Under the Kilt: the Real McKenzies Exposed

Formed in Vancouver, Canada in 1992, the Real McKenzies were the first group to wed traditional Celtic folk music with the ferocious roar of punk rock, and this is their booze-fueled story. Exhaustively researched and comprised of numerous interviews with not just the bandmembers themselves but managers, friends, booking agents, and associates alike, this action-packed book gives readers an inside view of the innovative and tenacious group.

The Real McKenzies were the first group to wed traditional Celtic folk music with the ferocious roar of punk rock, and this is their booze-fueled story. Formed in Vancouver, Canada in 1992, the scrappy Canadians broke all the rules, placing bagpipes and tin whistles alongside supercharged guitars and a pounding rhythm section to form an explosive and widely imitated genre of punk rock. The Real McKenzies began with songs of a satirical nature but slowly evolved as master storytellers, writing music that is both timeless and fresh. This is the tale of the legendary punk group that blazed a trail around the globe, the stormy and often bloody saga of a band that fought and won. Under the Kilt: the Real McKenzies Exposed gives readers an inside view of the innovative and tenacious group. Exhaustively researched and comprised of numerous interviews with not just the bandmembers themselves but managers, friends, booking agents, and associates as well, this book is the definitive word on the Real McKenzies, not suitable for the faint of heart.

Chris Walter, a recovering drug addict and hope-to-die punk rocker, began writing purposefully in 1998 after realizing that his life up to that point had been meaningless. His first published novel, Punk Rules OK went largely unnoticed except by detractors, inspiring him to take a DIY approach to the game. With help from his girlfriend who worked at a printing shop, he started GFY Press and began to write, publish, and distribute a steady stream of fiction novels and music biographies. After kicking drugs to the curb in 2001, GFY Press expanded to include unschooled troublemakers Simon Snotface, Stewart Black, and an Australian, Drew Gates, drawing further criticism from the established literary industry. More than twenty titles and fourteen years later, Chris Walter and GFY Press remain unrepentant and committed. Chris is the author of twenty-four books, many of which are available electronically. He has also contributed to numerous publications including The Georgia Straight, Nerve, Razorcake, The Big Takeover, Mass Movement, Vice, Loud Fast Rules, and Absolute Underground.