Dictionary Definition
firewater n : any strong spirits (such as strong
whisky or rum)
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- High proof alcohol, usually whiskey, especially in the context of its sale to or consumption by Native Americans.
- High temperature hydraulic discharge of condensate from industrial boilers.
Extensive Definition
- "Fire water" is a term coined by Native Americans, referring to the method used to demonstrate alcoholic proof.
Firewater is an indie rock
group founded by Tod A. in 1995. He describes
them as a "wedding
band
gone wrong".http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=firewater
After Tod left his previous group, Cop Shoot
Cop, he quickly regrouped and formed Firewater to explore the
styles of music Cop Shoot Cop had only hinted at, including
klezmer, cabaret, ska, jazz, and gypsy
forms. More than one source described the original Firewater lineup
as an "indie rock
supergroup", based on
members such as Duane
Denison of the Jesus
Lizard, Yuval Gabay
of Soul
Coughing, Jennifer
Charles of Elysian
Fields, and Hahn Rowe of
Foetus.
This original lineup proved unable to tour, and Tod recruited new
musicians for the band's first tour. While the lineup has changed
over the years, with many different musicians appearing on
different albums and tours, Tod remains the singer, songwriter, and bassist of Firewater.
Firewater has released six albums, and has seen
some success, especially in Europe and on
United
States college
radio stations.
Their album,
Songs We Should Have Written (2004), is a collection of
cover
songs. It includes songs written by Robyn
Hitchcock, The
Rolling Stones ("Paint It Black" reinterpreted as a crawlingly
slow raga which "shove(s) a
few downers down the
song's throat to counter the original version's adrenaline-fueled fire"
http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/f/firewater-songsweshould.shtml),
and a "dark and sweet" take of Sonny and
Cher's "The Beat Goes On", described as "10 times more ominous
and 20 times more pleasurable" than the original. http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/1294
The album also includes a modern rendition of the Johnny Cash
anthem "Folsom
Prison Blues".
For the last three years, singer Tod A has been
on extended sabbatical, travelling through Thailand, India,
Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia and chronicling his experiences on
his blog "Postcards from the Other Side of the World." During this
time, he wrote and recorded a new record The Golden Hour with the
help of various local musicians and friends, including Firewater
producer Tamir Muskat. The record was released May 6 through
Bloodshot records in USA and Noise-o-lution in Europe. The band is
currently touring in support of the album.
Discography
- Get Off the Cross, We Need the Wood for the Fire (1996)
- The Ponzi Scheme (1998)
- Psychopharmacology (2001)
- The Man on the Burning Tightrope (2003)
- Songs We Should Have Written (2004)
- The Golden Hour (2008)
External links
firewater in German: Firewater