Black 47 @ The Brew House
They played more gigs at Shea Stadium than The Beatles, shut down the city of Hoboken, appeared
multiple times on Leno, Letterman & O’Brien, starred in a movie with their fans Matt Dillon and Danny
Glover, helped spring the Guilford Four and the Birmingham Six from British prisons, saved an Irish
immigrant church from the wrecking ball.
Anything else? Oh yeah, their CD IRAQ was the most popular with troops serving in Iraq, their song The
Big Fellah was featured for 3 minutes on Sons of Anarchy, they’ve played over 2500 gigs from pubs to
stadiums and released 14 CDs, their songs are used in hundreds of high school and college history and
political science courses, and they intend disbanding on Nov. 8th 2014, exactly 25 years after their first gig
in The Bronx. Then again, Black 47 has always done it their way.
Led by Irish author, playwright, and SiriusXM radio host, Larry Kirwan, Black 47 play a uniquely Irish form
of rock 'n' roll that touches on many social and political issues, and yet is never less than entertaining and
riveting. Black 47 earned their chops playing four sets a night in New York pubs. They gained national
attention for their first indie record before The Cars' Ric Ocasek produced their second album, Fire Of
Freedom which brought them mainstream attention with MTV favorites, Funky Ceili and Maria’s Wedding.
Through years of relentless touring the band’s signature eclectic sound, socially conscious lyrics and
exciting concerts paved the way for other Irish influenced bands such as Flogging Molly and The Dropkick
Murphys. A band of band leaders, Black 47 includes, Geoff Blythe (saxophones), Thomas Hamlin (drums),
Fred Parcells (trombone/whistle), Joseph Mulvanerty (uilleann pipes/flutes/bodhran) & Joseph “Bearclaw”
Burcaw (bass).
This legendary Irish rock band has left a lasting legacy and they intend going out with a bang. Their final
CD, Last Call, will be released in January 2014 and Black 47 will tour constantly until their final date in
New York City on Nov. 8th 2014.