Longstanding Canadian Celtic-Rockers the Mudmen Celebrate A Strong Work Ethic on Toe-Tapping Anthem “Farmer’s Tan”
There’s nothing like putting in a hard day’s work – and then having something to show for it! Alvinston, ON-based Celtic-rockers The Mudmen pay tribute to the ultimate sign of hard work in their fun, toe-tapping, raucous ditty “Farmer’s Tan” – available now.
Written by bandmembers Sandy and Robby Campbell in their mother’s old farmhouse, “Farmer’s Tan” features rockin’ guitars juxtaposed with whimsical bagpipes, and the song carries an inspirational message about friends, family, community, and a strong work ethic.
Well, they raised us right, they made us strong,
and they taught us how to get along
That our roots are deep, and promises we keep,
and I’ll roll up my sleeves to show…
“Our mom, Mary Dewar Campbell, is the one who inspired hard work and the one who tried to raise us right,” the Campbell brothers said. “Still to this day, at 80 years old, she has a large garden and gives vegetables to seniors in town and keeps her farm well maintained. She’s a strong person and has likely never missed a day of work in her life.”
The song’s corresponding music video features performances from three different festivals – the Western Fair in London, ON; The Kincardine Scottish Festival; and New Year’s Eve in Ottawa, ON – as well as scenes of folks doing actual farming. It also includes heartwarming shots of fans rolling up their sleeves to “show your farmer’s tan,” which the Mudmen often ask people do at their live shows (kids, especially, love this!).
“Hopefully ‘Farmer’s Tan’ will become a summer anthem and a song people can relate to and have fun with,” The Mudmen said.
Always entertaining and definitely unique, The Mudmen are a blast of Celtic energy whose members are known to be characters both on and off the stage. First discovered in 1993 as The Campbell Brothers, the brothers signed a record deal with EMI Records and changed their name to Mudmen. The Mudmen – consisting of Robby and Sandy Campbell, Colin Amey, Jordon Brosseau, Andy Gingerich, and Alex Showdra – believe that nice guys can finish first, and they believe deeply in connecting with their audiences. Established in 1998, Mudmen will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary in 2023.
Watch the video for “Farmer’s Tan” below and learn more about Mudmen via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
We are Robby and Sandy Campbell (the Campbell Brothers) the founding members of Canada’s Celtic Rock Warriors Mudmen. We started playing bagpipes at a young age and played in Pipe bands for several years. Around 1992 we joined the Irish Rovers on stage for several shows and then with John McDermott who got us into a Mirvish production in 1998.
Career highlights include being signed to EMI Records for 4 years, reaching #19 on the Edge Radio, 6 Music Videos on Much Music, Songs on NBC “The Black Donnelly’s” commercials, HBO “Shameless”, WWE Wrestling for the “Highlanders”, Don Cherry Video’s, Coaches Corner and the new CBC “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song for around 7 years. We’ve opened for The Guess Who, ZZ Top, The Trews, Nazareth, and more, and performed twice on Parliament Hill for Canada Day. (In 2010 the Queen was present on stage)
We’ve performed for The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers had us perform at the 2009 home opener and then for the 84 Reunion of the first Stanley Cup with Wayne Gretzky and the whole team present. Sarah McLachlan and Tom Cochrane were also performing.
We have had several band members change over the years, but the current members are Robby Campbell, Sandy Campbell on bagpipes, Andy Gingerich on drums, Alex Showdra on guitars, banjo, mandolin, and backing vocals, Jordon Brosseau on bass and backing vocal, and Colin Amey on guitar and Lead Vocals. Colin Amey has had a very good solo career on his own and has several great accomplishments including being nominated for independent male vocalist of the year at the Canadian Country Music Awards.
To describe Mudmen’s music in one word it would be fun!
Tell us about the process of writing “Farmer’s Tan?”
Sandy started this song on acoustic guitar and wrote the lyrics and melody, then Robby and Sandy wrote the bagpipe parts. Then we jammed it out with Andy Gingerich, Alex Showdra, Jordon Brosseau, and Colin Amey and they helped to improve the song and put their musical style in.
Most songs are roughly written by one person in the group and then taken to the group to form the finished product. Robby has written the greatest number of songs in the band with Sandy a close second.
What’s it like being a musician in the Celtic/Rock world now? What’s still awesome about it?
Robby and I are the managers, booking agents, the roadies, so there is a lot of work behind the scenes no one sees. The actual performing part is awesome and meeting people is one of the best parts of our job. When we go on stage at some of these large festivals it’s a great feeling to see people really into the music and the moment. We’ve really been enjoying the theatres too where people come only to see Mudmen and are there for no other reason than the music and the band. Playing Celtic music is fun it usually raises people’s spirits or tends to make people drink more spirits. The awesome part about being in a touring band is seeing new places, and new faces in big and small venues performing with my brother 25 years after we started Mudmen.
Who was the first Canadian artist to blow you away?
Robby – Stompin’ Tom Connors. Tom’s connection with the common man and audience was second to none. I think he impressed me because he was real and lived the dream, tough as nails, and wouldn’t quit for nothing. His songs were simple but so memorable he is a true Canadian legend on stage and at the bar!
Sandy – I’m going to say “The Irish Rovers” because we grew up watching them on TV, they were our Mom’s favourite band and the first band we performed with. To me being a good person is very important and these guys were great guys and gave us a huge opportunity. It was an amazing experience joining them onstage for the first time at Hamilton Place with over 2000 people in attendance and they are a big reason we pursued this career.
You’ve been making music for a while now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
You need a day job and you’ll need to find your wallet. This is going to be very hard if you want to do original music. I would suggest being a cover band so you can make money and slowly slide in your own songs. Spend within your budget and keep your eyes peeled for the crooks and players in this business. They prey on young inexperienced people, tell you everything you want to hear, and sell them the dream.
I likely would not go with a manager but if you do watch out for the “Sunset clause.” Don’t get sold on big recording studios and record as much as you can at home or a small studio and be your own producer. So many times, we see bands get sucked into working with a big record producer and spend too much and the band is over before it ever starts. Make sure the people in your band are compatible and can work well together. If one person is shining, then they are helping elevate the band so do not be jealous be thankful, and if you want to shine then up your game.