By Staff | January 20, 2026

Photo credit: Heather Frable @heatherfrablephoto

The Fighting Jamesons are an American Irish/Celtic–influenced group that blends rock & roll, punk rock, world, and folk music into a high-energy sound that connects with listeners across genres. They have been active for over 16 years, touring primarily along the East Coast, with additional runs in California and and the Midwest. Their current lineup has been solid for the past seven years, during which they’ve seen significant growth in their fanbase—particularly in the years coming out of COVID. Along the way, they have had the opportunity to share the stage with artists such as Dropkick Murphys, Young Dubliners, The Saw Doctors, Andrew W.K. Street Dogs and even Vanilla Ice. They are currently writing their next full-length album and plan to begin recording in late winter or early spring of 2026.

You’ve had the same lineup for seven years now — a rarity in the indie circuit. How has that internal stability changed the way you approach songwriting compared to the earlier years of the band?

Geo: Were definitely really lucky to be able to have this exact lineup for so long. This lineup has been locked for 7 years but at one point we had 2 of the seven members leave to focus on life stuff and came back to the fold.

Looking back at the band’s start in 2010 versus today, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about surviving and thriving on the East Coast circuit?

Geo: When we started we were so focused on playing as many shows as possible which to some degree helped, it was from a survival mindset to keep pushing forward. Now we do this only for the enjoyment of it which has made playing and performing alot more stress free. I would say I wish young versions of us would have tried to enjoy the ride a little more, but were enjoying it now.

You’ve mentioned seeing significant growth after the lockdowns. To what do you attribute that? Do you think audiences are craving that communal experience more than they were a decade ago?

Geo: I feel like COVID advanced market demands and interest across all industries. Peoples musical tastes morphed overnight, the way people digested information from 2019-2023 completely changed and we had to adapt with that change. Coming out of COVID people were ready to get back to socializing and feeling normal again which was when we started seeing better turnouts at shows and higher demand for the band.

You’ve shared the stage with icons like the Dropkick Murphys and The Saw Doctors. What is one specific backstage or on-stage moment with one of those legendary acts that fundamentally changed how you look at your own live show?

Geo: I’ve always loved talking gear and equipment with anyone from those bands and picking their brain on their live setup. Dropkick of course are a massive band and they travel with a top tier stage show, but the majority of their live performance is the physical energy they exert on stage. It’s captivating, so the organic energy they all pass to one another was something I notice over all the lights and graphics on the display behind them. You can tell they are a legitimate unit which translates live.

We have to ask — how does a Celtic-influenced rock band end up on a bill with Vanilla Ice, and what did you take away from that specific experience?

Geo: Haha, we were on opposing festival stages and we got to play right before Vanilla Ice one year at RFK stadium and the crowd was nuts. Theres a YouTube video up on our Youtube channel of the crowd you can watch at the link below. But he was a super nice guy and even took a fan photo with me before the show.

You’re heading into the studio in late winter/early spring. What is the mission statement for this new full-length album? Is it a continuation of your last sound, or are you pushing into new territory?

Geo: Weve recorded two full length studio albums and 3 live albums that we’ve had available over the years. This album will be new territory for us. We were hyper focused on reigning in The America Irish lay to claim per se but over the years we’ve morphed that sound to being truly unique to our lineup. We have amazing musicians that all come from different musical backgrounds ranging from classical to heavy metal and jazz to gypsy folk music which has allowed us to pull inspiration and technical abilities while still maintaining that true to style Celtic/Irish influence.

Does the atmosphere of recording in the dead of winter influence the mood of the tracks, or are you strictly aiming to bottle up that summer festival energy?

Geo: I would say our songs are more based on the subject matter of that specific song but in general most of our songs are faster paced and focused more on the structure and composition though recording in winter takes alot more motivation for sure especially for people like me who don’t like leaving their house lol.

After 16 years of touring, are there any stories you find yourselves wanting to tell now that you might not have been ready to tell ten years ago?

Geo: Nothing crazy but nothing I would even attempt now. We were a bit more brave 16 years ago when we were in our early to mid 20’s thinking we were invincible. But our Violin player and I use to enjoy what we would call “Light Trespassing” whenever we had one too many drinks and I dunno…maybe we found a ladder to a rooftop of an abandoned building and went exploring or maybe we found an entrance to a brand new construction high rise that was easily accessible and maybe we spent a few hours on that site. Hypothetically speaking of course. One time our Accordion player flooded an entire hotel room (by accident) in an unnamed state and by pure chance that hotel was demolished a year later.

You’ve primarily owned the East Coast but have branched into California and the Midwest. What’s the biggest difference between a Fighting Jamesons crowd in, say Omaha versus a crowd in New York?

Geo: We have a lot of fans in Indianapolis, whats great about this genre of music is it spans multiple generations. Rock N Roll today isn’t the same Rock N Roll our our parents listened to, they probably wouldn’t enjoy mainstream rock today if you’re a Aerosmith fan or a Led Zeppelin fan. But with this sub culture of Americans and people from mainland Ireland, all generations appreciate the musicianship and renditions of classic Irish songs. So the crowd we have in our east coast market are honestly almost identical to the market we would have in California or Indianapolis. We see Grandfathers singing along with their Grandchildren on the same songs which makes it even more special when you see those same generations singing your original songs.

Your music is often described as high-energy. How do you maintain that level of intensity night after night on a long tour run without burning out?

Geo: When we were younger and powering through as many shows as possible it was tough but now we don’t do traditional tours, were lucky that we get to pick and choose what we want to do and how much we want to do. If we get a show offer in New Jersey for a Friday then I’ll string together a weekend between NJ and PA and venues we would want to play then come home. We are all family men with wives, children and careers. Were very fortunate to all have partners and careers that allow us to break way for a two day run a weekend or two a month with 4-5 weekends for our halfway run and 4-5 weekends in a row for our March run. We use to just mainly play Sept and March with a few events sprinkled in between seasons but the last two years we’ve gone out almost every month playing high quality festivals and venues with great results from crowd attendance.

As you prepare to record and likely tour behind the new album, what is the one bucket list venue or festival that the band is determined to hit in 2026, or beyond?

Geo: We will likely tie the new album to a seasonal run of shows like shooting for next march for release or maybe earlier to capitalize as much as we can off the March Madness. I would love for us to play Dublin Irish festival in Ohio in the next year or two!

Anyone you'd like to thank?

Geo: Id like to thank all of our fans who have been with us for so long and all the new fans for jumping on our ship when they found us.

Links

Official website: https://www.thefightingjamesons.com

Upcoming shows: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/1000894-the-fighting-jamesons

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefightingjamesons

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFightingJamesons

Bandcamp: https://thefightingjamesons.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6pmynjI7Ubs8UjIGr6yY7V

YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCSM3nDLVdPr8AymvnAu6g_A

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