St. Patrick’s Day will include musical events
BY DANA DUGAN
St. Patrick’s Day is soon upon us and that means a nauseating amount of Kelly green, plenty of sudsy brew and music that makes you want to leap out of your seat and do some river-dancing.
In Bellevue, Mahoney’s will throw its annual St. Paddy’s Day Party on Tuesday, March 17, with music by Paddywagon, a local Irish band. There will be the usual assortment of corned beef and cabbage, and Shaun’s famous lamb stew at the saloon. The fun begins at 11:30 a.m., with live music beginning at 6 p.m.
To warm up for the evening, the lounge at the Limelight Hotel in Ketchum will feature local band High Mountain Heard playing its form of rockin’ roots music from 6-9 p.m.
The Sun Valley Museum of Art’s Performing Arts Series will feature two performances by the Irish band, We Banjo 3. The award-winning quartet will play their signature blend of traditional Irish and bluegrass music at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18, at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey.
One of the most exciting live acts to come out of Ireland in recent years, “We Banjo 3 combines supergroup credentials with a breathtaking command of the fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo. Any single member of the group could electrify a venue with a solo performance, but together, the music they create is far greater than the sum of its parts,” said a press release from the band.
Glide Magazine wrote: “We Banjo 3 aren’t strictly about banjos, although banjos are a big part of the mix. Breaching the boundary between Old World tradition and authentic Americana, they incorporate banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin to procure a style they dub Celtgrass.”
Despite the name, the band is made up of two sets of brothers—Enda Scahill on tenor banjo and vocals, and Fergal Scahill on fiddle, viola, dobro, percussion, guitar and mandolin. Martin Howley plays tenor banjo and mandolin, while David Howley takes lead vocals and guitar. All band members sing, as well. They have released six albums, including “Roots to Rise Live,” released in 2019.
“We are thrilled to wrap up our season with this outstanding group from Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day,” said Kristine Bretall, SVMoA’s director of Performing Arts. “While you can expect some traditional-sounding tunes from We Banjo 3’s homeland, what may take you by surprise is their melding of Celtic sounds with Americana stylings and bluegrass from their adopted city of Nashville.”
The SVMoA began the 2019-2020 Music Series last fall with the Grammy-nominated Che Apalache who shared their ‘Latingrass’ sound.
“Now we’ll finish the season with We Banjo 3’s Celtgrass music,” Bretall said. “This band is composed of multiple all-Ireland winning musicians, and with the music they play the audience’s participation is a key component of every concert. Some songs are instrumental, others have lyrics, but each is crafted with a keen ear and love of performance.”
This is the second leg of We Banjo 3’s “Rise & Shine” 2020 U.S. winter/spring tour. The tour launched the weekend of Feb. 21 at the prestigious Wintergrass Festival in Bellevue, Wash., and will play a total of 22 different venues. In addition, We Banjo 3’s 2020 summer festival schedule will include appearances at RockyGrass 2020, ROMP and Milwaukee Irish Fest already announced and many more confirmed WB3 summer plays coming soon.
“This band has been a part of multiple Irish and bluegrass festivals, and we’re thrill to host them here in the Wood River Valley,” Bretall said. “In the last year, they’ve appeared at Irish music festivals all around the U.S.”
Every musician in SVMoA’s Performing Arts Series has also performed in local schools as a part of SVMoA’s commitment to arts education. We Banjo 3 will play for the entire Wood River Middle School on St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17, in the school’s gymnasium.
This outreach is supported by Joyce B. Friedman in memory of Norman Friedman; Robin Leavitt and Terry Friedlander; Jane Rosen and Scott Miley–Scott Miley Roofing; Kay Tenney and Bozo Cardozo; and Bex Wilkinson and the Marshall Frankel Foundation. Additional support comes in part by public funding for the arts through the National Endowment for the Arts, WESTAF, the Idaho Commission on the Arts and the Idaho Legislature.