On October 9th, one of the most influential Celtic Rock bands of the past twenty years, the Young Dubliners, is coming to Puck in Doylestown to celebrate their new album, Saints and Sinners.

Filled with free-wheeling party anthems to politically charged songs to poignant, harmony-laden jams, Saints and Sinners finds the Dubliners seamlessly blending their trademark rock and Celtic influences and offering up a vibrant collection of songs bursting with wit and wisdom.

Buck Happening got the chance to ask front-man, Keith Roberts, a few questions about how it feels to have helped shape the Celtic Rock genre, the ups & downs of spending the greater part of 20 years on the road, and about the band's time spent in the Philadelphia region.

BH: You're credited with helping to form a new style of music, which later became known as Celtic Rock. When you first started performing in the 1980s, did you realize how original your sound & style was?

KR: I think we were aware that we had an original sound but we were so focused on our own thing that we didn't pay any attention to the “genre” that was developing. We thought of ourselves as a rock band with a Celtic touch so we were aiming for main stream radio and comparing ourselves to rock bands we loved. Its quite amazing how it then exploded into all these bands now and big rock stages at Irish Festivals. I'm glad we played a part as its quite a cool result

BH: You've now performed at venues around the world for over twenty years. What are your most favorite and least favorite parts of life on the road?

KR: Being in a band in general is a pretty cool job. Its hard to complain. The fact that we have lasted this long shows how we much we enjoy what we do. But at this point in our lives we like to have a balance with family and the road. That's the hardest part- being away from loved ones. You have to work harder at scheduling and there is a lot of flying home for a few days just to break it up. I could practically work at the circus I've got so good at juggling.

BH: The band jokes that they wouldn't have called themselves the “Young Dubliners” if they'd foreseen being around so long. What keeps the band so fresh & inspired after decades of working together?

KR: We constantly challenge ourselves to be better. Every album is approached like this will be the “best” we've done. We put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves to keep working at that and that keeps us fresh more then anything. (It also helps to be nice to each other 🙂

BH: Your new album “Saints and Sinners” is said to have been inspired by the band's touring experiences, which have been filled with “poets and patriots, saints and sinners.” Are the songs about particular people, general observations, or a mix of both?

KR: Probably a mixture of both. Because we are making albums every few years you have to find new inspiration for the songs and a lot of that comes from the things that have happened in your life since the last one. As we tour non stop, that usually means a lot of tour experiences. We also incorporate a lot of what's going on in the world during that period and then add the usual amount of less serious stuff from the recent past or distant past. There are no hard rules to our songwriting, its just comes out the way it does. A few names get changed along the way to make sure the innocent get in trouble too 🙂

BH: Your Young Dubliner band-mate, Chas, credits his teenage years in Philadelphia with being his first chance to “[see] some great live shows…thus figuring out that's what [he wanted] to be when [he] grow up.” Have you or the band had a chance to recently spend time enjoying the music or Irish community in Philadelphia? If so, where did you go?

KR: Oh yes, we found Fergie's Irish Pub a few years ago and and the rest is history. One of the craziest memories I have from Philly is when I was dodging having to get back on the bus so I could enjoy a few pints at Fergie's on a night off. My poor tour manager at the time (Adam) was calling and calling me and I kept telling him I was on my way. Finally on about the 4th call he said “where are you now”. I said I was just around the corner from the bus. He then said “that's funny because I'm looking at you right now in Fergie's with two pints in your hands!! Busted, he nailed me.

Chas always talks about living in Philadelphia and definitely has a big love for the town. He still has family there and we always get to see them when we are in town.

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