Barleyjuice
Barleyjuice is a Celtic rock band from Philadelphia, formed in 1998 as a side project by bagpipers Keith Swanson and Kyf Brewer. They played traditional Irish and Scottish songs in a pop/rock style, initially as a seasonal St. Patrick’s Day act. After releasing their early recordings (originally titled Barleyjuice, later known as One Shilling), they became a full-time band by 2001. Their first album features traditional tunes plus one original song, "Donnie Scot," written by Brewer, which also appears briefly in the film Driven.
In 2003, Barleyjuice released Another Round, which brought them more attention. The song “What’s Up Yours?” was named Song of the Year by listeners of Celtic Radio. A track from the album, “Jig Set,” was featured in an episode of King of the Hill in 2007, and “Whiskey to the Sea” was included in the iTunes Irish Music Essentials Collection.
The band’s third album, Six Yanks (2006), earned Celtic Radio’s Best Celtic Rock CD of 2006. Their fourth album, Bonny Prince Barley, was released in 2008 and officially pushed to radio in 2010 due to a 2008 appearance on QVC. In the meantime, they released The Barleyjuice Irish Collection, a double CD of tracks from earlier albums, which became their biggest seller. Bonny Prince Barley remained a crowd favorite at festivals and was re-released in January 2010 with eight new original songs. It received several year-end honors, including Celtic Rock Album of the Year from Chicago’s Irish American News and other outlets, plus recognition from Paddy Rock Radio and Celtic Radio for its songs.
Work on a fifth studio album began in 2010. On March 11, 2010, Barleyjuice’s song “Weekend Irish” was used in NBC’s The Office, and the track later appeared on the 2013 compilation Celtic Invasion. That same year, they released Skulduggery Street.
Shortly after, two longtime members left: Billy Dominick and Jimmy “Carbomb” Parkinson. Violinist Shelley Weiss joined from 2011 to 2013, followed by drummer Gregor Schroeder. Weiss and Schroeder left the band soon after. In 2014, Alice O’Quirke and Keith Barnes replaced Weiss and Schroeder. Barnes played live only a few times before leaving to focus on teaching and family.
Drummer Ashley Ferrante from Dirty Purple filled in for March performances before Barnes’ departure, and John Tracey (a longtime friend of Kyf Brewer) joined on drums. In 2019, after contributing to Barleyjuice’s seventh studio album, The Old Speakeasy, Keith Swanson retired from the band. Chris Shepherd took over on guitar, mandolin, and vocals. Alice Marie and John Tracey also left, leaving Billy Dominick to handle fiddle and Kyf’s daughter Claire Brewer to take over drums. Claire, who had previously played guitar in Dirty Purple, is Kyf’s youngest child and now handles the drums alongside Dominick on fiddle.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:23 (CET).