Friday, Nov. 16, 2001 | 9:49 a.m.
Talk to Keith Roberts of The Young Dubliners and the story of his Celtic rock band's struggle to reach a wider audience reads much like that of a young garage band. The lifestyle is one of endless touring and recording albums for small, independent labels.
The Young Dubliners have, nonetheless, been pursuing these ends with a debut EP in '94 titled "Rocky Road," a studio album, "Breathe," in '95 (both on Scotti Brothers Records) and the Steve Albini-produced live collection, "Alive, Alive O," in '98 for the defunct Cargo Records.
Roberts says the footing feels more solid now since signing with the nationally distributed Higher Octave label that put out "Red," the band's latest release, in June 2000.
The Young Dubliners, who perform Saturday at Palace Station's Jack's Irish Pub, were immediately conscripted for a two-month-long national tour in support of Jethro Tull, and contracted to write the theme song for the short-lived ABC comedy series "Madigan Men."
However Roberts, calling from a tour stop in Boston, says, "The main reason anybody knows who we are is because we are the consummate road warriors. We have probably played in a town near you."
That game plan is not likely to change anytime soon, but Roberts, who sings lead and plays acoustic guitar, realizes it's time the band had a new record. And the only way to accomplish that is, "We just have to pull ourselves off the road at some point."
For the next studio album Roberts would like to see The Young Dubliners travel a little further in the direction of rock.
"We will keep our Celtic elements intact," Roberts says. "I don't think we will take it as far afield as Metallica, but we will let the songs dictate the album. People hear our name and get one idea, then after they see us it can be quite a different story."
Coming back to its Los Angeles base for the latest series of shows will also put The Young Dubliners close to Jackson Browne's Groovemaster Studios in Santa Monica, Calif., where "Red," was recorded.
"Red" also carries the distinction of a co-write between Roberts and lyricist Bernie Taupin on the title track.
Taupin, who turns out to be a long-standing fan of The Young Dubliners, sent some lyrics to the band through Albini, asking if it would like to put music to some of them.
"We picked 'Red' just before the album came out. And we got to play it for Bernie at his birthday party," Roberts says.
The album begins with the instrumental "Bohran," a traditional Irish-sounding piece that had long been The Young Dubliners' concert opener.
"It appears not so much because it's traditionally Irish, but because it introduces the band instrument by instrument," Roberts says. "First there is just the drum (played by John Mattox on the album and David Ingraham live). Then the fiddle (courtesy of band member Mark Epting), then I come in on acoustic guitar and Bob (Boulding) follows me onstage with his electric."
Also from The Young Dubliners' repertoire comes the Waterboys' "Fisherman's Blues," the album's only cover.
"It fit the record very well because it's a fiddle-oriented tune. And it's nice to know that (the Waterboys') Mike Scott is getting a (royalty) check from The Young Dubliners," Roberts says, smacking his lips with satisfaction.
While "Fisherman's Blues" is one of the few modern songs The Young Dubliners cover, Roberts says the band is known for adapting Irish ballads dating back to the 1700s.
"These are poems and rousing patriotic stuff is passed down by the generations. Everybody in Ireland sings 'em and every time you hear 'em the words are different," Roberts says. "So we write new music and parts for them and turn the tunes into our own."
In Dublin, Roberts played in rock bands and never really got involved with singing traditional Irish music. Later he came to the United States as a college student intending to work as a journalist and interned at PBS station KCET in Los Angeles.
A bit homesick, Roberts began hanging out at the Irish Rover pub in Santa Monica, Calif., where, ironically, he learned more traditional Irish ballads then he had growing up in Dublin. Realizing he could make a living singing ballads, Roberts formed a duo with Paul O'Toole.
When a band began to solidify around the singers in 1993, Roberts purchased his own nightclub, Fair City, in L.A. and held court there on Saturday nights. Roberts held onto the club until 1995 but following the release of "Breathe" he became too busy touring and decided to sell.
If Roberts' pub was atypical, so was the music that The Young Dubliners play, neither as traditional as the artists who record for Green Linnet, nor as punked up as The Pogues or Flogging Molly.
"The unique thing about this band is the idea of mixing American musicians with Irish musicians and lettin' 'em go for it," Roberts says. "Asking American musicians to change their style and suddenly become trad players would be foolish. So we bring all of our backgrounds, the best of the two nations, together and see what comes out."
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