Song Of The Week: 6/15/14

Song: "Shit Outta Luck"

Artist: The Real McKenzies

Album: "Oot & Aboot"

Year: 2003



"Shit Outta Luck" is a song that appears to be about finding yourself in a situation that you can't get out of. It's a tongue in cheek kind of song about maybe being in a drunken stupor then waking up in the morning and finding yourself in a compromising position. It's a definite, "what the fuck did I do?" type of song where in the end, well, you're "shit outta luck"!! The Real McKenzies formed as a band back in 1992, hailing from Vancouver, Canada. Though the band gets lumped in with fellow celtic punk bands such as the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, they are, in fact, a Scottish punk band. In 1995, the band dropped their self titled debut album, "The Real McKenzies". This album featured several covers of traditional Scottish songs such as "Loch Lomond", "Skye Boat Song" and "My Bonnie". In 1998, the band released "Clash Of The Tartans" featuring the single "Mainland" as well as Scot cover songs, "Scots Wha' Ha'e" and "Auld Lang Syne". 2001 saw the band release their third album, "Loch'd & Loaded". In 2002, The Real McKenzies released their very first live album entitled "Pissed Tae Th' Gills". In 2003, "Oot & Aboot" was released featuring a cover of the traditional Scot song "Ye Banks And Braes". By 2005, The Real McKenzies signed up with legendary punk rock label Fat Wreck Chords and released "10,000 Shots". This album featured the Scottish cover "Farewell To Nova Scotia" as well as the song "Pour Decisions", one of the band's more popular songs. "Pour Decisions" is based on the same melody line as the famous Monty Python comedy sketch "The Lumberjack Song". In 2008, the band released "Off The Leash" which featured the singles "Chip" and "Drink Some More". 2010 saw The Real McKenzies release their second live album called "Shine Not Burn". This was an acoustic show that was recorded in a pub in Germany. In 2012, The Real McKenzies dropped their latest album, "Westwinds". This album featured the song "The Tempest" and "Barrett's Privateers", the latter which is basically a modern Canadian drinking song. Currently, as of December of 2013, The Real McKenzies have finished recording all the music for a new album and it is ready to be mixed and mastered so most likely, a new album should be on it's way either by the end of summer or the fall of 2014. There is a little misconception out there about The Real McKenzies that they jumped on the coattails of other Celtic punk bands like Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys but the fact is that The Real McKenzies were a band some four or five years before those other to bands existed plus, as I said earlier, where the Dropkicks and Flogging Molly celebrate their Irish roots, The Real McKenzies wear their Scottish roots on their sleeves. Either way, if you are looking for a band to set the mood for having a great time, soaking up some brews in a local pub with your friends, well, The Real McKenzies can surely provide that soundtrack for you.