Album is almost done

Just wanted to give an update, as the excitement & anticipation builds.  We've tracked all the parts, we still have a guest musician yet to in to do a few banjo rolls, but other than that - we have finished the recording process!  Our engineer,  John Wright, has been mixing a little as we go, so the final mixing process should move fairly quickly.  I have to say, this is going to be our best album yet, and by a long shot.  There is a strong influence from all the band members and that helps shape the music.
The photo work, which is unbelievably cool, being done by Steve Wolf at Other Side Images, is almost complete. Steve has helped us on every project from the beginning, and his work is fantastic!
Thanks to the generous outpouring of support from everyone who helped us with our Kickstarter campaign, we are still on-track to release the album at the end of July.   So keep your eyes and ears out for "The Devil or the Barrel" - the new Album from the all-new Langer's Ball.

Back Us - We're back in the studio

We are back in the studio, and we brought the full band with us!  We are shooting for a July release, which is right around the corner!  Check out our kickstarter campaign and you can pre-order the new CD and help us pay our bills all at the same time!  Check it:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/584532812/the-devil-or-the-barrel-the-langers-ball-new-cd

This is not a request for a donation, everyone who helps back this project get really good stuff! $15.00 get you the CD shipped right to your door, and so much more.  Please back us up!  Only 8 days to go!

St. Practice Day - Full Band Show at Lee's in MPLS on Feb. 17th

Come one, come all!  Feb 17th is St. Practice Day (1 month before St. Patrick's day)  AND 

We're celebrating Hannah & Trevor's Birthdays!

Come out and rock out to Sweet Mamma J. and The Langer's Ball Full Band on Feb 17th at Lee's Liquor Lounge 
$5.00 get you in the door for a great night of music, dancing and a whole lot of Irish Punk Rock Fun!  Sweet Mamma J. will satisfy your rockabilly soul, and we'll kick your liver into high gear getting you warmed up for St. Patrick's day!

If you missed The Full band Debut last month, don't miss this show.  The new band is better than ever with new original material and great new arrangements!  So mark off Feb 17th on your calendar, and plan on getting out to Lee's for some great music!

Review from Celtic-Folk-Punk for "Drunk, Sick, Tired"

We are honored with a really nice review from Celtic-Folk-Punk , a great blog & zine about Irish Punk Rock music.  Based in Spain, they've been writing about our genre of music since at least 2009, and they really know their stuff, which is why we're proud to share their review of our new Live CD with you. 

"As a rule, I am not typically one for live records. But Wait! Hang on, hear me out!

I have always seen an artist’s release, (or “album,” as we used to call them,) as an collective statement: a work of art. Some hits that are well-received and popular tracks are great, but B-sides and deep cuts, to me, provide each work of recorded material with a personality. I love that. A full-length recording SHOULD be assembled with thought going to the order of the tracks, the mood of the songs and how they flow into each other.

Also, the bands that recorded them, the authors that wrote them, the mixing and production process, that whole gamut, this was all done to realize an idea of each song, and the recording as a whole. It gives a sense of flow, a cohesiveness that can make a collection of songs into much more.

But wait! I also love live shows! The energy and passion that a band can produce from sheer enthusiasm, synergy between performers and audience, the camaraderie amidst the revelry amongst the crowd. It is a great experience.

However, a lot of the things that I love about live shows, and a lot of the things I love about studio releases are typically missing from your average "live CD," (this usually also applies to “Greatest Hits” and various artist compilations.)

Now, this may just be my own personal perspective, but I felt it necessary to mention where my head was at as I listened to the new live CD from The Langer’s Ball.
Minnesota’s The Langer’s Ball have released a new recorded-live-on-St.-Patrick's-day CD, Drunk, Sick and Tired. Originally a duo, Hannah Rediske and Michael Sturm have been banging out the Irish Punk sound since 2007, playing major gigs all over the midwestern U.S.  and have released two very well received releases, 2008’s As I Roved Out and 2009’s Ships Are Sailing.

Along with Sturm and Rediske’s guitar, mandolin, vocals, accordion, and penny whistle,  Drunk, Sick and Tired sees the addition of bass guitar, electric guitar, drums &  additional backing vocals seeing the Ball take on the form of a quintet.

The result is a very enthusiastic live collection of songs, versions of well known numbers, mostly tradition ones, all punked up and blasted through with a special kick on the keister.

As I said, I am not typically a fan of live recordings, but listening to Drunk, Sick, and Tired DOES make me wish I was at this show. It sounds like it was a blast!

So, if you like live recordings and look for CDs that capture a band’s performance highlights, AND like hearing amped up versions of some classic songs, then The Langer’s Ball’s Drunk Sick and Tired would probably scratch you right where you itch!

It should also be mentioned that Drunk, Sick and Tired was included in both Shite ‘N’ Onions AND PaddyRock.com’s top 10 of 2011 lists!  So there!"

WOW! Thanks for showing up, what a great show!

Thanks to everyone who showed up last night.  We had over 130 people at the start of our show, and the bar said there were over 200 through the door last night!  And, what did I tell you, aren't we lucky to be joined up with such great musicians!  We had a blast last night, and I hope you did too.  The Ne'er Do Well's warmed the crowd up with ease and The Broken Bicycles finished off the night perfectly.  We'll be posting pictures and video as soon as we can get through the stuff, so stay tuned.  And if you missed last night, we've got another show scheduled at Lee's Liquor Lounge in Minneapolis of Feb 17th with Sweet Mamma J.!  We are celebrating Hannah & Trevor's birthdays that night, and it is 1 month from St. Patrick's day, so we are calling it "St. Practice Day"  so c'mon out!

New Full Band debut, Jan 27th at The Wild Tymes

Here we go again!  Hey folks, you may have heard the rumors, and, Yes, they are true!  We have a great new Full Band, and we think you're gonna love them like we do!  Introducing Derek Jaimes, a former drummer of fellow Celtic rockers, The Wild Colonial Bhoys, Drew Miller, Bassist & leader of the legendary Rock'n'Reel band Boiled in Lead, and Punk Rock & Rockabilly Guitarist, Trevor Jurgens who has played with countless bands including A-Bomb Nation, The Spent .50's, Hot Rod Hearse and Code 13! 
Well, come see for yourself, we've got our debut show on Friday, Jan 27th at The Wild Tymes in Downtown St. Paul.  There is no cover for the show and we'll be joined by our friends The Ne'er Do Well's and The Broken Bicycles!  Come hang out with us and check out what we've been up to!

"Drunk, Sick, Tired" gets names a best of 2011 by Shite'n'Onions!

Wow!  We made Shite'nOnions best of 2011 list too!  1st PaddyRock.com gave us this honor, now Shite'n'Onions too!  If you don't know Shite'n'Onion, they have been bringing us killer Irish Punk music from around the world, practically since the internet began!  I love these guys, and I really respect them too, so it's a great honor to be included in the best of 2011 list for our new Lice CD "Drunk, Sick, Tired"!  We were hopeful because they've been spinning our CD in their latest podcasts, and we really can't thank them enough!

Drunk, Sick Tired makes PaddyRock.com's Best of 2011 list!

Woot!  our 3rd CD has made it onto PaddyRock.com's Best Celtic Rock/Punk of 2011 List!  Our last two CD's also have made the list, we love and appreciate all the Support that Paddy Rock & DJ John Bowles have show us.  If you don't know PaddyRock.com, you should - John does reviews, streaming music and great podcasts all for free.  but he is supported by donations, so if you got a few extra buck, hook a brother up and keep his show on the web!  Thanks DJ John, we're honored to be included on your list, we think you've got remarkable taste and thanks again for the support!

"Drunk, Sick, Tired" The New Live CD from The Langer's Ball

Well, after almost 2 years since the last release from The Langer's Ball, and after many months of having the recordings from out St. Patrick's Day show with a full backing band, we are releasing a Live CD with 11 punk-rocking Irish track, plus the CD is enhanced with 2 Music Videos as well!  It's available on our On-line Store or you can buy the CD or download tracks, or the whole album at CD Baby.  We're very excited about this new release, we hope you enjoy it!

Marc Gunn calls The Langer's Ball "One of the Best Celtic Folk Bands of 2010"

The "Celtfather" himself has named our band as one of the best of 2010!  Thanks so much Marc!  He put our a podcast featuring us as well ad the other bands he named (Rising Gael, Boston Blackthorn, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Pandora Celtica, & Maidens IV)  Check out this post and the podcast in question right here! http://pubsong.com/2011/01/78-best-celtic-folk-bands-of-2010/

New Ears Eve! Our last show...for 6 weeks

Hey everyone, please come out to The Dubliner Pub in St. Paul on Tuesday, Jan 4th at 9:30 for our last show for 6 week.  If you haven't heard, Hannah has been diagnosed with a condition called Otosclerosis, It is reversable but has already caused more than a 40dB loss of hearing in her left ear.  She'll be on lifting restrictions (10-15lbs) for 6 weeks so that pretty well excludes accordion and she can't put pressure on her head (like playing the whistle).  So... we'll be taking some time off to arrange some songs and get some rest.  BUT we are celebrating her condition, because it's not permanent and she is getting the proper help!  So come out to The Dubliner for our New Ears Eve party.  Please come out, show your support and wish her well.  We'll be back in actionbefore you know it, and 2011 has some fun things in store for The Langer's Ball, including a new ear for Hannah!  See you on Tuesday!

HArp & Shamrock Benefit in KCMO Next Month

Well hello again, it's been a while. If you are one of our local friends, we hope to see you out & about at our shows this Month, you can check our schedule at www.TheLangersBall.com/gigs.html but we'll also be heading back to the Kansas City Area at the beginning of November for a great cause.  We'll be performing at The Harp & Shamrock Benefit called "Shamrockfest" raising money to help kids hear!  Hope you can make it out if you live in the area. For more info you can visit www.harpandshamrockclub.org

"Ships Are Sailing" in TRFT DC Showcase TONIGHT!

Hey everyone!  Please check out IRFT Celtic Radio Tonight!  Their CD showcase is featuring 3 CD, The Sligo Rags CD "the night before the morning after", Iona "A Celebration of 20" and our new disk "Ships Are Sailing". IRFT has been a great supporter of The Langer's Ball and we can't thank them enough for that!  So click over & check out this showcase tonight and hear all 3 CD's in their entirety! 

Buy our CD at The Celtic Croft!

We were just included in the Celtic Croft Catalog.  These guys have a great catalog of Kilts and kilt accessories, and Celtic themed items, including lots of housewares and musical instruments.  They also are getting into Celtic Music, and we are happy that they choose us as one of their bands they'd like to carry.  Here is what they had to say about our latest release "Ships Are Sailing":

"If you like your Celtic tunes served up with plenty of energy and heart this is the place to start. Mixing acoustic guitar, penny whistle, banjo, and accordion with drums and electric bass, Langer's Ball creates music that will get you singing along and your toes tapping. Ships Are Sailing, their second CD covers a lot of ground, from old school pub sing-alongs to a nice cover of The Pogues "Rainy Night In Soho. Give them a listen. We think you will agree."

Thanks to the Celtic Croft, be sure to check out their website at http://www.kilts-n-stuff.com/

We Did It! You Did It!

Thanks to everyone who voted in the SLBC Battle Of The Bands first round! You put us in the top! We finished in 5th, and that's all we needed to do to get into the final round. We need you now more than ever. so stay tuned for a new video, and a new barage of emails and myspace & face book shouts from us. But for tonight - THANK YOU!!!
Stay tuned, the next round is right around the corner.

We Need Your Help!

Hey everyone, we are entered in an Online Battle Of The Bands sponsored by the Strangford Lough Brewing Company, we entered out video for the song "The Shores Of Botany Bay".  The winner recieves an all-expense paid trip to Ireland to perform in a Music Festival in Belfast, N. Ireland this July!  The stakes are high, and we're up against some stiff competition, so every vote counts!  Please go to their webpage and cast your vote for The Langer's Ball (listed as "Langers Ball"), you can only vote once, so please help us out!  Voting ends at Midnight EST on 22nd March 2010, so don't wait!

Thanks for Coming to the Music Video Shoot

A Big thanks to everyone who came out last Thursday to Shamrocks in St. Paul, we had an amazing time!  We got some great photos and video footage, even more than we had planned, which we'll be sharing with you real soon.  Thanks to Finnegan's Irish Amber and The North Star Roller Girls for helping with the event, and thats to Mike & Ted at Shamrocks for letting us take over the club and rock out some fun Celtic Rock, Langer's style, for a few hours!  Now we are back to the grind playing all of our favorite pubs, and gearing up for St. Patrick's Day.
Be sure to join us on St. Paddy's at Shamrocks again, where we'll be recording the show, who knows, maybe we'll get our 3rd CD out of the deal... but more on that later.
As for now, we just want to extend a big thanks to the gang of friends, fans and family that helped us make the event a big success, we hope to keep seeing you out at all our shows!

Celtic MP3 Magazine reviews "Ships Are Sailing"

Review: "Ships Are Sailing" by The Langer’s Ball
Written by Marc Gunn on 28 January 2010
Artist: The Langer’s Ball
Album: Ships Are Sailing
Year produced: 2009

"The penny whistle plays out in my memory as I write this review. Hannah Rediske’s mad whistlin’ and accordion skills blend in perfect union with the vocals of Michael Sturm. Since their start in 2007, The Langer’s Ball has been steadily gaining the attention deserved of a pub band sensation. This second offering from the duo, Ships are Sailing, is not a track list of sea shanties, but a compilation where Ireland goes a little Old Country, a little folk…and more. The work is a seamless progression of contemporary, Trad and original Celtic tunes that extends beyond Rediske’s customary penny whistle, recorders and accordion and Sturm’s guitar, mandolin and harmonica. Drums, bass, electric guitar make guest appearances with the guest musicians to play them.

There is an ease to the strength in Sturm’s voice, so much so that his singing often evokes a spoken quality. With the presence to be deemed a patriarch of ballads, Sturm can take on the persona of IRA folk hero Fergal O’Hanlon in a modified version of “Patriot Game” or morph into a chimney sweep with questionable intentions in “Sam Hall”.

The song selection is diverse. Langer’s “Titanic” could liven up the gypsy vardo of any given Renaissance Faire. The music has such a Romani melodic cantor, patrons wouldn’t bat an eye. The tragic story is told with that great Sturm quality of song-spake, but the star of this song is the piano accordion played masterfully by Rediske.

From the hauntingly beautiful feminine vocal echo in “I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Everyday” to the ease-out-of-your-chair and tap-your-boot pickup in “The Tinker’s Fiddle”, Ships Are Sailing is worthy of a listen, and you may just find that you miss the music, especially that gorgeous penny whistle, once the songs play through."

Want to be in a Video with The Langer's Ball?

Hey everyone, we are shooting a music video on February 11th, 2010 at Shamrocks in St. Paul.  C'mon down to check out the show, get some great drink specials, maybe get some giveaways and be in our music video!  Hannah, Charley & I will play our regular Shamrocks show from 6-9pm then we will bring out the full band for some St. Paul Style Celtic Rock from 9:00-10:00!  At around 10:00pm we'll start shooting the video, and maybe play a few more songs to break up the shoot.  It should be a fun night, Finnegans Irish Amber will be at the event, and we'll be gining away T-shirts, CD's and other stuff!  It's also Charleys 40th Birthday Too!  So come down and have a ball!

Special Mention from Shite 'N' Onions for best of '09

What a great day!  Shite 'n' Onions just came out with their best of 2009 top 10, and although we weren't in the top 10, we were given a special mention, which is a huge honor for us.  Thanks again to them, and Paddy Rock and everyone this year!