Jasper Coal
Jasper Coal is a Celtic folk-punk band from Birmingham consisting of Jeremy Burns (bass, banjo, bouzouki, vocals), Ian Hoppe (guitar, vocals), Miguel Martinez (drums), Ryan Morrison (bagpipe, whistle, vocals), Kevin Nicholson (fiddle, vocals), and Matthew Parrish (vocals, whistle). The band's music is a fusion of folk-punk and Celtic music, drawing influence from popular Celtic punk rock artists such as The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys, and Flogging Molly to more traditional artists from Ireland and Scotland such as the Tannahill Weavers, Planxty, and The Bothy Band.
History
Jasper Coal was founded by vocalist Matthew Parrish and the band's original drummer Nathan Tucker in March 2004. Having both been raised in Irish-American households, Parrish and Tucker began performing to make drinking money for St Patrick's Day. Originally The Immigrants, the band played around Birmingham during the St Patrick's Day season.
In 2006 the band formally changed their name to Jasper Coal, an homage to the Irish coal miners of north Alabama in the mid to late 19th century.
In 2008, the band released their first full-length studio album Immigrant Child on indie label Punchdrunk Records and gained bassist Jeremy Burns, who played for many years in the local folk-rock band Shillelagh Law. A year later the band added Ian Hoppe, formerly of local metal act Entropy, on guitar. As a four piece, the band's second full-length studio album 1000 Feet Closer to Hell was recorded, mixed and mastered by Everything Burns Productions LLC in Birmingham.
Soon after, Kevin Nicholson, a widely-known traditional fiddle player formerly of Redhill, came on board, followed closely by Birmingham bagpiper Ryan Morrison, Pipe Major of the Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band.
The band plays regular shows in and around central Alabama, often accompanied by the Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band and the Alabama Academy of Irish Dance.
Jasper Coal has just completed their third studio album Drowning the Shamrock with their new drummer Miguel Martinez, replacing the traditional Irish bodhrán heard on the first two albums. The album was released September 14, 2013. It was recorded and mixed at Area 47 Studios in Birmingham.
Discography
- Jasper Coal. Immigrant Child (2008)
- Jasper Coal. 1000 Feet Closer to Hell (2010)
- Jasper Coal. Drowning the Shamrock (2013)
External links
- Jasper Coal website
- Jasper Coal Page on Facebook
- Jasper Coal on Bandsintown
- Jasper Coal on Twitter
- Jasper Coal on SoundCloud
- Jasper Coal on ReverbNation
References
- Feltman, David (March 29, 2010) "Jasper Coal, 1000 Feet Closer to Hell." Skopemag.com.
- Kelley, Randall (February 22, 2012) "Jasper Coal 1000 Feet Closer to Hell." Rocking The Craic.
- Stevenson, Tommy (January 29, 2013) "When Irish roots are showing." Weld for Birmingham.
- Gunn, Marc (March 15, 2013) "#139 – Best St. Patrick’s Day Playlist of 2013." Marc Gunn's Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.
- Tallo, Aaron (September 10, 2013) "Album Review: Jasper Coal – Drowning the Shamrock." Bhamfm.com.