Whiskey in the Jar (MP3/WAV) (Patreon)

"Whiskey in the Jar". Such a great song that even Metallica covered it. It was one of the first songs I learned when I started playing Celtic music in 1999. And I still love it after so many years.

This was the first track on Not Every Day Is St. Patrick's Day. I put it up top because it's one of the most-popular Irish songs. But as I listened to the original recording, I found myself skipping the song for many reasons.

The #1 reason was the mix and instrumentation. The original tracks by Daniel Briggs just weren't tight and just didn't quite appeal to me at the time. So I kept them intentionally low. I didn't realize how much I would regret that decision until a few years later.

But even after I decided I would re-release St Patrick's Day, I also came to realize it called for a lead instrument. The instruments Daniel added (bass, guitar and octave mandolin), none of them stood out as a lead. None were great.

So I decided to add a whistle. But the whistle player I reached out to couldn't pull it off.

And so I returned to my fellow Brobdingnagian Bards partner, Andrew McKee. 

Andrew is a strong, solid musician. He's brilliant on the recorder. I knew he could nail the recording quick and easy. And he did. 

Thus, I bring you a new mix of the song. The album will be officially released in January. But of course, you can hear all of the changes right here.

And if you want to sing or play along. Here's the lyrics and chords.

If you haven't added the song on Spotify, do so here.