Brothers Duane and Dave Keogh, founding members of The Town Pants, have brought their act to a new level. With the recent addition of three new members and a new CD release entitled "15" in celebration of its 15th anniversary, the band is ready for even more successful ventures.
The six-member band will perform songs from its new album, in addition to some classics from its past five albums, at a two-hour show Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena. The show is part of the Big City Summer Concert Series.
"We'll be playing some songs off our new album '15,' songs that we actually debuted at The Great Blue Heron," Duane Keogh told The Post-Journal. "We're going to bring more of what we brought to the Heron, plus a whole lot of energy to get everybody going."
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The Town Pants will perform at Jamestown Savings Bank Arena on Friday from 6-8 p.m.
The Town Pants have never played a show at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena, so Duane Keogh has no idea what to expect, but he is looking forward to the opportunity to play a new venue.
"Any time we can play Jamestown, we look forward to it because we get some great crowds out that way," said Duane Keogh.
The Town Pants are originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, but the group is no newcomer to Chautauqua County.
"Mainly these days we do a summer tour in and out of New York state," said Duane Keogh. "What brings us back is that we constantly sell lots of CDs in the area, and our fans are fantastic and absolutely incredible. They bring so much energy to the shows that it's a bit addictive for us."
The Town Pants have seen a number of band member changes along the way, but the recent addition of fiddler and vocalist Darla Daniels, percussionist Jim Kerins and upright bassist Ed Croft is a step in the right direction, according to Duane Keogh.
"We're always looking for the best people that are the most fun to tour with," said Duane Keogh. "The 10th of June was our first show together and we've been playing with these cats ever since."
The Town Pants are even giving back to the area by including local musicians such as Croft, who is a student of music education at SUNY Fredonia. The band also featured a horn section at The Great Blue Heron that included Kyle Ohlson on saxophone and Peter Isaac on trombone, both of whom are also SUNY Fredonia music students.
"They're really good guys; I like Kyle and Pete," said Duane Keogh. "I don't know for sure whether or not they'll be joining us at the arena, but they were really professional, and it was great having them play with us."
Those who have never had the opportunity to see The Town Pants may not fully understand the style that the band offers. Though the band falls under the genre of Celtic roots rock rebel, Duane Keogh calls the bands' style west coast Celtic.
"I don't think we sound like a lot of the east coast Celtic bands," said Duane Keogh. "We have a different sound and I think it comes from living on the west coast and being influenced by a lot of the music and scenery."
That sound has translated well into five albums since 1997, but according to Duane Keogh, "15" takes a few chances by changing some things up.
"We don't necessarily always write Celtic music; we just write music and sometimes it lends itself to Celtic feel of being a rowdy Irish kid, and sometimes it doesn't seem right to push it that way," said Duane Keogh. "The new album is pretty much straight-up blues. But, we've got a real kind of world reggae type tune on there and some pop Celtic punk. There are some very different songs on it."
One of Duane Keogh's favorite songs off the new CD to play live is "Heavy Load" because it is so different than the rest.
"When recording that song, we didn't even pick a genre. We just kept throwing stuff at it that we thought would sound great," said Duane Keogh. "So, we've got trombone, didgeridoo, the beat is almost Cuban and the fiddle is Eastern European, almost gypsy. It's a really fun song with a lot of different levels."
Another song he enjoys is "Shameless' Mrs." because he said it's a fun Celtic punk song that his brother Dave wrote. "You Can't Stay Here" is another song, that according to Dane Keogh, is almost like a ballad because it builds to get bigger and bigger.
The Town Pants will also play a few of their classics such as: "Unlikely Redemption of Oliver Reed," "Shore Leave," "Rainville" and "Weight of Words."
Playing a two-hour set is nothing new for The Town Pants, but Duane Keogh is looking forward to it anyway.
"Once a year we play a show in Vancouver to a sold out crowd at a club that holds about 1,200 people," said Duane Keogh. "And, we're supposed to play for about an hour and a half as the headliners, but we've gone as long as three hours. Once you're into it, and the crowd is too, you don't really feel like stopping anyway."
The concert is free and open to the public. The Jamestown Savings Bank Arena is located at 319 W. Third St. in Jamestown. For more information, call the arena box office at 484-2624 or visit jamestownarena.com.