Search - Wicked Tinkers :: Banger for Breakfast

Australian-Scottish-Irish Mix of the Wildest Type!

Michael | Placerville, CA USA | 10/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To appreciate this group, you need to have a taste for the exotic and for raw rhythm. I suppose that would be the musical equivalent of a super-spicey banger (sausage) for breakfast, squealing a tune and banging the table while recovering (why they call 'em bangers). If that is your taste, proceed at your own risk. This is a "best of" album performed live with supportive audiences. The lead instrument is parade bagpipes. The drums range from traditional Scottish parade drums to Irish Drum (bodhran). The largest (7 ft.?)Aborigne Didgeridoo I have ever seen is used in most tracks to harmonize with the drone of the bagpipes. A band member also loves to balance this straight up on his face. Did I mention they are wild? The Mouth Harp is used occasionally, not to mention a blacksmith anvil. At a recent Celtic Festival, I heard this music and saw a dust cloud rising from one area. I investigated and found dozens of people dancing Scottish style to the fast music. The young people I saw earliar that day dressed in kilts and wicked horns were a big part of the mix and obvious followers of what the band calls "tribal celtic music." The live appearances are a real experience. What can I say? I had my drums and joined the craziness. It was great fun. Sir William Wallace could tatoo these people blue, give them weapons and charge out to battle and scare the enemy off of the field. My rating is 5 stars for high energy, excellent pipes, 'doo and drums, although I would like to see the band develop a wider range in the future (add djembes, doumbeks, Low D whistle, bones, etc...). Enjoy!"

Who needs radio when you've got the Tinkers?

K. Hill | Maple Valley, WA, USA | 07/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 2001 my mom sent me the cassette of "Hammered" after seeing Wicked Tinkers at the Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games. At the time I was living in Vegas and missed out on the games for a few years. I didn't get around to listening to it until last summer when I bought a new car that came with a CD player and tape player. Loved it.
I didn't listen to the radio the entire rest of the summer. So, when the opportunity arose to go to the games up here this summer (I moved back to the Evergreen State in December) and to see the Tinkers I was stoked. And now I'm so hooked you wouldn't believe it. I picked up Banger for Breakfast at the games on Saturday, bought it from Aaron Shaw in fact, how bloody cool is that? All the guys signed it, Aaron's idea, and then they played an hour-long set, including some closing tunes with Golden Bough, which was brilliant. Since purchasing the CD a few days ago I've spinned it six times and I can't get enough. Belly Dance is downright awesome...who knew a bagpipe could sound like that? And I love pipes! Wallop the Cat is funny, the in-between tunes banter cracks me up ... "nothin like playing bagpipes after a big hot dog with lots of onions....it's Piper's Lung what can you do?" And of course a personal favorite, being a member of Clan MacKenzie, is Cabar Feidh, the charge song for us violent MacKenzies! This is a must-have for anyone who has seen the Tinkers live. And it'll feel like drinking a tall cool glass of water in the desert after all the trash that's been on mainstream radio and MTV the past few years. Get your thump on with this pounding, primal treat and imagine yerself in a kilt on the Scottish Highlands centuries ago eating just-charred meat (who cares what it is?) and dancing the night away."

Live and raw

T. Graham | Springfield, MO USA | 03/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is another great live CD, recorded in many sessions and locations, and brought together in a "best-of" format. Track 3 has an excellent drum feature, and track 5 (Danny Boy) is well done, as is the Amazing Grace Plus in track 15. One item to note is the brief explanation of the roots of the bagpipes in track 6, which leads into an unusual Middle Eastern special song in track 7. This CD, like their Whisky Supper album, contains several moments of conversations with the crowd and among the bandmates of Wicked Tinkers. This lends it a cozier listen than just a "dry" album, or a concert arena sound. With the combination of tracks available on other CDs, plus new ones makes this a great starter CD, especially for fans of Celtic music, bagpipes in particular. The addition of their "trademark" didgeridoo (explained in and featured on track 22) makes this a must-have, unusual collection of traditional songs with new takes, and uniquely varied material. You can't miss with this one!"