Filthy Thieving Bastard are a collision of everything great about music, storytelling and punk rock. The tag team songwriting duo who brought you legendary street punk heroes, Swingin Utters, Johnny Bonnel and Darius Koski have teamed up with the talents of Spike Slawson on bass (Me First and the Gimme Gimmes) and drummer/producer Randy Burk to offer some of the most heartfelt and original records this side of the pub. Often compared with folk rock luminaries, The Pogues, and once described as "Billy Bragg as a crusty old punk on a bender," Filthy Thieving Bastards are heavily influenced by their own experiences and expertise in the punk rock scene.

Their first recorded full length album, A Melody of Broken Quills and Retreads, was released in ’99 through BYO shortly after the band's debut EP, Our Fathers Sent Us, made waves and stirred speculation about what people were calling the “Swinging Utters side project” could bring forth. Both releases delivered on the promise of Bonnel and Koski as songwriters and the logical progression of each as musicians was clearly evident. The Filthy Thieving Bastards' folk-ballad approach is somewhat of a contrast to the style of the Swingin Utters, but the conviction and refreshing honesty are still there in the Bastards. In place of audio distortion and anthemic guitar riffs is the more traditional timbre of accordion, violin, piano, organ, mandolin, pedal steel and upright bass.

Web site:  http://www.byorecords.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/filtythievingbastards