The Sizzling Sound of Socks In The Frying Pan

Featuring guitar, fiddle, banjo and some nifty negotiation on the squeezebox (a colloquial expression referring to any musical instrument of the general class of hand-held bellows-driven free reed aerophones such as the accordion and the concertina), Socks In The Frying Pan is a trio of traditional Irish Musicians based in Co. Clare, West of Ireland.

The band showcases two brothers, Shane and Fiachra Hayes on accordion and fiddle/banjo and Aodán Coyne on guitar and vocals. A listener to Higher Ground sent me their latest self-produced/distributed CD, “Socks In The Frying Pan”, 2012. Listening to track 1, “The Finale”, blew me away. It was fun to hear, full of youthful energy, complete with creative rhythmic nuances and most of all, invested with solid melodic vocal lines. Giving traditional music a fresh musical “facelift” in any genre is tricky. This collective has successfully done just that.

It’s not hard to understand why their recent visit to Wisconsin in the U.S. was so well-received – Their sound is obvious grounded in a mastery of the form and its beloved acoustic interplay. This includes crisp lyrics, and a splash of warm three-part harmony combined with a love of performance which seeps through on the album.

“Socks In The Frying Pan” is a rich recording worth adding to your collection of traditional Irish music or to your overall world music library. My only disappointment is that I couldn’t go hear them live – won’t let that happen next time they come this way.