The Prodigals is an American Irish punk band that started in 1997. Calling their genre of music " jig punk", the Prodigals fall within a tradition epitomized by

the Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

and

Black 47 Black 47 was an American Celtic rock band from New York City, formed in 1989 by Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne, and derives its name from a traditional term for the summer of 1847, the worst year of the Great Famine in Ireland. History Beginn ...

, merging traditional Celtic melodic roots with

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

rhythms. As of 2017, the band's lineup features the three original members:

Gregory Grene Gregory Grene is a musician and teacher based in New York City, who grew up in Chicago and County Cavan, Ireland. He is the son of the classicist David Grene. With his band The Prodigals, he writes and plays a style of music that melds Irish trad ...

(

button accordion A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons. This differs from the piano accordion, which has piano-style keys. Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs categorize it as a free reed aerop ...

and lead vocals), Andrew Harkin (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

), Brian Tracey (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), plus Galway's Dave Fahy (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and lead vocals) who has been a member since 2009. They are frequently joined by Alex Grene, nephew of Gregory, and a graduate in music composition from the University of Chicago. The Prodigals call

Paddy Reilly's Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon *Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black-faced sh ...

(the world's only all-draft

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...

bar) their home when in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The band has its own distinctive sound, particularly distinguished by lead

melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...

roles being filled by button-key

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

and

along with the

vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production i ...

s, and has received substantial critical notice through the years. Their songs "Open Reel" and "The Bunch of Red Roses" were played in the film Pride and Glory during the bar fight scene between

Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations. Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised ...

and

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The I ...

. The Prodigals band has had many changes to its members over the years. Here is a listing of ex-Prodigals: * Alex Tobias - harmonica, fiddle, and vocals * Sean McCabe - guitar and vocals * Ray Kelly - guitar and vocals * Brendan Smith - drums * Chris Nicolo - drums * Colm O'Brien - guitar and vocals * Ed Kollar - Bass * Eamon Ellams - drums * Eamon O'Tuama - guitar and vocals

Discography

;Albums * ''The Prodigals'' (1997) * ''Go On'' (1999), effectively the band's breakout album * ''Dreaming in Hell's Kitchen'' (2001, produced by Scottish

fiddler A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Although in many ...

and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Johnny Cunningham Johnny Cunningham (27 August 1957 – 15 December 2003) was a Scottish folk musician and composer, instrumental in spreading interest in traditional Celtic music. Johnny Cunningham was born on 27 August 1957 in Portobello, Edinburgh. He was ra ...

) * ''Needs Must When the Devil Drives'' (2003, produced by Howie Beno, who notably also produced the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

single " Give It Away") * ''Beachland Bootleg'' (2005), a live album/DVD recorded at the Beachland Ballroom in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

* ''Momentum'' (2006) * ''Whiskey Asylum'' (2008) * ''Brothers'' (2016) Solo/acoustic album * ''FlipSides'' (2009) ;Contributing artist * '' The Rough Guide to Irish Music'' (1996)

References

External links

Official Website

* ttp://www.mountainx.com/ae/2001/0131prodigals.php An interview with Gregory Grene
Allmusic
Musical groups from New York City Celtic punk groups Punk rock groups from New York (state) {{US-punk-band-stub