Saw Doctors: Irish musicians who love to rock

Published: Wednesday, August 04, 2010

By Jesse Reilly
Staff Writer

Don’t be fooled by their accents. Saw Doctors may be an Irish band, but they don’t play traditional tunes.

“We’re a rock group with Irish accents,” Leo Moran, co-founder and guitarist for the group said from the Emerald Isle.

Fusing elements of pop, punk, folk and, of course, rock ’n’ roll, these Irishmen have been wowing international audiences since the late 1980s, when they were discovered while playing at a pub in Galway, Ireland.

During a trip across the pond, Saw Doctors are planning a stop at the Sellersville Theater Aug. 10.

“We’ve never played there before, but from everything I hear, it’s a wonderful venue,” Moran said, adding that even though they’re far from home, touring is the same anywhere.

“The differences between audiences at home and in the states are very subtle; there really aren’t too many,” he said. “A good song in Ireland is a good song anywhere.”

Although its fans have been constant, Saw Doctors members have been fluid.

“It’s not something we chose to happen, but people move on,” Moran said. “But the band now has been playing together for four years and it’s great to be settled again. We’re developing that craft and tightness that only time can allow.”

With songs about old loves, defeat and their Irish roots, Moran said the band is different simply because it comes from a different continent.

“I love when bands sound like where they come from. Why should people try to sound like something or someone else?” he asked. “We’re blessed because we come from a place where the idioms are so distinctive that you can’t help but sound different.”

During its 24 years on the scene, Saw Doctors have enjoyed several No. 1 albums and singles, including the recent cover of Sugababes’ “About You Now” and the band’s 1990 smash hit “I Useta Lover” that is still Ireland’s top-selling single of all time. In 2008 the band also received the Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award.

“We’ve always kind of operated outside of the mainstream music industry in Ireland. We’ve done a lot abroad and often felt like we didn’t get very much notice in Ireland,” Moran said. “But to receive that award from the center of the music industry in Ireland was just delightful. People were noticing that we were doing something right.”

And people from their hometown and the states have been taking notice of the group’s live performances since its humble beginnings in Galway.

“We’re just five people onstage having a good time and hoping that the people in the audience are too,” the guitarist said. “We play the type of songs that we like — simple, catchy and strong and something just works. It seems to be infectious.”

When asked what that “something” was, Moran said he was hesitant to look further.

“It’s something I don’t want analyze too deeply,” he said with a superstitious laugh. “People just keep coming to our shows and bring their friends.”

It could be the band’s free-spirited attitude that keeps the fans coming.

“Every gig is an experience,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens. If we make a mistake, we laugh; if something distinctive happens, the show’s all the better.”

For the veteran performer, the best part of the live show is the audience.

“I love seeing people enjoy themselves,” he said. “It’s a wonderful privilege to do what I do for a living.”

And it’s something that the rocker is convinced he can never tire of.

“I think I enjoy music now more than I did when I started,” he said. “Music can be like a vacation; it can take you on a journey, somewhere else for a little.”

And even with a lifetime achievement award under their belt, it doesn’t seem like these Irishmen will be throwing in the towel any time soon, just maybe taking a new direction.

“We have a new album coming out in September and that is always an exciting time for a band; it opens up so many different possibilities,” Moran said. “It’s like putting money on a horse; you never really know what’s going to happen.”

And that outlook seems to be one that the band has followed from the beginning.

“Our goal as a group was to put out a single. Once we did that, we thought we were accomplished,” he said. “Everything else has been a surprise, a bonus. We just take everything one step at a time and could never have dreamed of getting anywhere near where we are.”

If You Go

The Saw Doctors

will be playing

at the Sellersville Theater 1894,

Main Street & Temple Avenue,

Sellersville, PA, 18960,

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 8 p.m.

Tickets: $39.50.

Info: 215-257-5808 or

www.st94. com