With a slight bend of his knee, Gordie MacKeeman launches into a song. Guided by the sharp cuts of his fiddle, his famous crazy legs shake and twist with a laughing regard for physics. The whole time, his Rhythm Boys deliver a surefooted roots instrumentation to accompany the spectacle. It's a joyful sight that divides the line between the band and the audience. It is this pomp and spirit that Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys set out to capture on their new album, Pickin' n Clickin'.
Hailing from Prince Edward Island, The Rhythm Boys' exhilarating live show instantly enamors audiences with their engaging, sometimes jaw-dropping, stagecraft and showmanship. With flavors of traditional bluegrass and roots music bolstered by their stunning musicianship, the group is poised to take the world stage. The band features Gordie MacKeeman (fiddle, feet, and vocals), Mark Geddes (bass, drums, percussion, mandolin, and banjo), Thomas Webb (vocals, banjo, guitar, pedal steel guitar, and bass) and Peter Cann (vocals and guitar).
Their album Pickin’ n Clickin’ was honoured with the 2014 East Coast Music Award for Roots Traditional Group Recording of the Year and the band were awarded the Galaxie Supernova Award at the 2012 Ottawa Folk Festival for their outstanding high-energy performance. The Rhythm Boys have performed at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, The Woodford Folk Festival, WOMAD, Celtic Connections, and to enthusiastic audiences at sold-out venues, festivals and theatres across Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Malaysia and Australia.
Pickin’ n Clickin’, produced by Nathan Wiley, offers up rockabilly-inspired rhythms, upbeat reels, weighted laments and MacKeeman's stunning fiddle work. Somehow, the band still makes each new tone and style sound like an expression made in the same voice. Songs like the MacKeeman’s ‘Jim’s Lament’ and the traditional ‘Black Velvet Waltz’ both nod to the roots of bluegrass with gratitude, while high-energy tracks like ‘Champagne Polka’ and ‘King Ganam Style’ feature delightful up-tempo arrangements. Their original compositions ‘Gonna Get Out’, ‘Hay Boys’, ‘Scrape the Paint’, ‘Working Title’ and the cover of Two Hours Traffic's ‘Heroes of the Sidewalk’ portray a solid demonstration of their versatility and diverse musical style. It is a refreshing mix of traditional-leaning ideas, with modern influences, that ultimately makes Pickin’ n Clickin’ an absolute must-have for fans of Celtic, roots and bluegrass music.