Whiskey Boys David Delaney and Mark Killianski bring the spirit of Celtic folk music to the forefront on their debut CD, Mary Come To Boston. Delaney is a fine fiddler in the Irish tradition as Killianski adds percussive and rhythmic accompaniment with his acoustic guitar to this fine collection of nine originals and two covers. The duo displays their considerable musical prowess and understanding of the Celtic idiom on the songs "Madeline The Quaker," "Carolina Blue" (written by Margaret Mackay & Jeff Butcher), and "The Sad Reel." Next time your in the city on a beautiful summer day and you hear the sounds of a fiddle and guitar piercing the air, go and check it out. Chances are, it will be The Whiskey Boys pouring listeners a finely concocted elixir of Celtic lore. Good stuff! [D.S.]
Metronome Magazine
With just a fiddle, guitar and their voices, The Whiskey Boys filled the stage with an apparent zest and love for their music. Their fine technical skills are quickly evident, but their music had the depth and character that only comes from a true appreciation of it's history. The best thing we can say, is that when their set was over, we both were smiling and were sad that it had ended.
Lynn Tapper
Event & Logistics Coordinator, First Night Hartford
The Whiskey Boys are David Delaney (fiddle) and Mark Kilianski (guitar), who met through the Berklee College of Music and proceeded to put together a sound that draws upon not only Celtic but also American folk and jazz influences. Delaney’s fiddle can evoke the feel and texture of Irish tradition, but also articulate an urban, cosmopolitan and thoroughly contemporary sensibility; by the same token, Kilianski drives the melody along with verve and punch -- and then there’s a chord progression, or a flat-picked counterpoint, that ratchets up the tension until suddenly, you hear harmonies and overtones you simply didn’t expect. While some of their material is from traditional sources, they also write their own – and that includes songs, like “The Pirate Song” (think The Decemberists, stripped down and channeled through Tom Waits and Gilbert & Sullivan), or the whimsical “Eternity.” Delaney and Kilianski also have a winning stage presence, and never forget that they have an audience to entertain – which they do, unfailingly.
If that isn’t enough, The Whiskey Boys’ regular podcasts via their website [whiskeyboys.com] offer stalwart fans and recent converts alike some additional perspective on their various enterprises and activities, as well as a continual supply of tunes and songs. With this new/old dynamic, it’s no wonder The Whiskey Boys have begun building an audience for themselves in clubs, pubs and other venues around Boston – and beyond.
Sean Smith