To gig or not to gig...

[Tobin]

I had an informal jam session at my house last night with a well-known local fiddle player who is a friend-of-a-friend. He plays gigs all over this part of Texas, mostly doing country, swing, blues, jazz, and basically whatever people ask of him. He does a lot of stand-in work with bands for live gigs as well as in the recording studio. As bluegrass is not very popular around here, he doesn't have much exposure to it (despite liking the genre and being quite capable of playing that style). Besides being an outstanding fiddle player, he's also quite handy with the guitar and accordion.

So anyway, our session last night was just a casual get-together arranged by my wife for the purpose of seeing if we had any common ground. And boy, did we. We had a heck of a fun evening playing through some bluegrass, and then a medley of Old Time and Irish fiddle tunes. After a while, he asked me if I wanted a gig on St. Patrick's Day doing Irish tunes.

As it turns out, he has been asked to play some traditional Irish stuff at a local wine bar for St. Patrick's Day, and he told them no. He doesn't really have a repertoire of that style of music. And to be honest, neither do I. I play plenty of fiddle tunes that are in that genre, but I've never even sat in an ITM session, and don't really even know the first thing about playing that style of music the way it's supposed to be played. My F5 mandolin, according to some, isn't traditional enough for it anyway.

So my immediate reaction was no, I didn't feel like I'd be right for it. But now I'm second-guessing myself. This being rural South-Central Texas, the heart of cowboy country, where for most people Irish music is just a novelty to be enjoyed along with green beer and silly leprechaun decorations, it may not matter if I'm playing it true to style. I doubt any of them would know the difference. But I don't sing any Irish songs, and would be locked into instrumentals only.

If I could even scrape together enough Irish fiddle tunes to fill the time slot, it would likely just be two mandolins (my wife and me) and a fiddle, or two mandolins and a guitar for most of the pieces. Certainly not an overly-traditional mixture of instruments for Irish music. And not played true to style.

If you were in my shoes, would you take the gig or pass? I don't even know if it pays or not, and wouldn't care one way or the other. So money isn't in the equation. For me, the decision is based purely on whether I'd even be able to put together enough Irish-style music (or add enough tunes to my repertoire in the next two weeks that I'm comfortable playing). And of course, I'm on the fence about whether it would be a total disgrace to the Irish music/tradition.

[OldSausage]

I wouldn't be worried about the style issues. I would be concerned about the amount of work involved in putting together a respectable set in a couple of weeks, but if you're up for the challenge, you'll learn a lot, and I bet no-one will throw you out for not being trad enough.

[nickster60]

It could be fun. People really aren't that fussy about how authentic the music is, they want to have fun. And on St Patty's day there will be plenty beer flowing and I don't think they would give a hoot if you were playing a tarantella. You could always throw in some country, bluegrass or swing songs. I am sure they love them in your neck of the woods.

Read my quote at the bottom of my signature.

[Mrquincy]

In my opinion, go for it. If I may make a few suggestions.

-Try to learn at least one song with a Pennywhistle
-throw a few Pogues songs in..no one minds. Possibly Dropkick Murphys
-check out The Irish Rovers (Canadian Icons of Irish Music)
-if the 1st set is ok, everyone should be drunk by the 2nd set and it shouldn't matter much from there

I don't gig, but my nephew does regularly and he told me that on St. Paddy's day he would just either make up random words or mumble and/or turn the mic down a bit and no one really cared. Good luck if you take the gig.

[catmandu2]

No doubt, you'll feel unprepared--no matter what level of preparation you'll attain at this point. You just have to throw yourself at it--should you decide to do it.

Some folks in the audience will think--"where's the Irish?" Others--maybe more than half--will assume it's all Irish just by the presence of the mandolin (some will even think the F5 is a special "Irish"-type of mandolin). Most folks won't be as discerning as you might imagine--on SPD; even if you play a set of jigs and reels, some won't recognize it as "Irish" until you play DB, WIEAS, and the rest. IOW, don't overthink SPD

[James Rankine]

I agree with David - I wouldn't worry about the trad Police. As far as getting a set together my wife tells me she can't tell one Irish tune from another - it's all "diddly diddly" and she lives with someone who does a lot of diddlying. A bit of judicious recycling of tunes would probably go unnoticed, though it does rather depend on the audience.

[Randi Gormley]

Speaking as someone who does attend sessions and play ITM at St. Pat's gigs, I can tell you from experience that no one will know if you're traditional or not. Unless there's a regular session held at the venue, nobody probably has heard even close-to ITM and wouldn't know a slipjig from a reel or be able to identify uillieann pipes. Possibly a penny whistle, but they'd probably confuse it with a recorder.

So I'd say go for it. If you play any Old Time fiddle tunes, you'll be gold. The songs people want to hear aren't ITM either. They don't want to hear about the Blaskett Islands sung in Gaelic. They want to hear "When Irish Eyes are Smiling," "No, Nay, Never," "Peg O My Heart" and "Cockles and Mussels." That's if the audience is even paying attention to you.

[tangleweeds]

As someone who's pretty into Irish music (as in ordering hard-to-find CD's from across the ocean), I can assure you if I were choosing to exercise my (1/4) Irish heritage. I'd be at seeing some big-name Irish band in town, or else loyal to my usual standard Irish music venue. (unless I were trying to avoid all things Irish on St. Patrick's day, in which the situation gets too complicated to predict).

Call yourself "Celtic". That way the pure-drop police won't expect you to be in full ITM compliance.

[Steve L]

Well, I'll be the skunk at the garden party and say you were wise to turn it down. If you want to start playing Irish music...either tunes or songs, that's great. But I don't think you want your first experience to be going into a bar under-prepared for St Patrick's Day. The so-called "trad police" tend to avoid this scene like the plague. If you don't sing, you're in for a very long and potentially abusive night of telling drunks you can't do The Wild Rover, The Unicorn Song, Shipping Up To Boston, Galway Girl, Dublin In The Green etc. What some people consider to be "traditional" Irish music you wouldn't believe.

[DataNick]

My bluegrass band played a "Viking Festival" last year, and though we have a fiddler, we don't do a heck of a lot of fiddle tunes. Great experience though and they were appreciative. Not an apples to apples comparison, but just for the experience sake I'd probably do it...life is short, why not?...

[catmandu2]

SPD is kinda like Disneyland--rife with artifice: no better day for newbies to get their feet wet

Call yourself "Celtic"

definitely

[nickster60]

Steve
I don't agree with you. There is a huge difference between Massachusetts and Texas. The are lots of Irishmen in New England and there traditions live on. In the South the Irishmen moved to Appalachia and created Bluegrass. They will never know the difference.

[Mike Romkey]

Go for it.

[Perry]

Seem everyone has the same thought....learn just a couple of Irish tunes I suggest a couple of Hornpipes and Jigs and then play the bluegrass fiddle tunes (faux reels) a bit slower and in unison....nobody will know the difference...insert bodhran player for aesthetics

Can you sight read? I play a fair amount of Irish tunes that I require the sheet music for...of course i have played them numerous times but have not committed them to memory...is that cheating? maybe...do I care? NO

Look up the King Street Session free PDF...nice cleanly notated sheet music WITH chords if you have a guitar player

Have a Guiness by your side too...wine don't cut it

As DataNick says life is short, why not?...

[mandopete]

Call yourself "Celtic". That way the pure-drop police won't expect you to be in full ITM compliance.

Call yourselves Boston Celtics, um no, that's already taken. Perhaps Lucky Charms?

[Randy Smith]

Learn a few reels, jigs, hornpipes & a few songs. Be prepared to play them more than once between the other stuff you do. Take the gig and then let the café know how it turned out.

[multidon]

They want to hear "When Irish Eyes are Smiling," "No, Nay, Never," "Peg O My Heart" and "Cockles and Mussels." That's if the audience is even paying attention to you.

+1. Throw in "My Wild Irish Rose", "Toora-Loora-Loora", "The Irish Washerwoman" and "The Unicorn". There's your first set. After enough green beer they won't care what you play. That's when you can pull out the real trad stuff. If you mess it up who's gonna care?

The way St. Patrick's Day has morphed in the US it's really just an excuse to get drunk. Like we need an excuse! A lot of the music people expect to hear (because they are familiar) aren't Irish at all but Irish-American. Chauncy Olcott et al. Some do George M. Cohan songs like Yankee Doodle Dandy and such because he was a famous Irish American. I have heard that real Irish folks are kind of insulted by the to-do we make of it here. All the hoopla, the stereotypes, the bad accents, green everything, and don't forget the leprechans! Who, in Irish folklore aren't cute at all but sort of evil.

[mandorambler]

I'd be ready to play and sing "Danny Boy," too.

[nickster60]

We have a old guy who play the fiddle at the local jam. In the winter we have lots of snow birds down here and they love to come to these jams. This old guys fiddle sounds like a buzz-saw thrown in to a bucket of cats, it is just awful. When he plays the Orange Blossom Special these old girls will just about jump out of the bloomers. They start dancing all out of time, half because he is out of time and I a little old age on the gals part. I guess my point is most people really don't care.

[Timbofood]

Call yourselves "The Auld Sods" And anyone who figures it out will be drunk or, as Wakefield says "Wiiise"

[Bill Baldridge]

Go for it. It was your buddy that set up the gig.

[Steve Zawacki]

Add "Whiskey in the Jar" as an encore number (always go out with a bang) and you'll have a hard time going home sober.

[Tobin]

Call yourself "Celtic". That way the pure-drop police won't expect you to be in full ITM compliance.

Heh, actually, my family history is Scottish (Kilpatrick, of Clan Colquhoun). I could wear my kilt to the gig just for giggles, but the folks in the bar probably wouldn't get the irony. They'd probably just think it was Irish.

Can you sight read? I play a fair amount of Irish tunes that I require the sheet music for...of course i have played them numerous times but have not committed them to memory...is that cheating? maybe...do I care? NO

I can sight read, yes, and I have a book of Irish fiddle tunes that would be more than enough to fill the evening. But I'm not sure I'd want to have to get up in front of a bar full of people and play while staring at a book. It kinda screams, "I came unprepared."

The way St. Patrick's Day has morphed in the US it's really just an excuse to get drunk. Like we need an excuse! A lot of the music people expect to hear (because they are familiar) aren't Irish at all but Irish-American. Chauncy Olcott et al. Some do George M. Cohan songs like Yankee Doodle Dandy and such because he was a famous Irish American. I have heard that real Irish folks are kind of insulted by the to-do we make of it here. All the hoopla, the stereotypes, the bad accents, green everything, and don't forget the leprechans! Who, in Irish folklore aren't cute at all but sort of evil.

To be real honest, that's one part of this that's bugging me. I usually avoid St. Patrick's Day festivities because Americans have turned it into "Lampoon the Irish Day". And it's not like they even do it on purpose, with the intent of insulting the Irish via bad stereotypes. Most Americans honestly believe a lot of it is true. Not sure I want to be a part of that, unless I could somehow be true to Irish music. But like I said, I'm not really into ITM. I don't even know any Irish songs aside from a couple of Clancy Brothers cassettes I still own.

[Peter Coronado]

I agree with the go for it crowd. Getting ready for a gig in two weeks with unfamiliar material is a big challenge. Here is some musical advice on performing Irish music for Americans. I don't think Texas is mentioned in this song, but I bet your experience will be similar.

[JeffD]

Not sure I want to be a part of that, unless I could somehow be true to Irish music. But like I said, I'm not really into ITM. I don't even know any Irish songs aside from a couple of Clancy Brothers cassettes I still own.

IMO, don't do it unless you can feel good about it. But... if you decide to do some Irish music performances, St. Patrick's Day crowds are the most forgiving. They are the least discerning and a lot of them listen to Irish music no other time of the year. So if you needed a gig where you would be appreciated but need not be spot on, St. Patrick's Day is the way.