A couple of months ago we in Roll & Go went looking for a bar or pub where we could sing and enjoy a beer or two. After some experimentation we found Ri-Ra's in Portland, Maine. They were very warm and friendly, very welcoming. In fact they couldn't get to the muzak system fast enough to turn it off. We have been back a few times and been very warmly received each time.

We have talked with the bartender there, a very nice fellow from Belfast, Northern Ireland, about setting up a regular music session. He is enthusiastic about it but tells us the Ri-Ra chain has to have the same kind of entertainment in each of its locations. That's where the Mudcat comes in.

Imagine if each location were approached as being the place for a music session, where local musicians could gather, not for performances, but just to have a place to sing and play in public with their friends. They might then open up a hole in the entertainment schedule to make room for us.

So, Mr. Phelps, your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to go to the Ri-Ra in your local area and go to owork setting up a session. Get your friends together and charge into the fray!

And here is their website and the locations:

http://www.rira.com/index.shtml

RiRa Irish Pubs
208 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
phone: 704.333.5554

RiRa Irish Pubs
126 N. West St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
phone: 919.833.5535

RiRa Irish Pubs
123 Church St.
Burlington, VT 05401
phone: 802.860.9401

RiRa Irish Pubs
50 Exchange Terr.
Providence, RI 02903
phone: 401.272.1953

RiRa Irish Pubs
72 Commercial St.
Portland, ME 04101
phone: 207.761.4446

GOOD LUCK!