Real McKenzies' Serious Drinking Songs

Singer/songwriter Paul McKenzie formed The Real McKenzies in Vancouver 16 years ago, and the kilt-wearing, bagpipe-infused punk band have gone through about 40 members during that time, with only guitarist "Dirty" Kurt Robertson joining McKenzie from the early days.

The two newest (albeit temporary) additions are Descendents and All bassist Karl Alvarez and former Mad Caddies drummer Boz Rivera, who will join the band on their forthcoming Canadian tour in support of their new Fat Wreck album, Off The Leash.

"I think every artist has made something that makes them cringe," says McKenzie over the phone from his home in Vancouver, where he's taken the day off work and is enjoying his third breakfast beer while we talk. "That's happened to me before, but not on this album, which is a step in the right direction."

Off The Leash offers a balance of drinking songs and more serious songs (and "some serious drinking songs," McKenzie points out) that shows the consummate showman's knack for absorbing historical and current world events almost rivals his body's ability to absorb alcohol. McKenzie's soft spot for his Scottish roots shines through on the ode to a legendarily loyal dog in "The Ballad Of Greyfriars Bobby," while "The Lads Who Fought And Won" honours the contributions that Canadian troops made to World War I. "Culling The Herd," meanwhile, questions why Canadian soldiers are now serving in battle-scarred Afghanistan.

"There are a lot of people who feel like that, and we wrote that song for them," says McKenzie. "But there are people who get wide-eyed and angry at us over that tune.

"I support the troops. That's why I wrote the song. But it's a dangerous pond to swim in as soon as you start dragging the political aspect into it. But the band and I are strong enough to hold this view, and believe it's the most sane way to go at this point in time."

McKenzie also has a secondary reason for supporting a troop pullout of Afghanistan: "Maybe we'll start getting some decent hash again."

While Irish-influenced, Celtic punk bands like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly followed The Real McKenzies and have surpassed them in popularity, McKenzie enjoys their music and holds no grudges. He was influenced by Scotland's Andy "Donald Where's Yer Troosers" Stewart and Harry Lauder, and Ireland's The Clancy Brothers as a child, and The Pogues when he grew older.

"Nobody has a copyright on a kilt or bagpipes," says McKenzie. "It depends on what you do with it."

Guitarist Dave Gregg — who just happened to walk into McKenzie's house during our interview after driving from Lac La Ronge, Sask., where he completed a 10-day canoe trip on the Churchill River with his father and girlfriend — also has deep respect for the band's roots.

"I was retracing the steps of [Scottish-born, western Canada pioneer] Alexander Mackenzie, who was also a 'Real McKenzie,'" says Gregg of his vacation. "I was trying to get in touch with my past.

"We visited a cemetery at Stanley Mission, which is the site of the oldest structure in Saskatchewan. Every second person in that graveyard is named McKenzie. It's amazing. And I grew up on McKenzie Street in Lac La Ronge, so it was a McKenzie-filled vacation."

While it wasn't a vacation, Gregg also enjoyed spending time in Europe when The Real McKenzies played 29 shows in 31 days there earlier this summer.

"Luckily, it wasn't too hot, because there are nine of us in the van and a lot of things get spilled. When it's really hot, you tend to get a fly problem. Once you get flies in the van, it's hard to get them out. But it was cool, so we didn't have too many flies and everybody was in very good spirits. We went to a few new places, which is always exciting."

Gregg's personal highlights from the European sojourn included seeing a close-up shot of his face on a 16-metre video screen that acted as the band's stage backdrop at a festival in the Czech Republic, playing a balcony overlooking the Reeperbahn in the red light district of Hamburg, Germany, and a few performances in France.

"It's always a good time when the crowd spontaneously starts doing a conga line. We also did a little busking in France. We set up in front of some outdoor cafes and played some songs, and I don't think a lot of people quite knew what to think, but they seemed to enjoy it."

Gregg also promises that Canadian fans will get to see more of The Real McKenzies than they have in recent times.

"We've talked it over and we've committed to touring Canada twice a year instead of once every three years, to see if people will dig that. I'm hoping that they will. It's a tough country to tour because it can only be done one way, west to east and east to west. But we're going to do it."

You can see The Real McKenzies at these Canadian shows:

Sept. 2 Kelowna, BC @ Doc Willoughby's
Sept. 3 Banff, AB @ Wild Bill's
Sept. 4 Edmonton, AB @ New City Likwid Lounge
Sept. 5 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos
Sept. 6 Winnipeg, MB @ The Royal Albert Arms
Sept. 10 Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah
Sept. 11 London, ON @ Call The Office
Sept. 12 Guelph, ON @ Club Shadow
Sept. 13 Toronto, ON @ Reverb
Sept. 16 Kingston, ON @ Bar None
Sept. 17 Quebec City, QC @ Le Dagobert
Sept. 18 Moncton, NB @ The Manhattan Club
Sept. 19 Moncton, NB @ Capital Bar
Sept. 20 Halifax, NS @ Gus' Pub
Sept. 22 Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Electriques
Sept. 24 Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks
Sept. 25 Timmins, ON @ TBA
Sept. 26 Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ TBA
Sept. 27 Thunder Bay, ON @ TBA
Sept. 29 Regina, SK @ The Distrikt
Sept. 30 Innisfail, AB @ Innisfail Hotel
Oct. 1 Calgary, AB @ The Distillery
Oct. 2 Vancouver, BC @ The Anza Club
Oct. 3-4 Whitehorse, YT @ Coasters