September 2, 2015 · 0 Comments
If you’re a lover of Celtic Rock, or have ever been interested in the Genre, which has spawned such bands as The Irish Rovers, Flogging Molly, The Dropkick Murphys, The Cranberries and more, the perfect occasion for a night on the town is Friday of next week.
Described as Canada’s Celtic Rock War- riors, The Mudmen will be making a concert stop at the Orangeville Opera House on Sep- tember 11 for an all-ages event that will surely leave you dancing along with the bagpipes.
The Campbell brothers, who make up the duo of The Mudmen, have toured the area before, performing with musicians John McDermott, The Irish Rovers and the Chieftains. They have even had the extreme honour of meeting the Queen and performing for her at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, guest starring on the New CBC Hockey Night in Canada with Ron Maclean, and other impressive additions to the resume (such as having their music used on Don Cherry’s videos and in Coach’s Corner, HBO’s Shameless, AE Sports Games, and have recorded the music for WWE Wrestlers The Highlanders).
“Hockey has been very good to us,” said Robby Campbell, Mudmen co-founder. “We were honoured to perform at the Edmonton Oilers home opening ceremony in 2009, and at last year’s televised 84 reunion with Ron MacLean, Red Ryder, Sarah MacLaughlin, Wayne Gretzky and the 84 team.”
The Mudmen, who have produced eight albums, were formerly signed to EMI records. Along with their albums, they have also filmed a series of music videos which have aired on Much Music, and are currently aiming to build a legion of fans from the young to the old.
“I’m not sure people know of us or of our accomplishments, but before this is all done, I’m sure you will,” added Mr. Campbell. “We might be off the radar with no songs or videos playing on the radio/tv [right now], but we’re a better band and we’re in the middle of finding ourselves.”
Although they’re not getting the traditional kind of exposure, The Mudmen have had a large number of sports teams use their mu- sic at games, and were also the opening act for George Canyon for the Love of the Game Olympic hockey gold medal presentation with Sidney Crosby.
They have also been privileged to perform at the Brier Canada Cup, The Grey Cup, 12 Canada’s Walk of Fames, 4 Edge Fests, 6 Snowjams, the Memorial Cup, IHHF Hockey Championship, the Royal Bank Cup, Dau- phin’s Country Fest, and the Lighting of the CN Tower with the phantom, Colm Wilkinson.
“I don’t think there’s more bands that are more Canadian than us,” said Mr. Campbell. “We’re actually doing better on our own power.”
Through their 2010 coast-to-coast tour, The Mudmen performed as guests on part of Hohnny Reid’s band, proving that they have the capability to entertain a wide demographic of audiences, and that Celtic mu- sic is a timeless genre. Over the last several years, they have taken their music to theatres like the Orangeville Opera House, as well as festivals and family events, allowing them to extend their reach to a variety of age groups.
“Expect a good time when The Mudmen roll into Orangeville with their new CD, On a Train,” said Mr. Campbell. “Make sure you say hello to us; we promise to meet all in attendance. I once said, if we were any nicer to our fans, they’d be living with us.”
The Mudmen performance will be held on Friday, September 11 at the Orangeville Opera House. The doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the concert beginning at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 each, and available through the Opera House box office by phone at 519-942-3423 or online at http://orangeville tourism.ca/festivals-events.
To find out more about the Mudmen, to check out their music, or for more informa- tion on the concert, visit www.mudmen.ca.