photo by Matt Morin; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Album Review of Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners: Moonshine & Other Spirits

Boston-area Americana standouts Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners are back at it! Or, rather, at it again. Or continuing to be at it, I suppose, because they’re tireless and simply don’t stop performing, coming up with new songs, and frequently recording them. In any case, Moonshine & Other Spirits, the band’s current EP – the latest proof they continue to be “at it” – dropped this spring. No surprises here. As expected, it’s a damn fine record. Blog readers might remember my review of Before the Fall last year. Well, I skipped over reviewing last summer’s exceptional EP release, Dances by Firelight, with that disc’s first song, the energetic “A Little Bit More,” being my personal favorite from that EP. And I didn’t exactly skip it; rather, before I got around to that review, Moonshine & Other Spirits was released, so I dropped it into Dances by Firelight‘s spot in my review queue. Yeah, yeah, I know. Enough yapping. Get to the review, right? OK, I will.

cover designed by Megan Kelly; image courtesy of Knyvet

Moonshine & Other Spirits starts off with “My Baby’s Happy,” an accordion-driven half-speed-polka-tempoed (is that a thing?) song that advances steadily and relentless, with guest vocalist Elisa Smith duetting with Kettle Burner Dan DiBacco, including some cool late-song vocal riffing that adds one of the few elements atypical of a Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners tune, since this band throws the kitchen sink into so many of its songs. Also listen for a nifty guitar solo and a very-on-brand raucous ending.

The vibe of second song “Impossible” is set by its anguished vocal wails, while the tempo that’s a little frantic, often much moreso than its tempo might suggest, is exactly what you’d expect – and enjoy so much – about a Kettle Burners tune, while guest fiddlers David Delaney (Whiskey Boys) and Valerie Rachel (Wayward Vine) add texture to the song. “Impossible,” like almost every song of the band’s I’ve ever heard, is perfectly suited to be performed while dancing around an enormous bonfire in the middle of the woods.

“Goin’ Down in Style,” next, is a raucous road-style number, a little rough around the edges, with the music and the tempo seeming to roll downhill increasingly out of control toward the end of the song. Then, “Whitehouse Road” is a steady, bouncing, straight-forward Americana rocker. And the fifth and final song on the EP, “Make Me Wanna Dance (Moonshine Shuffle),” mixes ’50s rockin’ vibe, the sort where you might see sockhoppers trying to make the “Make Me Wanna Dance” moonshine shuffle the newest dance craze. But nah, the tempo’s probably a little too frantic for the ’50s, unless you’re in the alternate universe where Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners live, in which case it’s probably just the next Dick Clark-driven dance fad – “make me wanna dance, wo-oah”.

Anyway, if you’re a longtime Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners fan, you’re probably already enjoying this EP; if not, it’s a good place to start. And you know where else is a good place to start? Yes, the “Calendar” page of the band’s website. But also the New England Americana Festival at the Bellforge Arts Center in Medfield, MA on Saturday, June 6th, for a full-day (1-8 pm) outdoor concert featuring the region’s best Americana and Americana-adjacent bands, headlined by Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners.