Violinist and director Bjare Eike comes up with the brilliant idea of swinging up songs from the taverns of 17th Century England. His band is called The Alehouse Boys, consisting of Gredrik Bock/g, Hans Knut Sveen/harpsichord, Helge Andreas Borbakken/perc, Johannes Lundberg/b, Milos Valent/vio, Per T Buhre/g, Steven Player/g and Thomas Guthrie/voc-vi, and the make you feel like it’s Saturday night at the local pub, with the Guinness flowing freely.
The percussion and rhythmic guitars prance with the strings on “Wallom Green” and the folksy “Hole in the Wall” while you’ll feel you’re out at sea with Spencer Tracey on “I Drew My Ship.” Rich ballads such as “Johnny Faa” feature Eike’s violin while vocals by Guthrie and occasional choruses make for a rousing “Hal Away Joe” and “Pass Around the Grog.” The mix and match of instruments makes for a casual atmosphere, making you really want to catch these gents in concert, or at least at Matt Malloy’s.