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CD available online at CD Baby !
"Idylls of the King of the Road" is also available at DigStation MP3 downloads available at Napster, PureTracks, and Amazon
CD available online at CD Baby
"Hamtramck : Heaven" is also available through Amazon.com and Artist Direct MP3 downloads availalbe at Amazon, Napster, iTunes, and eMusic, MSN Music
Read what others are saying about Hamtramck : Heaven...
"... What makes the album unique is how Gerard has wedded the acoustic folk tradition with 'metal' instrumental. There is a heavy rock influence here that might make folk music purists (folk nazis I call them) turn up their noses... 'Hamtramck Heaven' is more in the style of the late sixties and early seventies folk-rock adventures and explorers such as 'Steeleye Span... "It's a neat twist to the Celtic music scene and, when interviewed, Gerard admitted that he wanted to make a recording with just that sort of edginess that ran the gamut from the very traditional to the very modern. More power to him and I do mean more power as in lots of wattage. For example, in my favorite cut the Irish rebel song 'Come Out Ye Black and Tans,' Gerard comes out strongly with an in-your-face sharpness and roar appropriate to today's life on the busy cement streets. It's not gentle. "On 'Henry My Son' the stylings turn from what some may refer to as 'heavy metal folk' to stylings more reminiscent of modern blue grass. "Other musicians featured include Terry Murphy (banjo), Colin Paige (drums), Frank Kennedy (bass guitar), Pat O'Connor (guitar) and Shannon Mulligan (tin whistle). "Take my advice. If you're prone to 'road rage' then this album is probably not for you. If you're only into unreconstructed and very strict traditional renderings of songs, then avoid this recording. But, if you like your coffee in the mornings hot, thick and strong with five teaspoons of sugar that can make your spoon stand straight up on end and you bop your head in time when you listen to the car radio then this recording's what the doctor ordered." -- Len Wallace, The Irish Connection, May/June 2001
"Smith plays many a cool Irish tune on this disc. It's a nice change from the techno-metal I'm usually reviewing. Some songs are traditional tunes, others with identifiable authors. The arrangements are unique, one of the most being 'Cruiscin Lan' which marries a flute with an electric guitar. "I love the fact that many of the songs tell stories. It's a pleasant reminder of music's use before people dumbed-down to choruses like, 'H to the Izzo, B to the Izzay' or whatever. "Other cool tracks are 'Ghost of the Irish Brigade' and 'The Maid of Cabra West.' Check out Gerard at your local Irish pub, and tell 'em a lepre' named Kiernan sent ya." -- Pianocidal JMK, Jam Rag, Vol. XVII No. 1 - January 2002
"The general tone of the CD salutes the Dublin influence but seamlessly incorporates original songs from as far afield as Newfoundland and Somerset, these having amusingly wicked lyrics that would go down well during a pub session... "'Cruiscin Lan' opens the album with a definitive folk-rock beat... 'The Maid of Cabra West' draws your focus more on what is being sung, rather than how, and the black lyrics of this Dublin street ballad sketch a rough picture of a xenophobic psychopath and... why he was driven to murder, not once but twice. Very Celtic humour, a sharply tasty bite of satire! The repetitive nuances of 'The Quality of Work Life' enforce the tedium and oppressive nature of factory working conditions that contrast with the life of a sailor's son in 'Sonny's Dream.' The oppression here is that of a possessive mother...who determines that her son will not leave for the freedom and the harsh life that claimed her husband and his father. "The tone lightens considerably with the strong guitar and cheeky lyrics on 'With My Rubber Boots On,' a raunchy tale typical of sailors ashore throughout the ages in any land! A rollicking sing-along song, ...it's a grand humourous tune. 'Enoch Hill' continues the levity with the story of a well-known Beaver Island bootlegger ... enlivened by Terry Murphy on banjo. "'The Finding of Moses' is a peculiarly charming if somewhat bizarre blending of the Nile and the Liffey, written in the early 1800s ...the Old Testament tale of Moses and the Pharoah's daughter is amusingly memorable and quite unique. Gerard describes the eighth track, a blend of jigs, as 'Straight up hard core diddly,' an accurate but disarmingly endearing description. 'The Ghost of the Irish Brigade' ... has spooky lyrics and a haunting melody to send a shiver up the back of your neck. "The bluegrass style on 'Henry, My Son' speeds things up again to a welcome toe-tapping beat, and he returns to raucous form with the irreverent "Twice Daily"... Its earthy lyrics are typical of that inoffensive bawdy style, to be sung with a knowing twinkle in the eye, and as the story progresses... "The mood alters abruptly with the harsh and uncompromising 'Which Side Are You On?' He sings unaccompanied, this one track standing out on the album with all the implacability of a picket line... [In] 'Making of a Modern Myth' ... the bodhran conveys a new age/Native American feel... He ends with the rousing "Come Out Ye Black and Tans," a defiant rebel song which, like many, has an undeniably catchy tune to it, whether or not you defer to its sentiment. "...the highlights of "The Maid of Cabra West," "With My Rubber Boots On," "The Finding of Moses" and "Twice Daily" make this a worthwhile album... this is a fine addition to a CD collection, and the diversity of instruments and songs should hold the attention of even a luke-warm folkie. --Jenny Ivor, Rambles: 7 June 2002
Tracks 1 - The Barley Corn 2 - Come By the Hills 3 - Galway Races 4 - The Hangsome Cabin Boy 5 - "P" Stands for Paddy 6 - Paddy's Green Shamrock shore 7 - New South Wales 8 - The Wind That Shakes The Barley 9 - Schooner I'm Alone 10 - Paddy on the Railway 11 - While Cruising Round Yarmouth 12 - The Rambling Rover
Available on CD ($15) plus S&H ($3) - Order information below. (Supplies are running low, so you may want to call ahead to check on availability - call Gerard at 313-969-1110)
Updated 03/30/2009
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"Gerard Smith, who has become well known in
Michigan circles of Irish entertainment, released his solo recording debut and
it's a kicker. Titled 'Hamtramck Heaven' with a cover picture of himself
and spouse one would correctly assume it's not your average Celtic acoustic
album of pub songs... The man has a message and isn't afraid to tell it.
