extemporaneous once they hit the stage.2 -Billboard "Little High Sky Show is a bit of a departure from the sound that helped The Drovers sell 20,000 copies of their independently released World of Monsters, but contains the same strong devotion to song craftsmanship." -Guide to Independent Music "They have appeared at all the usual alternative music festivals and have been written about as someone to watch out for by Spin, Billboard, and Rolling Stone." -Irish Voice |