What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

[steve V. johnson]

For me the day ended wonderfully with a great non-Irish rehearsal (the Lopers morphing into the Alleged Texans with the addition of mroe players and new songs). We all get along really well and are working the tunes out really well.

Yeah, I'm glad it's over, but it's not quite the "kidney stone" feeling that Steve L endured. (I've experienced kidney stones, too... *shudder*) But it's been a long road to achieve life without the amateurs' annoyances.

This year it's a prelude to the actual beginning of the festival season, house sessions outside, a couple of our public sessions moving outside, weather that allows us to travel to other friends'
sessions, parties, gigs... I feel it comin' and it's all good.

The 'real' (for us) opening of the season is the Tionól in St. Louis, which is very much a reunion
of great friends as well as a weekend of peak musical experiences.

stv

[journeybear]

I'll never understand why someone will seek out a pub with live music, stand in front of the players and carry on a continuous conversation with their friends in ear-splitting shouts paying no attention to the music at all. Usually followed by spilling beer and knocking things over.

Or worse - grabbing the mike to shout into it.

I used to think these clods were still somehow listening with part of their brains, as if the musicians were providing background music for their conversation. Now I think they're not really thinking about it one way or another, but have just randomly ended up in front of the stage. I think it's an ego thing, and they want to be the stars of the show. But again, I'm assuming there's some conscious thought being applied, which may be assuming too much.

[Paul Cowham]

I tend to agree that it is possibly the worst day of the year to play irish music and the cynical part of me thinks that actually a fair bit of the hype surrounding it is due to the massive marketing exercise on the part of guiness.., sorry if that sounds a little controversial, I am aware that many people do genuinely enjoy celebrating the day which is good thing..

Ended up havin a marathon gig in a very large noisy pub - did four one hour sets, to be fair there was a good natured atmosphere and people were enjoying it but it definitely felt more like work than fun which is what I generally associate with playing irish music, still no point complaining, didn't have to do it..

[MikeEdgerton]

Or worse - grabbing the mike to shout into it....

Boy, not only do I hate that, I hate when they grab the mic and shout into it as well

[journeybear]

Boy, not only do I hate that, I hate when they grab the mic and shout into it as well

Ah, the old preposition/conjunction switcheroo! And I thought *I* was persnickety ... Say, did they have chicken wire in front of the stage at your gig? That would have been the topper!

One can't help but wonder - what do these people do the rest of the year? If they would spend a LITTLE time learning about Irish music they might treat it (and its players) a little more kindly come next St. Patrick's Day. And eventually, as more and more became enlightened, such boorish behavior might diminish. But then again, I suppose a new crop would raise its roguish head each year ...

Nothing to do but grin and bare it

[John McGann]

One can't help but wonder - what do these people do the rest of the year?

Dey lissen to Green Alligatiz...over and over...all day...drinkin' Bud...in their parent's basement until next March 17, when they can scream "PLAY GREEN ALLIGATIZ!!!" at the band (who has just played it and played it twice earlier in the set)....

[MikeEdgerton]

I only wish we had the chicken wire

[journeybear]

Dey lissen to Green Alligatiz...over and over...all day...drinkin' Bud...in their parent's basement until next March 17, when they can scream "PLAY GREEN ALLIGATIZ!!!" at the band (who has just played it and played it twice earlier in the set)....

Oh - you mean, PRACTICE! Never thought about it, but they must. They've got that routine down cold, despite having drunk enough to make a horse wobbly ... or turn an alligator green

[mikeyes]

Our band played at a bar where the patrons were so loud we could not hear ourselves play and they were packed in there screaming above the music. We played all of our rousing sets, tried a few (futile) songs and when we stopped at 9 PM (per our contract), everyone left the bar telling us how much they enjoyed listening to us.

Will wonders never cease!

Also, two gigs today, one Friday and two over the past weekend. We really earn our $80 apiece

[steve V. johnson]

Musicians Who Play Irish Music!

Boycott Ugly St. Patrick's Day Gigs!

Leave 'em to the "celtic rock" crowd. Hold out and only play places that work for you. Or... throw a house party, if you're ambitious, book a hall...

I cheer y'all on to do this because we have done it and it's made our Saint's Day much better.
I do understand that for some turning down gigs just ain't gonna happen, too.

stv

[Jim MacDaniel]

...Or... throw a house party, if you're ambitious, book a hall...

Great approach, and one that could be applied to feast days honoring any of the other several hundred Irish saints -- especially since there aren't many paying gigs for St. Kevin or St. Brigid, let alone Columbanus or others. This would also be a great excuse to host a get-together on almost any day of the year, since according to this calendar, it will be hard to find a day in any month that isn't associated with one or more Irish Saints, well known or not. In fact, tonight I think I'll tip a pint and play a few tunes in honor of Saint Aidan (a.k.a. Aodhán, Aodh, Aodach, & Maodhóg), the Patron Saint of the Diocese of Ferns, IE.

[mandozilla]

I've never played a St. Paddy's Day gig, or a gig in a Irish pub, or Irish music for that matter...but I did play at Joe's Mexican Hoffbrau & Chinese Pizzeria once...now THAT's American.

All kidding aside, there was this honky tonk on the east side of the town I grew up in...the name escapes me right now...but I swear to *** there was chicken wire across the front of the stage! Just like in the Blues Brothers flick.

Uncle George played in a CW band off and on for many years there. He would always talk about the rowdy's and the knuckleheads, the flying ashtrays, beer mugs and bottles so when I was old enough (~ 1974), I had to see for myself and sure enough, it was true by golly!

[foldedpath]

We played a dinner theater/pub gig last night that was great fun. This is a small West Coast town that's very receptive to acoustic music of all kinds, with an older demographic so you don't get so much drunken song requests (although I did have to fend off one "Do 'ya know Whiskey in da Jar?").

Except for a brief set of 3 songs by a local chorale group that stopped by (for the inevitable Danny Boy, etc.), it was all Irish 'trad fiddle tunes with fiddle, guitar, mandolin and bodhran for our group, and a big passle of local fiddlers that joined in on the middle set of three. The venue was packed to capacity, and nobody seemed to mind that the music was non-vocal. We got some foot-stomping, glass-on-the-table banging encouragement on the fast reels. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

We're not a pure Irish band, and we had to cram pretty hard for the last couple of months to fill out the set with this many 'trad fiddle tunes. It will be a relief to go back to our 50% Irish, 50% "other" set list. But I hope we can do this again next year.

[Randi Gormley]

had three back-to-back gigs on St. Patrick's -- the Gaelic American Club where the noise of the crowd was enhanced by screaming children running around in front of the stage and continuously kicking out the plug that powered the microphones ... followed by the very upscale old folk's home dining area set up like a night club where we moved a center table and sat around in a circle to show the 90-year-olds what a real session might look like ... followed by a bar gig with all the noise you'd expect although we did get one or two people who just stood around, their drinks in hand, just listening, though how they could hear us was anybody's guess because we could barely hear ourselves. Then the very drunk gentleman with the button accordion asked if he could join us and play alongside, even though the only thing he knew was how to pull the bellows out and push them in, and play a simple scale or two on the buttons. Thankfully, it was about 10:15 at that time and we were only supposed to play to 10:30, so we figured why not ... i cannot understand why people need to scream at the tops of their lungs at a bar. we did the nursing home on sunday where the 89-year-old lady kept getting up to dance the hootchie-cootchie in front of us as we were trying to play some reels and jigs. we joked later she must have been a stripper in her former life... we've promised ourselves to create a new tune list after St. Pat's, though, so I'm looking forward to something besides "Golden Jubilee" for the umpteenth time.

[Avi Ziv]

I forgot to mention the green bead necklaces being handed out at the pubs. What is going on here? Is is PaddyGraw?

[Bertram Henze]

I guess this whole St. P. business has grown way out of its original meaning, just like Christmas has.

I did nothing particularly Irish that day, not even play. After a hard day's work, it was quiet support for the wife who telephoned around half the choir she sings with, because their conductor had suddenly passed away the day before.

Bertram

[Eddie Sheehy]

St Patrick's Day in Ireland is (was) just a Catholic Church Feast Day of Ireland's Patron Saint. Adults wear a spriog of Shamrock and kids wear little harp badges with a green ribbon. There are parades with floats and marching bands. Americans have always gone overboard on St. Patrick's Day - green beer, green rivers etc. I personally appreciate being appreciate by Americans and say "Fair Play" to them in their over-indulgence. A lot of Irish people - especially young adults - travel to the U.S. to celebrate St. Patricks Day - I met a group of some 3 years ago while returning from my Mom's funeral. I enjoy a pint of Guinness on St. Patrick's Day to "wet the Shamrock" - this year it was in Salzburg, Austria, last year it was in Beijing - I like to travel for my birthday which is on the 14th March. From one of the above articles it seems to be getting a little out of hand in Ireland... pity. It's a great day to be Irish and to revel in Irish music whilst partaking of Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks, and non-green beer...

[steve V. johnson]

I got the 'hire a hall' idea from some other friends who had so much rowdy work that they found
a pub that wasn't thought of as Irish and had a nice stage and a great area for sessions and reserved the space for an off-prime-time gathering and sent out invitations to players.

In the midst of all the gig madness some great palyers came together for some relaxed tunes and refreshments. The word spread well via word o' mouth and there were a number of good listeners there as well. A tuneful oasis in the storm of performances.

A hall or meeting room, or a restaurant or bar that doesn't have much action at St. Pat's time can be arranged free-or-cheap, and players can make a concert or session open for guests...

stv

[allenhopkins]

Had a great St. Pat's: mid-morning gig playing Irish songs at an inner-city elementary school, St. Pat's parties at two senior residences (12:30 and 2:30 p.m.), finished up at a funky 19th-century hotel back room in the little village of Lima NY, where my band Innisfree played unamplified for two hours, Celtic instrumentals for a very appreciative audience. Made a few hundred bucks, saw some friends, finished up at 9 p.m. and got home before the drunks were on the road.

St. Patrick's Day is "Folk Musicians' Full Employment Day," and I quip that anyone with a guitar and a green sweater can get a job playing somewhere. Not many days when one has four gigs, one after the other, but I'm not complaining. I don't do the green beer and drunken screaming circuit any more, and surprisingly enough, there are quite a few places where people really do want to listen. Makes up for having to do When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Toora-Loora-Loora, and Danny Boy several times during the day.

[Rick C.]

Had an interesting St. Pat's. Played an hour solo set before the band my son's in took the stage (hey, may as well get some payback here). I was expecting the worst since they are in the Dropkick Murphy vein and 95% of those people were there to see them, and that's not at all what I do. But it went OK, despite the sound guy they hired being a Rap guy and not having any clue how this was supposed to sound and the room being a converted warehouse with the usual high ceilings and brick walls. Live to the nth degree, but surprisingly few feedback problems.

But then The Boys got up there and just decimated the place, which was very interesting to watch. I just had to shake my head and laugh. Very strange, watching all those 20 and 30-something women shaking whatever.... and yelling "I.R.A." at the appropriate times in the songs-- with absolutely no clue as to the political, social, and religious connontations. Probably not a single Irish Catholic in the bunch. "To Hell with King Billy and God bless The Pope"? In Alabama? Good lord...

They and the bar made a killing.

[Jim MacDaniel]

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2010!

We got an early start yesterday by taking our four year old Aidan to the 159th running of the San Francisco St. Patrick's Day Parade & accompanying Irish Festival at the Civic Center, and finished the day with a stroll through China Town. The Gas Men started things off at 11AM at the Civic Center's main stage, with a great set of traditional and original tunes and songs. They sounded wonderful, and were a blast to watch and listen to, and you'll be celebrating the actual day on Wednesday in SF, they'll be playing and the Plough and Stars.

[catmandu2]

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2010!

Too you too

This year I haven't a gig on the day--played my SPD gig last week. Have a gig this weekend though--playing some trad Scandinavian actually. What I am doing on Wednesday is watching that Music of Ireland show on PBS -- fiddles, harps, concertinas, melodeons... Tomorrow though, working with bellydancers in the evening.

[fatt-dad]

O.K. the question was asked (albeit a year ago), but I have a mando-answer. I'm playing my mandolin on the local public radio along with a few of my jam mates. The station had a "Danny Boy" competition and we won! So, the station wants us to perform our rendition live at noon on St. Pat's day.

Burning those seconds from my 15 minutes, eh?

f-d

[allenhopkins]

Nine gigs in ten days, seven solo, two with Innisfree. Not as much mandolin as mandola, octave, mandocello. Three jobs on Mar. 17 itself.

[Jill McAuley]

Going out busking, might do a mini-tour of BART stations!

Cheers,
Jill