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

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

    My session mates and I played for Fox News (5) live from St. James Gate pub in Maplewood NJ, early this morning. VERY early. We showed up at 6:30am... this is when sessions should end rather than begin It was cool though, cheese and all. We went live several times for maybe 15-30 second "tease" segments which meant playing non stop for a while until they were ready to take the feed. It's like being asked to hold your breath under water LOL And the there was definitely some whiskey before breakfast

    Back to work now for a few hours and then back to the pub for a long session in the afternoon. I'm sure it will be very crowded.

    How 'bout you?
    Avi

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    I know this is a shock but I'm booked in an Irish pub to play yeehaw music tonight. We don't do Irish songs. I have no idea why or how this has happened. Perhaps it's a wrinkle in the fabric of time or something.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    There will be a capacity audience at the coffeehouse that hosts our normal Tuesday night jam. I am expecting to see a lot of green.

    I hope they like OT.
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    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Tuesdays are usually my half day at work so I thought that I'd go set up at the BART station and busk trad tunes for the laugh, but this week I'm having to work a full day today - bah!

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    Mandolin Botherer Shelagh Moore's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    I would be expecting to do a higher than usual number of Irish tunes and songs at our regular Tuesday night session here.

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    Registered User Jim MacDaniel's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    I will be picking up my boy Aidan after school and playing Mr. Mom, while my wife goes out a celebrate the day with friends. But I'll be playing plenty of ITM in the car and at home to set the mood for our boys' night in. (Note: I'll be playing ITM CD's in the car -- I haven't yet mastered the art of playing mandolin while behind the wheel.)

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

    Working...then scooping up Mama and boy to head to the local pub for a live trad sesh and a few pints o the black stuff. It's a five block walk so Papa can have a couple


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    Mike Parks woodwizard's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    May go to Kelt's tonight for an Irish pan fried steak and some good Irish brew. Wife willing??
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    write more songs Bob Wiegers's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    let's see...no gig for me, but the wife is making Irish stew, I'm listening to Planxty and Robin Mark, saying a prayer or 2 for my friends in Ireland. maybe we'll watch "Once" tonight :-)
    Original acoustic music - Solo Octave Mandolin - Original Folk Music

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    Registered User man dough nollij's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    For me, SPD was yesterday. Went over to Scott Base (NZ Antarctic station) for green gin and darts. Woo Hoo!

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    Mark Evans mandozilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Well I'm sitting at work doggone it. I'll get no green beer...I'm working a swing shift (well at least I'm working. Praise the Lord!) ...but I did get pinched for not wearing any green today.

    For me, SPD was yesterday. Went over to Scott Base (NZ Antarctic station) for green gin and darts. Woo Hoo!
    I know it would be mean (and highly illegal I'm sure) but you could dress up some penguins in leprachaun costumes and get 'em drunk.



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    Registered User man dough nollij's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    ...or dye 'em green and hold penguin wrestling matches...


    Mando content: Some chords are like wrestling a drunken penguin!

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    Registered User Jim MacDaniel's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Quote Originally Posted by mandozilla View Post
    ...I know it would be mean (and highly illegal I'm sure) but you could dress up some penguins in leprachaun costumes and get 'em drunk...
    That shouldn't be a stretch, since I believe penguins already puke green when feeding their young.

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    Notary Sojac Paul Kotapish's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Played a few numbers with Wake the Dead on KFOG radio in San Francisco--a mainstream pop station that actually supports live and local music and plays a fair amount of music with mandolins in it. We did some Irish settings of Grateful Dead songs with reels and jigs mixed in. No kidding. It's better than it sounds.

    No gigs tonight, but three coming up this weekend--all listed in the mandolincafe.com calendar.
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    Registered User man dough nollij's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Kotapish View Post
    Played a few numbers with Wake the Dead...
    Isn't that Frank Wakefield and Bob Weir's new band? They rock.

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    Registered User dulcillini's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Picked up my mandolin, poured a glass of green beer, went outside and played up a storm. Life is good !

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

    My gig tonight was similar to the Blues Brothers movie, the scene in the cowboy bar, except we were doing cowboy music in front of a bunch of drunk folks in an Irish bar that didn't even want to hear Irish music, they were looking for head banging rock.

    I'd call it a train wreck but that really doesn't do it justice.

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

    Avi -- that is some -rough- duty. woo.... Definitely '... before breakfast..." I've done that gig, but not with Irish music and never that early!!! I'd have to ask... 'Don't you guys know about hard drives, random access video? Or bloody video -tape-?!?' But I guess that would ruin it, eh?
    Well done.

    Jill -- I love it! The BART. Busk hard.

    Paul -- I remember KFOG! I think it saved my spirit a couple of times when I lived out there.

    Mike E -- Oh man, I'm sorry... ah well, it's over, eh?

    I had a better day than I deserve. We played in a very nice 'retirement community' where we've done a couple hours for the last four St. Pat's days. This time we (my wonderful wife Min on bodhrán and bones, me on bouzouki and guitar) played with fiddler Andy Strain, our first gig with
    him. He was a little tense, but we had a great time. Ladies came up to ask Min about her drum and bones and she answered them while playing without missing a beat. Andy rose above what he thought his capabilities were and the joint had some really odd green drinx for the folks ("Uh, not thanks, I need to be sober to play...") and green beers, coffee with little cups of Bailey's and Jamesons mixed. (Y'could just buy St. Brendans... much better... alas...) And the woman who hired us bought a bunch of CDs, too! "Can I just add this to your invoice?" Yes, ma'am, thanks!!

    Then after a bite at home I went to a rehearsal of the Lopers transforming to the Alleged Texans and we learned to really nail some fun stuff. Lyle Lovett's "Cute As A Bug"... some other stuff.

    I'm too priveleged to play with these great folks... I could've played hooky to go to the Irish session in the Runcible Spoon (regular Tues session falling on St. Pat's this time...) but fortunately I didn't. Balance betw Irish and American/original was preserved.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Mike E -- Oh man, I'm sorry... ah well, it's over, eh?
    It was a long 2 hours.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    I made my traditional corned beef and cabbage, and turnips, and parsnips, and carrots, and potatoes, and onions ... the thrill that comes once a year and lasts a week. Oh, that's a big ol' pot o' goodness!

    Once upon a time I was living in CT and playing in a jug band. Somehow the band leader learned that Eric Von Schmidt, noted folk/blues artist from the 60s, a) lived in CT and b) was listed in the phone book! He called him up and got him interested in doing occasional gigs with us, which enlivened the next couple of years or so. There's plenty more but I'm trying to stay on point here.

    One St. Patrick's Day we got booked to play at one of the venues that would have us, a place called Poco Loco. After we were done we wanted to eat, but since it was kind of late and this was New Haven our choices were somewhat limited. While people were deciding I had time to reflect on some peculiar circumstances of this day. Here I was, a person of Jewish heritage with German/Hungarian roots, playing Afro-American music on an Italian instrument with a friend of Prussian ancestry, in a Mexican restaurant on a day honoring the patron saint of Ireland ... so where did we eat? At the Chinese place next door, of course!

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

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    It was a long 2 hours.
    You have my sincerest sympathies, Mike. I sometimes miss playing music full-time for a living, but St. Patrick's Day is one day that makes me very glad I switched careers. I even got someone else to fill in for me for my only regular gig on Monday night, just to be sure.

    Today, I'm recovering. Not from drink (it was coffee all the way for me yesterday), but from the fact that the sun shone all day here. Seriously, that almost never happens on St. Patrick's day in Ireland, especially here in the West. The day was spent with an impromptu gathering of neighbours and friends, all lounging around the garden with nice food. Not a trace of green to be seen, apart from the grass in the garden. Perfect!
    Pádraig

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

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim MacDaniel View Post
    -- I haven't yet mastered the art of playing mandolin while behind the wheel.)
    I did this once - and I do mean ONCE - while driving my then girlfriend's mom's Triumph TR6 from Albuquerque to Miami. Somewhere in Texas where the roads are straight and no one's around I had some fun, driving with one knee while playing. I do not recommend doing this, but if you must, choose a car with a tight front end that will stay on course by itself, and if possible, a convertible, so you can freak out anyone who sees you. Might as well maximize the experience!
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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

    I play, listen to, study, and love Irish music all year long but the ending of St Patricks Day always feels like passing a kidney stone. I enjoy it much less than the other 364 days of my involvement with the music.

    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.
    Steve

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

    Our afternoon session at the pub went on from 2-5pm. We played good music for a while but I could see it deteriorating fast the closer it came to 5pm, when so many people came in that you could not even move. Of course the 5 bagpipe player + drummer who marched in unannounced did not help the sound situation... I had enough at that point and quit the Day. The music is much better on other days of the year - that's for sure.
    Avi

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    Registered User Jim MacDaniel's Avatar
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    Default Re: What are you doing on St. Patrick's Day?

    Quote Originally Posted by journeybear View Post
    I did this once - and I do mean ONCE - while driving my then girlfriend's mom's Triumph TR6 from Albuquerque to Miami. Somewhere in Texas where the roads are straight and no one's around I had some fun, driving with one knee while playing. I do not recommend doing this, but if you must, choose a car with a tight front end that will stay on course by itself, and if possible, a convertible, so you can freak out anyone who sees you. Might as well maximize the experience!
    That could be problematic for me -- I often tap both feet while playing uptempo tunes, which could lead to a lot of unintended lane changes when steering by knee.

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