How was your St. Patrick's Day?

Subject: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 17 Mar 08 - 10:11 PM

We had a gig in the afternoon at a retirement home (very enjoyable)and then a gig in a bar till 9:00 (not as enjoyable by a long shot). There was the usual confusion, there was supposed to be a house sound system but there wasn't - luckily I had mine in the car but the place and the parking lot were so jammed that I had a difficult time getting it in. It was loud and people were starting to get very drunk by the time we left - we were one of the early bands and there was a celtic rock band coming on after us. Some people were staggering but nobody had gotten sick - I expect by now that will be happening. Glad I'm home relaxing with a cup of tea! We had some great gigs this March - a few private parties, a few retirement homes. So how was y'all's St. Pats?

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Mar 08 - 11:29 PM

Not done quite yet. I am listening to Live Ireland's special broadcast for the day. Good stuff!

Listened to Rick Fielding brought to life through old recordings this evening.

Pinned a shamrock on my redheaded grandson and explained it all to him.:-)

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: GUEST,Skipper Bob
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 12:51 AM

Hello;
    My day was fantastic. Spent most of it at the local Senior's Centre here in Cloverdale, BC, Canada, singing Irish favourites to the folk who frequent this place. We are all good friends. It went so well, we're going to do it again tomorrow and then again on Wednesday.
If you don't mind me asking, where are you folk located?
Katlaughing ... On what Radio station or TV channel did you find "Live Ireland" ?

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: alison
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 03:10 AM

7.30am - 1 am

long , tiring, very enjoyable and very lucrative

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Genie
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 03:29 AM

Hey, Skipper, i spend most of Monday (and last Friday) doing St Pat's gigs at assisted living and retirement communities.    Mostly they want the Irish-American songs that they're familiar with, but I get to throw in a few real Irish songs. Anyway, it's always a fun time, with the audiences singing along.

The downer to my St Pat's Day was that I was all set to use my new MacBook, with its built-in video camera, to record my two programs today.   This would have been especially nice, since both these facilities have really good sound systems, so I could have ended up with some really good video clips to use for promo.   But after I deleted about 12 gig worth of old "thumbnail" videos to make room for the new ones, when I opened iMovie to record my first program, iMovie set about to reconstitute all the 'footage' that I had deleted! This process took pretty much my entire hour!   Aarrgh!

Oh, well, I thought, I'll just video the second program. So I got everything set up at the second gig, with the laptop positioned just right to give a good pic (not too close, not too far away, not off to the side), and I proceeded to record the whole program without incident.    And the video footage did, indeed, come out beautifully.   (Well, I could complain that I look fat in the video, but I fear that's just testimony to the accuracy of the camera.)
The only problem with the video: NO SOUND

It took me quite a while to figure out why I got not sound this time, since I'd done other videos the same way and the sound came out fine. I finally remembered that I'd been tinkering with the Sound part of my System Preferences and, for some reason, I had set the sound input to "external microphone" instead of "built-in microphone."

Such a pity, because the programs went well, and to me everything sounded really good - better than I do in some venues with poorer acoustics or when I use some of my more portable equipment.   

Other than that, it was a good St Pat's Day in Portland, Oregon.

Rainy (what else is new?), but good. :)

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 08:55 AM

Brilliant! Went to a great concert in http://www.glor.ie with Tommy & Siobhan Peoples and new group
Liadan.mht amongst many otheres, wonderful evening.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Banjiman
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 09:33 AM

Alternative.......

Rather than putting on an Irish band we had some superb bluegrass at Kirkby Fleetham Folk Club in North Yorks U.K. Bill Evans and Megan Lynch were just superb....amazing musicianship, I'm so pleased they squeezed our small gig into their busy UK schedule. Along way from our usual fayre here of trad and contemporary British (and Irish!) Folk Music but from my selfish banjo playing perspective definitely one of the best things we have put on.

What delightful people too!

Paul

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: skarpi
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 09:38 AM

did not have any this year , in Iceland we have about three pub
witch we called Irish/Scottish , but usally they only play pop music .
Like the Irish say here in Iceland , there are no real Irish
pubs in Iceland

All the best Skarpi Iceland

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 10:02 AM

Ours was 'Bern's night' instead.
A celebration at the Shroppie fly session, for Bernard's 80th.
Crowded and noisy at the start, but thinned out towards midnight.

I am told that you are not allowed to have St. Patricks Day in Holy Week. Not that that stopped the pub putting up a banner and flag.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 10:06 AM

BBC's explanation of why it wasn't St Pats day

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 10:09 AM

Pretty much just another day. Work, errands and shopping, stayed home. Put shamrocks on the calender at work tho.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: John J
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 10:13 AM

Brill session at the Saracen's Head near Lymm. The great company, good singing and playing, good beer and the very welcome plates of butties supplied by the pub made for a lovely evening.

John

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 02:27 PM

Having had our monthly Henley folk club two weeks previously in the Horse & Groom ( Greene King ) , Henley-on-Thames, we were asked if we could "do" St. Pat's night as a sort of "gig".So we ( that is, the Marlow Bottom Acoustic Club ) spent the next 2 weeks going through all the Irish songs and tunes that we could muster,rehearsing at Karen's house , and were pleasurably surprised at how "tight" ( in more ways than one ! ) we could all be together. Come the day, and we all got together at around 1830, after the last rugby match had finished and the furore died down,---set up the amps, PA, etc, and got down to some serious entertaining ! We played for about 3 and a half hours altogether, and had ( amazingly !) quite a few songs / tune sets in reserve at the close of play.---Book us !!
      Line up as follows ;
                            Me ( Roger Vaughan Mills ) , guitar, harmonica,tin whistle--Karen Hemmingham, vocals, bohdran---Linda Rigby, vocals,mandolin---Vicky Roy,vocals, guitar----Alan Jackson, Guitar, mandolin--- Dick Frost, vocals,walking-stick---Rosie Brake,melodeon,concertina,----Steve Loughlin, guitar,electric bass,--- Dave on fiddle, but also great melodeon-player, song-writer & guitarist, and last, but by no means least, Alan & Rosie's son, Martin Jackson, a music student at Derby University---fantastic guitarist and singer of hilarious songs !! And we're all on "Facebook " !
    Best performances of the night ?? Well, " Isn't it Grand Boys ? " , a capella, went down a storm, as did " Rare old Times " and our version of "The Jolly Beggar / The Wise Woman "( A la Planxty ) was well-received also.Our favourites 'though ?? Well, of course----Danny Boy, The Irish Rover and The Fields of Athenry ( Everybody knew the words !! ).   Cheers !!

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: GUEST,Frank Phillips
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 02:43 PM

Great

Irish Cultural Society (Calgary) Choir sang at Saturday noon in St. Mary's Cathedral. Then we went next door to the parish hall and sang with no sound system for about 200 people all scarfing down sandwiches and coffee. I figured I would find out how loud I could sing and still stay on pitch so I belted my solo (verses) of Crossing the Water (Bill Staines, honorary Irish for the day). Satisfied my curiosity about my max volume for once and for all.

Monday night the choir did 5 songs at the ICS centre. Did the solo verses again but had a mike this time.

This marks the 10th year that we have performed at the cathedral for St. Patrick's

Frank Phillips

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 02:47 PM

played for a ceili (was actually on Saturday) so its more like the Ides of March Ceili..

here we are on youtube vancouver irish ceili on Youtube

me on the fiddle, and the leprechauns at the end are my 3 yrs and 16mth old daughters.

slainte..
Peter.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Don Firth
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 02:50 PM

I marked the day by starting the morning with a cup of Trader Joe's Irish breakfast tea.

Other than that, pretty uneventful.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 04:16 PM

Worked. HAD a couple of Irish coffees with my widfe last night and listened to a Mary Black CD Neil

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: The Mole Catcher's Apprentice (inactive)
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 04:25 PM

Not being Irish it was a normal Monday for me

Charlotte (the view from Ma and Pa's piano stool)

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 04:26 PM

My significant other and I had a gig. I rarely seek out St. Patrick's day work, but they found us through February Sky myspace page. It was an early set: 4:30 to 7:30. It was noisy, but a couple people paid attention in each set, which made everything OK. I waited till I got home to have a beer.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Big Mick
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 04:36 PM

I posted this in another thread:

For me it is the ultimate test of endurance. Over the span of the last two weekends, weekday performances, and Monday, we played on TV, played colleges and schools, did concert venues, did pub venues, did industrial parties, did private parties.......and on and on. Just saturday and Monday we figured that actual performing time, exclusive of setup and breakdown was very close to a full day. I have literally worn the nail and a layer of skin from my index finger on my right hand, have a huge blister extending under the nail of the thumb of my right hand, and callouses that are peeling on my left hand. Our show is a very high energy act, and performing it one after another during the time leading up to and including St. Pat's Day is very taxing. I will be a couple of days recuperating, and then right back at it.

I hope all of you had a blessed, fun, and safe day and got home in one piece.

Like alison, it is a very lucrative time for us, financially. We get a ton of exposure, and make very large dollars. But with the level of intensity of our performances, it wears you down. We always play for very large crowds, so it is not possible to dial back the intensity.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 04:45 PM

I can just imagine the intense energy, Mick! Morgan and I can't NOT be high energy when we listen to your CD.*bg* We both love it!

Skipper Bob...at Live Ireland dot com!. Great stuff!

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Jeri
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 05:07 PM

Mick, it's nice to know you survived it!
I stayed home.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Don Firth
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 05:12 PM

Irish coffee! Damn! I wish I'd thought of that!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Big Mick
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 05:36 PM

Tell young Master Morgan to keep practicing, so's we can pass this stuff on to someone! I would love to think he took up fiddle down the road. That boy is such a hoot. Billy O'Shea has become a staple. I tried to start one of the concerts with something else, and got a 5 dollar bill passed up with "Billy O'Shea" written on it. I always make the joke (as most performers do, I might add) that all requests should be printed on a $5.00 bill. I put them in a jar, and give the jar to the wait staff at the end of the gig.

Yeah, Jeri, I survived and in retrospect, between the hot soaks, and nuskin (***chuckle***) it felt pretty good. But I am beat up. Talk to you in a few days.

Mick

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 08:26 PM

Well Ireland and Italy got all muddled up: Scotland lost to Italy at rugby, and I was doing "The Gondoliers" all last week (set in Venice and Barataria)- and then we heard that St Pat's day was moved to the 15th (Ides of March) so it wouldn't fall in Holy Week. This was my contribution to the end-of-show party:

THE WILD DANCER                                Tune: Wild Rover

I've been a wild dancer for all of this week,
And I swear this cachucha is making me freak,
But now we have heard the last audience roar,
I never will dance the cachucha no more.

Chorus
And it's no, nay, never, no nay never no more,
Will I dance the cachucha, no never no more.

I went to a bodega in old Barataria,
And asked for a glass of the best Manzanilla,
But since I'd no euros or pesos or lira,
The landlady said I could dance for a birra.

Chorus

I danced a bolero, cachucha, fandango,
And even did something resembling a tango,
The landlady groaned and she slumped on her seat
As I stamped and I birled with my double left feet.

Chorus

I'll go back to my family, confess what I've done,
No "Strictly Come Dancing" have I ever won,
I'll practice my hornpipe for "Pinafore" next year,
But no more will I dance the cachucha, no fear!

Chorus


I shuffled off the operettaic coil the following day (Sunday), and we had a very Irish pub session, until it was interrupted by the roars from the next-door bar from those watching Dundee United v Rangers: at that point we went into a long list of songs in/about Dundee! before returning (figuratively ) to Ireland.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Gulliver
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 09:42 PM

Hiya Mary,

a really great day, great music and lots of fun with the gang (though it was "work" as well). We were playing in Scruffy Murphy's, which doesn't do live music as a rule, so I was a little apprehensive when setting up the PA, etc., yesterday morning. Needn't have worried, the place was packed from 3 pm on and lots of friends arrived to cheers us on and play along with us.

I wish I had brought something to record with, as there was some great music from Chris Lucas, Berni on fiddle, Tony on guitar, Lynda, Susan and Rose on vocals, etc., but as well as playing/singing I had to supervise the sound as well, so it was a bit hectic at times. We started at 4:30 pm and finished up just before 1:00 am. Folks were singing along, dancing, walzing (and this was all the "older" crowd!). They want us back next weekend! Some pictures are here:
www.roguery.com/outings/paddy2008

Don

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Stewart
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 10:20 PM

Sunday was great! The co-owner of my favorite local coffeehouse said she would like some Irish music. So since the Irish session was kicked out of their downtown "Irish" pub in order to pack it with rowdy drunks, I invited a couple of players and another half dozen of my musician friends to play and sing Irish music for about three hours in the afternoon. We had a great time jamming together and doing solos, and drew in a good number of patrons to listen as well. One of my non-playing friends said "We went down to the [Seattle] Center House Saturday for the music, but enjoyed the music at the cafe yesterday more."

St. Paddy's Day was not so nice. I got a call in the afternoon from an "Irish" bar in Everett to play some music (their band had canceled at the last minute). Against my better judgment I invited a friend to do the gig with me. When we arrived at about 7pm the place was packed and so noisy you couldn't carry on a conversation without shouting. We did have a fairly nice free dinner and Guinness. But after that we waited for the manager to turn off the canned music(??) and for the place to quiet down some so we could play (didn't happen). We did attempt a few tunes, but nobody could hear or even cared. So we just packed up our instruments and slipped out the back door. Never again will I be tempted to go to an "Irish" bar on St. Patrick's Day, at least not here. Just a drunken bash - nothing Irish about it.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 10:44 PM

Sounds like everybody had a nice time - I do wish there wasn't soooo much emphasis on drinking but that just seems to be the way it is. What I really enjoy are the gigs leading up to St. Pat's day more so than the day itself, because as most have remarked, the pubs are just in a frenzy. We make extra money and expose some folks to Irish music who might not listen to it otherwise (well, our brand of Irish music which is heavily based on the Clancy Brothers, Dubliners, etc.)! Now the countdown begins till next March 17th....

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 10:55 PM

We used to set up a celtic oriented non drinking event the weekend before St. Patrick's Day called the Bar:None concert. We rented a VFW hall, advertised in the papers, and split the money, after rental expenses equally. We didn't always make much money after the rent was paid. However, we never had trouble finding musicians who wanted to play for a sober, listening audience. The VFW raised its rate too high, so we have not done it for awhile. Our high point was getting Les Barker to do a guest spot (he was staying at Kat Eggleston's when he was in the Chicago area, she was booked, and asked if it was ok to bring him). I asked him to start the second half. It did not escape my notice that the audience probably would have let him keep going, rather than have the rest of us come up. He did a great spot.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: katlaughing
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 11:18 PM

Mick, watch your email...I've sent you a dance thing he did to Conklin Ceili Band. Even better will be his chiming in on Billy O'Shea. Today's take didn't take, so we'll try again. He told me the other day he wanted his fiddle back. I told him maybe next fall closer to his 5th b-day, since he didn't practice before. There are some fiddle teachers who will take them at 5, but not 4 and he doesn't want to learn from grandma.:-) (He gets a little impatient and wants to really fiddle without the work it takes...so with age, maybe.:-)

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: LesB
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 08:16 AM

It fell on our normal monthly session night. We had an ' alternative' St patricks night.( unintentionaly, it just happened that way). We played English, Welsh, Scottish & French tunes, but no Irish. When a punter asked us for an Irish tune (we don't know many) we just played the same tune at breakneck speed & he was none the wiser.
Cheers
Les

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: GUEST,Tally Ho Man
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 10:30 AM

Had a great session in the Saracens Head in Lymm (Cheshire. Not an Irishman amongst us but some good tunes and songs with an Irish flavour and a playing of Caffickfergus to make sure O'Carolan wasn't forgotten!

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Peace
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 10:33 AM

Thanks for the reminder. St Patrick's Day is coming up soon.

Subject: RE: How was your St. Patrick's Day?
From: Big Mick
Date: 19 Mar 08 - 12:30 PM

Kat, the video of young Morgan dancing was fine, and a hoot to watch. The lad just flat out gets into the "Whiskey Before Breakfast/Soldiers Joy" with some pretty fancy footwork. I am still chuckling. That particular track is always the one that the kids love the best, with the hammered dulcimer and mandolin being driven by the rhythm. Kids love singing the song, but I always cringe at the line "lay aloft, Mick, you son of a whore...". In concert with kids, I just clear my throat at the appropriate time......***chuckle***.

I am starting to heal, and feeling better about it. Our performances were up a notch this year, with the reviews being very positive.

All the best,

Mick