The Real McKenzies are not just a band. They are an unstoppable touring machine. A road-hardened crew of traveling minstrels, entertainers and vagabonds on a never-ending quest for good times.

For the past 20 years, this ferocious gang of miscreants has been captivating audiences around the globe with their addictive, uncompromising and undeniably heartfelt music. Featuring a diverse and insanely talented roster of musicians, The Real McKenzies draw on both acoustic and electric instruments to blend a potent concoction of classic punk, rock n’ roll, hard folk and traditional Celtic influence. Anthemic guitars and soaring bagpipes play off each other as Paul McKenzie spins yarns of times long past and regales with tales of endless drunken revelries. Blistering punk rock boot stompers stand alongside passionate singalong ballads while good times and joyous camaraderie are all the order of the day.

Fueled by an insatiable need to share the McKenzies’ gospel with the world, the boys are equally at home playing to 20,000 screaming football fans in the heart of Germany as they are to a few hundred punks in the dirtiest, darkest, most disreputable clubs of the Canadian wilderness. After more than two decades, 8 full-length albums, countless compilation appearances and singles, The Real McKenzies have earned a reputation that is second to none. They’ve shared the stage with Rancid, NOFX, Flogging Molly, The Misfits, Pennywise, Shane McGowan and Metallica just to name a few, all the while garnering new friends and fans along the way.

And now they’re back with Rats in the Burlap! Set for an April 2015 release, The Real McKenzies’ ninth long-player continues the tradition of blending classic Scottish/Celtic musicality with pure punk rock, melodic badassery. Song themes run the gamut from the insanely glamorous world of international touring (“Midnight Train to Moscow”, “Up on a Motorbike”) to rebellious defiance in the face of tyranny (“Who’d a Thought”, “You Wanna Know”) to a hilariously heartwarming story of a cat who stole Paul McKenzie’s haggis on Robbie Burns Day (“Bootsy the Haggis-Eating Cat”…duh). With fourteen loaded tracks of fortified McKenzies madness, Rats in the Burlap is a much needed breath of boozy-fresh air. Much like a fine single malt whisky, The Real McKenzies only get better with age.