The Mahones
The Mahones are a Canadian Irish punk band, formed on St. Patrick's Day in 1990, in Kingston, Ontario.
The Mahones | |
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![]() The Mahones performing in 2010 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Celtic punk |
Years active | 1990–present |
Labels | Whiskey Devil Records |
Website | themahones.ie |
Members | Finny McConnell Katie "Kaboom" McConnell Guillaume Lauzon Sean "Riot" Ryan Michael O'Grady Scruffy Wallace |
Past members | Joe Chithalen Mauro Sepe Owen Warnica Andrew Brown GerDom "The Bomb" Whelan O'Sullivan Chris Scahill Chris Smirnios Miranda Mulholland Ewen McIntosh Paul "Cuzo" Mancuso Jon Kane Sean Winter Mike Franey |
Biography
The Mahones were formed in 1990 by Dublin-born[1] Finny McConnell, as a one-off band for a St. Patrick's Day party.[2] Encouraged by a positive reception, McConnell decided to pursue the band full-time.[3] The Mahones have released thirteen albums to date with their most recent, Love, Death, & Redemption, being released in 2018.
The Mahones’ music has appeared in several major films. They co-wrote and recorded the title track for the 1996 film Celtic Pride. Their song "100 Bucks" was featured in the 1998 film Dog Park. Their song "Paint The Town Red 2010" was featured in the climactic final fight scene of the 2010 film The Fighter.[4] Their song "A Little Bit of Love" is in the 2011 film Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy.
The Mahones have shared stages and toured with bands such as Dropkick Murphys, Stiff Little Fingers, Shane MacGowan and The Popes, Billy Bragg, Chuck Ragan, UK Subs, Sick of It All, The Defects, Agnostic Front, The Buzzcocks, D.O.A., Against Me, The Tragically Hip, Crash Vegas, The Damned, Suicidal Tendencies, The Prodigy, Gwar, Skunk Anansie, Blue Rodeo, Steve Earle, The Alarm, Sinéad O'Connor, Roger Miret and the Disasters, Dylan Walshe, Flogging Molly, Spirit of the west, The Dubliners, Christy Moore, The Band and Van Morrison. The band’s cited influences included The Clash, The Pogues, Greenland Whalefishers, The Who, and Hüsker Dü. The group’s lineup has changed a number of times, with McConnell and Whelan as the main constant members. Pogues members Terry Woods and Phil Chevron joined the band on tour in 2003.[5]
In 1999, bassist Joe Chithalen died in Amsterdam shortly after a concert. He had accidentally ingested food containing peanuts, to which he was allergic. The Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library, Joe’s M.I.L.L., was established in Kingston soon after by Wally High. The Mahones perform fundraising concerts for Joe's M.I.L.L. annually.[6]
In 2010, The Mahones started their own record label, Whiskey Devil Records, and signed a distribution deal with eOne Music.[7]
In 2014, The Mahones were nominated Best Punk Band at the Sirius XM Indie Awards.[8] In 2012, The Mahones' album The Black Irish won the Independent Music Award for Best Punk Album,[9] and Angels & Devils won Paddy Rock Radio's album of the year,[10] as well as Vandala Concepts' album of the year [11]
In 2016, Scruffy Wallace joined the band as their new bagpipe player. Wallace quit the Dropkick Murphys after 12 years with the band. That same year, Guillaume Lauzon (formerly with Canadian psychobilly band The Brains) joined the band as their new drummer.
Name
The Mahones cite The Pogues as a main influence. That band were originally called Pogue Mahone (an anglicisation of an Irish phrase meaning "kiss my arse"), but later shortened it to The Pogues. "The Mahones" is seen as similarly derived from Pogue Mahone, as a tribute to The Pogues.[12]
Members
Current members
- Finny McConnell - lead vocals, guitar, mandolin, songwriter
- Katie McConnell - accordion, vocals
- Michael O'Grady - tin whistle, vocals
- Sean Ryan - bass, vocals
- Guillaume Lauzon - drums
- Scruffy Wallace - bagpipes
Former members
- Dom Whelan
- Chris Ward
- Colm McConnell
- Paul Mancuso
- "The" Barry Williams
- Andrew Brown
- Ger O'Sullivan
- Mauro Sepe
- Owen Warnica
- David Allen
- Kevan Williams
- Paddy Concannon
- Miranda Mulholland
- Chris Scahill
- Chris Smirnios
- Ewen McIntosh
- Joe Chithalen
- Sean Winter
- Mike Franey
Discography
Studio albums
Year | Album |
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1994 | Draggin' the Days |
1996 | Rise Again |
1999 | The Hellfire Club Sessions |
2001 | Here Comes Lucky |
2006 | Take No Prisoners |
2010 | The Black Irish |
2012 | Angels & Devils |
2014 | The Hunger & The Fight (Pt. 1) |
2015 | The Hunger & The Fight (Pt. 2) |
2016 | 25 Years of Irish Punk (The Very Best) |
2019 | Love + Death + Redemption |
2020 | Unplugged |
Live albums
Year | Album |
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2003 | Live at the Horseshoe |
2014 | A Great Night on the Lash (Live in Italy) |
Compilations
Year | Album |
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2004 | Paint the Town Red |
2008 | Irish Punk Collection |
2010 | Whiskey Devils – A Tribute to the Mahones |
2019 | The Irish Songs |
Demo
Year | Album |
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1993 | Clear the Way |
Singles
Year | Single | CAN AC | Album |
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1996 | "100 Bucks" | 45 | Rise Again |
1997 | "Rise Again" | 52 | |
1999 | "When It Comes Around" | The Hellfire Club Sessions | |
"This Old Town" | |||
2001 | "One Last Shot" | Here Comes Lucky | |
2006 | "A Little Bit of Love" (with Damhnait Doyle) | Take No Prisoners | |
2010 | "Give It All Ya Got" | The Black Irish | |
2011 | "A Great Night on the Lash" | The Black Irish |
References
- "Finny McConnell". Facebook. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- Archived December 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- "More than drinking songs - Queen's Journal". Queensjournal.ca. March 9, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- "The Fighter (I) (2010) : Soundtracks". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- "THE MAHONES (20th Anniversary Tour) | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- "The Mahones Raise over $3,100 for Joe's M.I.L.L. Update! | Joe's M.I.L.L". Joesmill.wordpress.com. April 13, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- "The Mahones - Live in Italy". East Coast Kitchen Party. March 8, 2013. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- "2014 Nominees/Winners | INDIES". Indies.ca. January 24, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- "11th Annual Independent Music Awards Winners Announced!" Independent Music Awards, May 2, 2012. Retrieved on September 4, 2013.
- "BEST OF CELTIC ROCK & PUNK FOR 2012". Paddy Rock. December 7, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- "Vandala Concepts Ezine - January 2013 - The Mahones - Bringing a New Meaning to Being Independent". Vandalaconcepts.com. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- Bill Jolliemore (October 8, 2014). "The Mahones at Landsdowne Pub in Boston, MA on 21-Sep-2014". National Rock Review. Retrieved May 4, 2016.