Rackhouse Pilfer set for new challenges

Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnelll – tribunegroove@live.ie

Rackhouse Pilfer, who are purveyors of foot-stamping feel-good roots music, play Campbell’s Tavern, Cloughanover this Saturday, February 27, and Monroe’s Live on Friday, March 4.  The Sligo-based band have recently returned from a UK tour that took in dates in the Bristol/Bath area, as well as a trip to Liverpool.

“It went really well,” says fiddler and dobro player Fiachra.

Rackhouse Pilfer are no strangers to England, having taken a trip there last year to record two songs with Tom Jones. The Welsh singer was introduced to the six-piece by his producer Ethan Johns, who has also worked with Ryan Adams, Paul McCartney and Kings of Leon.

“We sent Ethan Johns our last album Love & Havoc,” Fiachra says. “We didn’t expect him to come back to us to be honest, but he came back with a positive response. He liked the album and he had an idea for us to work with Tom Jones on one or two songs. We jumped at it.”

Fiachra describes Jones as a ‘gent,’ but the fiddler admits to some nerves on Rackhouse Pilfer’s part.

“We only had one day to get the songs done,” he says.  “To be honest, there was a bit of pressure to get it right. Even though they trusted us and liked the album, there was still an element of will this/won’t this work?.”

Ultimately, however, Rackhouse Pilfer’s comfort-playing old-time Americana won them a fan in the Welsh legend.

“We weren’t sure if the two songs we recorded were going to make the final cut because he actually recorded about 40 songs for the album. They cut that down to 12 or 13, so were ecstatic to hear both ours made it. In fact, one of them was the main single he released.”

Rackhouse Pilfer will be recording again soon, with their focus now on their own third album.

“We’re still in the process of picking a studio and producer,” Fiachra says. “We’re demoing at the moment in Transition Studios in Longford.  Before we went to the UK, we had three days off and two and a half of those were spent working on the album. Getting the songs written and arranged and seeing how they sound – a mock-up album as such. We’ll do the real one in April some time.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.