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 are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

and Black 47, 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 Wale ...

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

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 Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

), Brian Tracey (

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

), plus Galway's Dave Fahy (

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

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 (the world's only all-draft

Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

bar) their home when in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

melodic A melody (), 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 combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...

roles being filled by button-key

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"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 (mou ...

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 producti ...

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, producer, director, and screenwriter. After graduating from Yale College in 1991 with a degree in history, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving to New York City ...

and

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A Leading actor, leading man in blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various List of awards and nominations received by Col ...

. 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 bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

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

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

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

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

* ''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