EP REVIEW: SEAN TOBIN AND THE BOARDWALK FIRE- ‘St. Patrick’s Day Forever’ (2021)

Influenced by local hero Springsteen and countless other country troubadours, Sean Tobin grew up in the New Jersey bar scene and owes his high-energy performances to his time spent busking on the streets of Galway. With a handful of releases behind him his excellent new EP celebrates his Irish roots and St. Patrick’s Day.

Born and raised on the New Jersey shore, Sean Tobin was influenced by Folk-song troubadours like Guy Clark, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, as well as high-energy rockers like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger and Tom Petty. Self-taught and trained by the New Jersey bar scene, Tobin owes much to his time spent busking on the streets of Galway, Ireland throughout 2015 and 2017.   After graduating college in 2017 and uncertain of which direction to take he undertook the El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trail through Spain, with his guitar tied to his pack. Upon completion, the future became obvious and on returning to New Jersey he worked hard to fund his music. He released his first album, This Midnight, in the summer of 2018, and in 2019 he played Frank Turner’s Lost Evenings III Festival at the House of Blues in Boston and soon after quit his day job.

In July 2019, Sean released ‘Dreams & Black Caffeine,’ a four-song EP recorded in Ocean, NJ with his band, The Boardwalk Fire. The group played several shows promoting the work, and had planned a tour for the summer of 2020, but were forced to cancel due to the Covid lockdown. The last year has seen the release of ‘East Coast Artifacts’, a compilation of his first EP, various tracks recorded through lockdown and three new songs.

“We’ve all played together as duos or trios in the past, but St. Patrick’s Day Forever really fortified us as a band,” said Tobin. “I just wish we could play live. That’s what we’re best at.”

Well he has a lot of catching up to do and on his new 4-track EP, accompanied by his band The Boardwalk Fire, he has made a pretty good start.

Released at the end of February, 2021 the EP features two originals and two covers and kicks off with the title track, a fast paced Irish trad influenced Celtic-Punk song about the lockdown and it’s first anniversary in New Jersey. It was after all the cancellations of St. Patrick’s Day events around the world that set the scene for what was going to follow. Lively, upbeat and catchy as hell Sean Tobin tells a great story with a brilliant accompanying video too!

‘St. Patrick’s Day Forever’ by Sean Tobin And The Boardwalk Fire

Directed by Jarrett Allen * Edited by Sean Tobin

It was winter 2020, we were playing on the roof,

Jack was slapping stand-up to another song by Bruce.

A mere twenty hours later, we heard it on the news:

the Jersey Shore’s in lockdown, so stock up on your booze!

Now it’s one, two, three fuckin’ months inside this house.

There’s not too much I need, but I need fuckin’ out.

So I make my way down Main Street, the flag’s on every door–

it’s St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore,

St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore.

Not long later it was Easter, I was sippin’ on some stout.

I’d horded fifty cases out of fear that they’d run out,

but I couldn’t taste a drop ’cause I gave it up for Lent.

So come Easter, fifty cases, up the field they went!

Now it’s one, two, three fuckin’ months inside this house.

There’s not too much I need, but I need fuckin’ out.

So I make my way down Main Street, the flag’s on every door–

it’s St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore,

St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore.

Murphy! Your laws are screwin’ me!

But frankly, I don’t blame you. If it’s what we gotta do,

to keep people from dyin’, then I’ll stay home for you.

I just miss my friends…and the bar…

So now it’s comin’ up on summer, and I’m still drinkin’ stout.

I would be switchin’ to Corona, but I don’t think that’s allowed…

So instead I’ve got a toucan on one can, three cans, five.

If Guinness makes you stronger, I’m the strongest man alive!

Now it’s one, two, three fuckin’ months inside this house.

There’s not too much I need, but I need fuckin’ out.

So I make my way down Main Street, the flag’s on every door–

it’s St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore,

St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore.

Now it’s one, two, three fuckin’ months inside this house.

There’s not too much I need, but I need fuckin’ out.

So I make my way down Main Street, the flag’s on every door–

it’s St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore,

St. Patrick’s Day forever on the Jersey Shore.

The EP’s other original song is titled ‘Ode to Anna Liffey’s’ a bittersweet love song to the now closed Irish bar Anna Liffey’s in New Haven, Connecticut. As with all of Sean’s songs and in common with Irish music in general the songs tell intricate stories and at over six minutes the song gives him plenty of scope in telling his story of days spent propping up the bar there. A swirling gentle song with Sean’s strong voice backed by accordion and percussion that soon enough gets faster and faster with Sean’s guitar and Sean-David’s fiddle smoking! A real Irish tinged bluegrass/country floor filler that ends on a sad note (especially for us Irish!) with the last chorus going out to all the bars that are forced to close but “go down swinging”.

Ending with two covers, the first ‘Dirty Old Town’ has seen it’s fair share of Celtic-Punk records but here Sean strays from the well trodden Pogues/ Dubliners versions and keeps it upbeat and catchy even, in fact the perfect speed to be belting it out at the top of your lungs in the pub or Celtic Park or just your living room. The EP ends with the traditional Scottish ballad ‘The Parting Glass’ and Sean keeps it simple with just his voice and acoustic guitar. Two popular covers with new life breathed into them. Obviously a difficult thing to achieve with such popular songs. The record was recorded, mixed and mastered by David Patiño at Tannery Studios and, as with everything here, is absolutely perfect. Sean has severl live streams planned over March but you can still catch his most recent stream from Watermark in Asbury Park, NJ on February 20th to celebrate the EP’s release via Sean’s Facebook page. A fantastic start to the Celtic month of March and can only say we glad he went to Spain!!

Buy St’ Patrick’s Day Forever Here

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