Paddy Rock reviews "Ships Are Sailing"

Here is the review from John B at PaddyRock. What a great way for us to start off The Iowa Irish Fest. Be sure to go to Paddy Rock to read the reivew and we also had an interview you can read that right here! Also, if you're looking for reading material, read our article in the Waverly Democrat , but first here is what Paddy Rock says about "Ships Are Sailing"

"Where their previous release “As I Roved Out” may have caused a ripple in the water… “Ships Are Sailing” will be the release sending waves crashing into the rocks and leaving it’s mark on the Celtic/Folk music scene. Michael and Hannah have taken their diverse musical talents to the next level on this release with Melodic vocals that intertwine to perfection as heard on “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day”… a gritty country ramble with “Whiskey From The Still” & “The Tinker’s Fiddler”… a cool little gypsy mix on “The Titanic” & “The Sailor’s Return”… and even a Pogues track done very well with “Rainy Night in Soho”. This is a really solid release that will have you tapping your foot, singing along, and is just great listening here. Pick this one up… and even put it in your jukebox at the pub."

back on 67 Music with the new CD

We just had our 1st song off the new CD featured on a podcast. 67 Music out of Portland, OR played The Patriot Game on their podcast last Saturday. This brand new show has, in just 13 episodes, been upgraded from a 1 hour to a 2-hour show, their shows have been downloaded over 60,000 times, and we are happy to have been featured multiple times. Head over to their website and send Skot an email thanking him for playing The Langer's Ball, and then download #13 to your MP3 player!

New Stickers

First & foremost, I must commend Sticker Giant on fantastic service, I got both of my stickers designs printed, shipped & on my front door step in less than 48 hours from ordering them! But I digress, WE'VE GOT NEW STICKERS! We have these up & available on the website for $2.00 each or all 3 designs for just $4.00. AND If you got to the web store and buy our newest CD "Ships Are Sailing" I'll throw in all 3 stickers FREE!

WOW! First review out, it's a good one!

Thanks again & again to Mike and Bonnie at Celtophilia! They were good enough to review our CD in advance of it's release on July 25th. You can read it here, or why not click over to http://www.celtophilia.com/ and subscribe to their blog, they have great reviews and insights on modern Celtic music! Thanks guys, glad you liked the CD!

Bonnie exclaims: The problem with really loving a band, and especially with being nuts over the members personally, is that when they send us a CD to listen to, I’m terrified. What if I can’t stand it? What if it’s awful, and I feel ethically obligated to tear it apart? Thanks to everything holy, The Langer’s Ball did not put me in that position. We really adore Hannah Rediske and Michael Sturm here at Celtophilia, and they keep giving us more reasons to do it. The duo’s second album is called Ships Are Sailing, and I’m tempted to have it surgically implanted into my forehead. Okay, not really, because that’s pointless and gross and vaguely impossible, but you get the idea. It’s good stuff people.
Despite what the name suggests, Ships are Sailing is not solely a collection of seafaring tunes. The content ranges from songs about being transported, to the sinking of the Titanic, to sailing songs, a drinking song, and even a rainy night love song. It sounds like it ought to be chaotic and fragmented,but somehow it’s a cohesive and compelling whole.
My two favorite things about The Langer’s Ball are Michael’s vocals and Hannah’s ability to make the piano accordion awesome, so when they are combined on the performance of one of my all time favorite rebel songs, I am ecstatic. Despite my one little issue with their arrangement of Patriot Game (where’d the verse about De Valera go? Why does everyone let that guy off the hook?) It’s a tragically beautiful version of a powerful song.
The Sailor’s Return is one of the best instrumental songs by a Celtic band that I have ever listened to over and over. I am easily bored by many instrumentals and it’s rare that one will pique my interest, particularly if it’s nestled in amongst songs with actual words. This track is also a rarity in that it employs some environmental sounds that don’t annoy the daylights out of me - in this case some unobtrusive thunderstorms placed at the beginning and end of the tune that add to the overall appeal of the songwithout being distracting.
The Titanic is a charmingly strange, throw-the-kitchen-sink-in-there-might-as-well, kind of song. It’s nautical, it’s sort of Celtic, it’s dark and morbid, yet it’s upbeat. I can’t explain it, I can only love it with a great and terrible passion. I certainly didn’t think that it would turn out to be one of the best songs on the CD, but it is.
I have been looking forward to this album pretty much since the moment I listened to the last song on The Langer’s Ball’s first album, and that is no lie. I fell hard for this band at first listen, and after hearing Ships are Sailing, I remain smitten.
Mike proclaims: It’s no secret that Celtophilia loves, The Langer’s Ball. We have featured them here multiple times, reviewing their debut album which was arguably the best CD to be released last year, interviewing, and posting news of Michael and Hannah whenever we can get it. So obviously, we couldn’t have been happier to hear news of a new album on the way.
Ships Are Sailing continues on all the good things that were started in last year’s As I Roved Out, and builds on that formidable foundation to present a CD that will be a standout in everyone’s collection for years to come. I can tell you honestly, I’ll be listening to Ships Are Sailing exclusively for the next few weeks. There’s just nothing here not to love.
Since I do love trad songs, all my favorites from Ships Are Sailing trend in that direction. Botany Bay is a perennial favorite, and every one I hear is my new favorite version. The one presented here puts all others to shame, though. Upbeat, with Michael’s somewhat rough vocals, make this a full-on Celtic Rock song, which is a bit of a departure from the last CD. I’ll offer as my sole criticism for the entire CD, though, several liberties were taken with the traditional lyrics. It’s weak tea as criticisms go, though, because I love the song anyway.
Sam Hall, another trad piece which is more than a little reminiscent of Ye Jacobites By Name, or Captain Kidd, I like for its martial sound, despite being another “I’m going off to die now” song at its heart, with the added twist that Sam seems quite angry at the arrangement, rather than mournful. It’s angry, defiant, and fierce.
The song that totally blows me away, though, is at the very end of the CD, and highlights what I’ve come to love the most about The Langer’s Ball. I’ve heard I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day at least a dozen ways, but I’ve never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever… ever, ever, heard it done this well. This song is always quaintly pretty, but with the male and female vocals intertwining, it becomes magical.
If I leave you with no other impression, let it be this. You are not going to want to miss this CD. The Langer’s Ball has done the impossible, and made a CD better than their first. It releases on July 25th, but is available for pre-order at their website at www.thelangersball.com Go order it, or you will be missing out on some of the best Celtic music that will be released this year.

The New CD, "Ships Are Sailing" Is available for Pre-Order

It's finally here...almost. Pre-sale for the new album, "Ships Are Sailing", is available at our webstore right now! Just check out OUR WEB STORE and click the secure "Add To Cart" button from Paypal. While your at the web store, check out some of the other great merch available! The CD is due out on July 25th, 2009.

O'Malley's Pub and other updates...

We had an amazing trip out to Weston, MO to O'Malley's Pub! I think (no offense to every other bar we play) that O'Malley's has got to be in my to 10, maybe 5 of favorite bars world wide, including the 60 or so we drank in in Ireland! If you are ever in Kansas City, or Weston, get up to O'Malley's in Weston, the beer is great (It's a micro-brewery), the staff is warm and friendly, and the bar is 55 ft. below ground! Yes you read that right, the bar is in the cooling cellar of the 1842 brewery in a brick cellar 55 ft below ground, how cool is that!

Anyway, other than that, we've been confirmed for times at the Minnesota Irish Fair, we have 2 shows on Saturday, and 1 on Sunday, so I hope to see everyone out.

We have finished recording the CD, now it's up to our mastering engineer and graphic designer to finish up, then off to the presses, we are thinking 3-4 weeks until we have it in our hands, but it could be even sooner.

We've just been working and playing very hard, it feels like the summer is passing by too quickly, but that's life for ye'.

Anyway, I'll leave you with a video from O'Malley's, it doesn't do the bar, the crowd or the experience justice, but it's still pretty cool!

Another great online station

We've just been picked up by The Celtic Radio Network online, they have several online radio stations that can be streamed live, 24 hours a day. We are currently being played on the Highlander Radio, but they've also got Celtic-Rock-Radio, Salty Dog Radio, playing sea songs, and Celtic Moon, for a lighter side of Celtic music. The great thing about Highlander Radio is that you can go to the Celtic Radio page and REQUEST THE LANGER'S BALL, Just search for us (it helps if you click the "Exact Match" box) this will put us into more regular rotation.

Speaking of the online radio market, on Celtic Roots Radio, we are still at #1 for Raglan Road, and Little Beggarman has move up to #3! So log on & keep voting!

On another exciting note, we have finished tracking the new album. We go in today to start mixing it, we are very close!

That's all for now.