Great Caesar's ghost, it's past the Ides of March and I've yet to pull a pun on the word march for this month, but at least I got one in the column headline this week. We could march back to March Fourth (forth) or spend some time on March Fourteenth (3.14, Pi Day) or move on to see if there are any more marches left in March, but we all know those were at the St. Patrick's Day Marching Band Parade. What's left, then, but to march out of here and get to the music happenings.
Let's head to Thursday evening quickly before any other silliness arises and keep on with our coverage of Irish and Celtic music when The Emerald Underground demonstrates their Celtic-fusion style at the Thursday Night Live monthly music extravaganza at Motorhead's Motordome. Other acts participating in the local showcase include Riley Ramsey, Thornhill and Suburban Mystics. TEU continues on as the busiest bees during the High Holy Days of St. Pat's gigs with a stop at Amy's Place (formerly Third Base Sports Bar) on Friday and a trip to rural New Berlin at Danenbergers on Saturday with both shows at 7 p.m.
McKinney & Hennessey, the Irish pub-folk duo of myself and Rick Dunham, bring on the real old Mountain Dew at Harvest Market (6-9 p.m.) on Friday, while Skibbereen heads up to Peoria to play at Kenny's Westside Pub for a set (6-8 p.m.) during the famed music club's 10th anniversary party. That should conclude, along with sightings of pipes and drums performances this weekend, the extended wearing of the green for 2023. Next year, with St. Patrick's Day proper falling on a Saturday, we just might get it all done in one day. But however it happens, I hope you have a hoot and a howl at your hoolie for years to come.
For something a little different that doesn't technically include live music, the purported purpose of this printed piece, here's an event that does feature a couple of popular local musicians at work on making things happen, other than live music. This Saturday (12-4 p.m.), DIM Art House, with your host Jeff Curtis Willams of the band NIL8, presents ADOPT!, a group gallery show in conjunction with the APL (Animal Protective League) as represented by Jeff Cunningham, resident bassist for The Station, the Deep Hollow and other area groups. The idea here, brought to fruition by two musicians (hey, that almost rhymes), gives artists the opportunity to make a visual artwork from a photo of an animal from the APL website with a pet bio and adoption information included. Then you come to DIM and purchase one of these artworks to benefit the APL and all the good work they do to help our furry friends. That sounds like music to my ears.
I know I've spent a lot of time talking about Irish music on St. Patrick's Day, but I do realize that many folks celebrating the holiday and celebrating Celtic heritage would rather just hear the music they prefer. So, I say, call it St. Patty's Day and go have some fun with Positively 4th Street at Goodfellas, Captain Geech at the Curve, Off the Wall at VFW Post 755, Brandy Kristin Band at Weebles, Joel Honey Jams at Mowie's, John Drake & Chris Camp at Buzz Bomb, Square of the Roots at Starship and Angel Brown's Smooth N' Blue Band at Lime Street. Please check the listings for more music happening.
With that I will leave you with this: Does February like March? No, but April May!
