Led by brothers Willy (vocals/guitar) and Cody Braun (vocals/fiddle/mandolin/harmonica), the alternative country-rock outfit Reckless Kelly formed in Bend Oregon in February 1996 before moving to Austin, Texas. The Brauns had previously toured with their father in Muzzie Braun & the Boys, a Western swing band, and were joined in their own group by the lead guitarist Casey Pollock, the bass guitarist Chris Schelske and the drummer Jay Nazz.
With their younger brothers Micky and Gary, Cody and Willy were raised in central Idaho near the Sawtooth Mountains, between Clayton and Challis in Custer County, and were homeschooled by their mother. Originally they were "Muzzie Braun & the Little Braun Brothers", as Muzzie and his brothers Gary and Billy were the "Braun Brothers" from Twin Falls in the 1970s and early 1980s, sons of the musician Eustaceus "Mustie" Braun (1917–1981). From North Dakota, Mustie was a neighbor and relative of the bandleader Lawrence Welk, and was a keyboard player during the last days of legalized gambling in Idaho at Weiser in the early 1950s. He then moved to the new Club 93 in Jackpot, Nevada, on the Idaho border, and moved his family to Twin Falls, about fifty miles (80 km) north. In February 1981, Mustie and wife Marian (née Beckman) were involved in a head-on collision north of Jackpot, and both died from their injuries.
In 1989, Muzzie and his sons appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show twice.
Reckless Kelly played locally on the historic Sixth Street in Austin. They turned Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar, a small bar and restaurant, into a noted music venue. From November 1996 to May 1998, they filled the venue with their Monday night show. During this period, other music venues in Austin invited them to play, including the Continental Club, the Saxon pub, Stubb's barbecue, and Antone's home of the blues.
Reckless Kelly's first album, Millican, appeared in fall 1997 and was officially released in 1998. Acoustic: Live at Stubb's and The Day followed two years later, after which David Abeyta replaced Pollock on lead guitar. Under the Table & Above the Sun in 2003 began the band's relationship with the high-profile Sugar Hill label and won the hearts of the music press and the honky tonkin' legend Joe Ely, who sang the band's praises in interviews. Wicked Twisted Road was released in 2005, and the next year the live album Reckless Kelly Was Here captured the band's stage presence. Bulletproof was released in summer 2008 on a new label, Yep Roc Records, and includes tracks critical of and reflecting on recent sociopolitical unfoldings, such as the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, Reckless released an album of songs by one of their musical heroes, Pinto Bennett. Somewhere in Time, in the band's own words, highlighted their love of "straight-up honky tonk". The band regularly returns to Austin to play before capacity crowds at venues like Nutty Brown Cafe & Amphitheatre.
Younger brothers Micky and Gary Braun front their own band, Micky & The Motorcars. Both bands play at the annual Braun Brothers Reunion in Challis, Idaho, in August.
Seven Nights In Eire
Reckless Kelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A Virgin flight to Shannon town the day it didn't rain
The laughin' eyes of Ireland sparklin' blue and green
With hair as black as Guinness stout and barely seventeen
We're back out on the cobble stones, whiskey drunk and high again
Liquored up and gearin' up for seven nights in Ireland
It's quiet as a mother's prayer till we all stumble in
And it's fifty happy voices mixed with whistles made of tin
And a piper man is blowin' like the North Atlantic wind
And an Aran island beauty is sawin' on the violin
I wonder will she miss me after seven nights in Ireland
Well, it's Ladies Day in Galway and we watched the ponies run
Fifty pounds against the odds and came in six to one
McSwiggin heard the race report, he invited us on in
So we drank Catholic whiskey with all our newfound friends
They raised a glass to all of us and we all toasted them
Here's to Michael, Tom and Pat and seven nights in Ireland
Well, we kissed all the girls goodbye and gathered in our gear
And when she walked me to the gate I swear I saw a tear
But then she looked into my eyes, I knew she felt my pain
And only then I realized we were standin' in the rain
So save our places at the pub and when the eyes are dry again
We'll come back another day for seven nights in Ireland
The song "Seven Nights in Eire" tells a story about a group of friends who embark on a wild adventure in Ireland. The lyrics describe their first moments in the country as they stumble out of the plane and into the nearest pub. The beauty of Ireland and its people are also highlighted, with images of sparkling blue and green eyes and a young girl with black hair sawing on a violin.
Throughout the song, the group of friends drinks and parties their way through Ireland, experiencing everything the country has to offer. They attend a horse race and make friends with locals, drinking "Catholic whiskey" and toasting to their newfound friendship. However, as the trip comes to an end, the realization hits that they will have to say goodbye to the country and the people they've come to love. In the final moments of the song, the singer looks into the eyes of a girl who has come to mean something to him, and he sees that she feels the same way as he does. The lyrics capture the bittersweet feeling of leaving behind a place and people that have left an indelible mark on one's heart.
In summary, "Seven Nights in Eire" is a song that captures the spirit of adventure, excitement and the sadness of leaving behind a wonderful experience. It paints a picture of Ireland as a place of beauty and wonder and the people as welcoming and friendly.
Line by Line Meaning
The first pub we could stagger to was twelve steps from the plane
As soon as we landed in Shannon, we found the first pub that was just steps away from the plane and entered it.
A Virgin flight to Shannon town the day it didn't rain
We took a flight from Virgin airlines to Shannon town on a day that was not rainy.
The laughin' eyes of Ireland sparklin' blue and green
The people of Ireland had eyes that shone and sparkled with a happiness that could only be found in that land.
With hair as black as Guinness stout and barely seventeen
One of the Irish girls we met had hair as black as Guinness stout and was only seventeen years old.
We're back out on the cobble stones, whiskey drunk and high again
After getting drunk on whiskey, we left the pub and walked on the cobbled streets, feeling high.
Liquored up and gearin' up for seven nights in Ireland
We were drunk and getting ready for a week-long stay in Ireland.
The corner booth is waitin' for the session to begin
The corner booth in the pub was reserved for musicians who would be performing there soon.
It's quiet as a mother's prayer till we all stumble in
The pub was quiet until we all entered and made noise.
And it's fifty happy voices mixed with whistles made of tin
As soon as we entered the pub, we heard the happy voices of fifty people mingled with the sound of tin whistles.
And a piper man is blowin' like the North Atlantic wind
We saw a piper playing the traditional Irish instrument with a sound as strong and powerful as the winds of the North Atlantic.
And an Aran island beauty is sawin' on the violin
A beautiful girl from the Aran Islands was playing the violin.
I wonder will she miss me after seven nights in Ireland
I wondered if the girl playing the violin would miss me after I left Ireland following my one-week stay.
Well, it's Ladies Day in Galway and we watched the ponies run
On Ladies Day in Galway, we watched horses racing.
Fifty pounds against the odds and came in six to one
I placed a bet of 50 pounds on a horse that was not the favorite and it won at six to one odds.
McSwiggin heard the race report, he invited us on in
McSwiggin, who overheard our celebrations, invited us to his place to drink whiskey.
So we drank Catholic whiskey with all our newfound friends
We drank whiskey with our newfound friends, who were also at McSwiggin's place.
They raised a glass to all of us and we all toasted them
Our friends raised their glasses to us and we did the same in return.
Here's to Michael, Tom and Pat and seven nights in Ireland
We raised our glasses and made a toast to Michael, Tom, Pat and our seven nights in Ireland.
Well, we kissed all the girls goodbye and gathered in our gear
We said goodbye to all the girls we met and got ready to leave Ireland.
And when she walked me to the gate I swear I saw a tear
When one of the girls walked me to the airport gate, I saw a tear in her eye.
But then she looked into my eyes, I knew she felt my pain
After looking into my eyes, the girl knew that I was also feeling sad to leave Ireland.
And only then I realized we were standin' in the rain
As the girl and I were saying goodbye, I realized that we were standing in the rain.
So save our places at the pub and when the eyes are dry again
We asked our friends to save our seats at the pub and said that we would come back once we had recovered from our sadness.
We'll come back another day for seven nights in Ireland
We promised to come back another day for another week-long stay in Ireland.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FREDERICK BENNETT, MICHAEL BRAUN, WILLY BRAUN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind