Irish Folk Music: Songs About Broke Folks Gettin' Drunk
Last night, I spent 3 hours making nonsensical noise come out of my mouth while pretending to sing along to Irish folk songs everyone but me seems to know. A night of traditional Irish music and bluegrass at the Rendezvous, my Sunday evening was filled to the rim with songs about beer and whiskey.
3 bands played, and the band I specifically went to see was Trenchmouth, who I saw last St. Patrick's Day at a bar in Ballard where foot stomping was strictly prohibited by the time I had arrived 3 songs into their set. Apparently, the band had roused the audience to the point of vigorous foot stomping in a questionably unstable loft portion of the bar.
Last night was Trenchmouth's first paid gig, and they had a stage presence more entertaining than other more versed performers I have seen. Their musical skill was obvious, yet they maintained a very casual demeanor during their performance. They made no effort to hide their mistakes and were nonchalant about "do-overs," but their mistakes turned out to be a fun part of their show. Laughing, cracking jokes, and finally abandoning their totally unnecessary mics for the last song which they sung at the top of their lungs with the help of the audience, also singing at the top of our lungs.
The special treat of the evening was getting to experience a local "drinking band with an Irish problem" called The Boys of Greenwood Glen. Hailing from the shire of Greenwood, I mean, originating from the Greenwood district, these boys have played festivals and Irish pubs up and down the coast of the Northwest. You can check out their upcoming shows here. Also, feel free to listen to a song by the Boys of Greenwood Glen, Bury Me Beneath the Weeping Willow Tree.
The band Whiskey Galore had the ultimate secret weapon: an accordion player! There is something about the accordion that makes people shut-up and listen, regardless of their state of inebriation, or maybe that just happens to me. I developed a secret instant crush on Whiskey Galore's accordion player who had a quirky sense of humor making him seem like a tough guy. You really have to admire a man who can make himself seem tough while playing the accordion. My favorite part of the Whiskey Galore set was when they invited the members of the other 2 performing bands to sing a well-known Irish diddy with them on stage which I, of course, do not know but everyone else knew at last night's show.
I still did my best to sing along, anyway, which was just as fun as actually knowing the words.
3 bands played, and the band I specifically went to see was Trenchmouth, who I saw last St. Patrick's Day at a bar in Ballard where foot stomping was strictly prohibited by the time I had arrived 3 songs into their set. Apparently, the band had roused the audience to the point of vigorous foot stomping in a questionably unstable loft portion of the bar.
Last night was Trenchmouth's first paid gig, and they had a stage presence more entertaining than other more versed performers I have seen. Their musical skill was obvious, yet they maintained a very casual demeanor during their performance. They made no effort to hide their mistakes and were nonchalant about "do-overs," but their mistakes turned out to be a fun part of their show. Laughing, cracking jokes, and finally abandoning their totally unnecessary mics for the last song which they sung at the top of their lungs with the help of the audience, also singing at the top of our lungs.
The special treat of the evening was getting to experience a local "drinking band with an Irish problem" called The Boys of Greenwood Glen. Hailing from the shire of Greenwood, I mean, originating from the Greenwood district, these boys have played festivals and Irish pubs up and down the coast of the Northwest. You can check out their upcoming shows here. Also, feel free to listen to a song by the Boys of Greenwood Glen, Bury Me Beneath the Weeping Willow Tree.
The band Whiskey Galore had the ultimate secret weapon: an accordion player! There is something about the accordion that makes people shut-up and listen, regardless of their state of inebriation, or maybe that just happens to me. I developed a secret instant crush on Whiskey Galore's accordion player who had a quirky sense of humor making him seem like a tough guy. You really have to admire a man who can make himself seem tough while playing the accordion. My favorite part of the Whiskey Galore set was when they invited the members of the other 2 performing bands to sing a well-known Irish diddy with them on stage which I, of course, do not know but everyone else knew at last night's show.
I still did my best to sing along, anyway, which was just as fun as actually knowing the words.
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I did the same random singing for days, too...hilarious.
Call me cynical, say I'm generalizing but I'd given up on bar bands in Seattle. I can't tell one from another. All too often, the sound is generic, they suck, or they take themselves too seriously. That last Sunday night in The Jewelbox, I was reassured that there are anomalies out there. I'll be back for more.