Steve Wildsmith

Stopped by “The Shed” at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville on Saturday night to say hey to the boys in local Celtic-rock outfit Cutthroat Shamrock and pick up a copy of the band’s new CD, “Blood Rust Whiskey.” As much as I enjoy “The Wake,” the band’s last album, this one’s a fine representation of the band’s evolution — more intricate musicianship, tighter harmonies and an intensity that’s more razor-sharp than ever. The boys like to put out that whole “drunken pirate” image, and they live up to that quite well. But make no mistake — when it’s flag is high and all hands are on deck, this ship runs tight. They may be a bunch of grizzled roustabouts, but these boys have it going on.

After Saturday’s show, at which they opened for The Hackensaw Boys, the band hit the road for a multi-city jaunt they’re dubbing “The Rowdy Soul Tour,” after the final track on the new album. Check out the band on Myspace to get a run-down of all the dates, and mark two in particular on you calendar — Sept. 24, when the guys will headline “Old City Live” behind Southbound in Knoxville’s Old City; and Oct. 24, when they’ll play the Knoxville Brewers’ Jam. You can also keep track of the latest tour happenings by following singer/guitarist Ben Whitehead on Twitter. While you’re poking around online, go here to read a March story we did on the band.

An adorable side note — my 3-year-old son, Ezra, has been a fan of C.S. since I first started playing him their music. He knows them only as “Shamrock,” and his favorite song is “South Australia,” off of “The Wake.” The guys graciously included the song in their soundcheck, just for him. He had such a good time on Saturday night, even though we didn’t stay long, that when we got home, he got out his toy guitar and “played Shamrock,” hitting random pre-programmed chords and growling his way through his own special version of “South Australia.” He sounded possessed by demons, shouting and singing so loud the veins in his neck were popping against his skin and his little face turned beet-red. I was indeed a proud papa. The kid may not be able to tie his own shoes (yet), but by God he appreciates good music. I’m gonna film it and post the video on the group’s Myspace page, I think.

UPDATED! The guys have graciously allowed us to include a track off the new album in our steadily growing library of music by local artists. Download it now and get a taste of what you’re missing, if you’ve never taken the opportunity to see Cutthroat Shamrock perform live.

Download “Dry Bones,” by Cutthroat Shamrock: Right-click here (choose “Save Link As” or “Save Target As”)

As soon as we get a link to where you can purchase this fine album online, we’ll post it here.