Jeremiah Kramer
The Codgers will celebrate the release of their fourth LP, "Sweny's Remedies," Saturday night at the Gaelic League.
Formed in 2006, the Codgers cut their teeth playing Irish pub favorites on Detroit’s west side. The band's original songs, accentuated by acoustic guitar, accordion, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bodhrán, bass, and vocal harmonies, are about ordinary working folk and places across the Great Lakes region, and compose a hearty and heartfelt Corktown soul stew.
"The Codgers was formed very much in the spirit of the pickup band, which is to say in the spirit of friendship," says guitarist/vocalist John Freeman. "That's why this record might be my favorite — because it features songs penned by four different members," Freeman, Matt Balcer, Nick Mansfield, and Steve Cousins.
"It's probably our most collaborative one yet," Freeman says.
The album takes its title from the James Joyce novel Ulysses. In the book, Sweny's is the pharmacy in Dublin, Ireland where protagonist Leopold Bloom famously buys his lemon soap.
Sweny's contains multiple references to the ethereal things in people's lives that can serve as remedies — the things you might find at a pharmacy, the things people do to get by.
Some of the tracks could even be described as love songs.
"Love's a remedy, too," says Dr. Freeman.
The album, the Codgers' fourth, contains 14 tracks mastered by Jim Diamond and produced by Dave Lawson, whose keen sense of harmonic arrangement shines through in the mix.
"God bless Dave for having the patience to work with us and pull good performances out of those sessions," Freeman says.
One of the tracks on the album features a plaintive chord progression that guitarist Matt Balcer composed for Freeman's poem "Dichotomy Paradox as a Non-Fungible Token."
"Many of the songs on this record are about loss," Freeman says. "What do you do when you lose people you couldn't imagine being without?"
Freeman says he doesn't always like spoken-word music, but "Dichotomy" serves as a touching tribute to his father, John Freeman Jr., John Balcer (Matt's father), and Dave Mansfield (Nick's father), all of whom passed away in recent years.
Beyond that, Sweny's also contains the typical Codgers fare of pro-union songs and a few brilliant arrangements of traditional folk songs by accordionist Steve Cousins.
For Freeman, he says it's only fitting that the band's record-release party will be held at the Gaelic League Saturday night.
"This is where I developed a love for Irish music while listening to Larry Larson play when I was a kid."
The Codgers take the stage Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Gaelic League. Doors at 8 p.m. For more info, visit the band's event page on Facebook.
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