Every watering hole in Michigan turns green this week, so you’re pretty much assured of Celtic-infused musical mayhem wherever one chooses to celebrate. But here are a few highlights courtesy of The Big List.
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Because LaughFest overlaps with St. Patrick’s Day, I’m permitted to tell a couple of Irish jokes. O’Connell’s wife was killed in a car accident. The police sergeant asked him, “Did she say anything before she died?” O’Connell replied: “She spoke without interruption for 40 years.” Q: Why can’t you borrow money from a leprechaun? A: Because they’re always a little short.
Now, onto this week’s Big List which not surprisingly has a distinct Celtic flavor, culminating in weekend revelry from downtown Grand Rapids to the lakeshore. There are also an unusual number of sellouts at shows this week, which means you may have to seek our your favorite ticket scalper in some cases.
Lunasa
8 p.m. Tuesday
Concert is sold out
All-Day Irish Hooley
11 a.m. Saturday
Free
Fenian’s Irish Pub, Conklin
All that Celtic magic begins Tuesday night when Ireland’s much-acclaimed Lunasa returns to Fenian’s Irish Pub in Conklin (an authentic Irish watering hole in this small Ottawa County community). Billed as “the hottest Irish acoustic group on the planet,” the band recently released a new album, “Lunasa with The RTE Orchestra.”
Although the show is sold out, call (616) 899-2640 for last-minute ticket availability. And c’mon back to Conklin for its 26th annual “Wearin’ of the Green” parade – a short-but-lively affair that starts at 10:55 a.m. Saturday on Main Street and ends several minutes later at, yes, Fenian’s Irish Pub, which then hosts a full day of Irish music and dance. Details online at the Fenian’s website.
The Wonder Years, Fireworks, Hostage Calm, Misser
6:30 p.m. Thursday
Concert is sold out
The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
Maybe it was a LaughFest prank.
This show headlined by popular Philadelphia pop-punk outfit The Wonder Years ended up by mistake on last week’s Big List, but the message remains the same: It’s still sold out.
The Tosspints, S.S. Web, Blind Staggers
8 p.m. Thursday
$6
Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill, Grand Rapids
Hey, this show is NOT yet sold out, so climb aboard.
The pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration at this West Side tavern features three rocking bands on a musically rambunctious St. Paddy’s tour: Saginaw/Auburn’s punk outfit The Tosspints, Milwaukee’s outlaw country crew S.S. Web and Chicago “whiskey-rockers” Blind Staggers. More details online here.
Willy Porter
8 p.m. Friday
$24 advance, $26 day of show (pindropconcerts.com)
Seven Steps Up, Spring Lake
Wisconsin’s Willy Porter has long distinguished himself as an outstanding finger-style guitarist and singer-songwriter, blending rock, blues and jazz. With his acoustic-guitar skills, this is the perfect listening room to check out his music. His most recent album, “Cheeseburgers & Gasoline,” was released last November.
Get tickets and more information at pindropconcerts.com.
UPDATE: Advance $10 tickets to Irish on Ionia officially sold out as of Friday morning. Organizers say a limited number of $15 tickets will be available at the gate, “as capacity warrants.”
Irish on Ionia featuring:
The Waxies, The Crane Wives, Peat in the Creel,
An Dro, Gasta, Ardan Academy of Irish Dance,
Millish, The Billies
7 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday
$15 day of show
Ionia Avenue SW between Weston and Oakes, Grand Rapids
There truly is no bigger St. Patrick’s Day party in West Michigan, probably all of Michigan, than this annual Irish on Ionia affair in downtown Grand Rapids. The event, hosted by McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon and Barfly Ventures, is expected to attract 14,000 people for a day that starts with a “Kegs & Eggs” breakfast and continues with live music, street cuisine, a circus troupe, dancing and a “shamrock, paper, scissors” tournament.
The day-long music mix includes folk-rock’s ever-popular The Crane Wives and Celtic rock’s The Waxies, who by the way, will be among my Irish-flavored Local Spins Live guests starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW).
Folks have been talking about this celebration for weeks, so it’s best to snag those tickets now at TicketWeb.com.
Get more details here.
Black Jake & The Carnies,
Chuck Whiting & His Rowdy Friends
9:30 p.m. Saturday
$5
Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids
If you survive Irish on Ionia, above, keep things rolling and rollicking with the bluegrass-fired, honky-tonk and carnival-styled music that Ypsilanti’s Black Jake & The Carnies describe as “crabgrass.” And when you toss in the country-splashed hillbilly blues of special guests, Chuck Whiting & His Rowdy Friends from Kalamazoo, you’ve got, well, a rousing evening of live music.
By the way, Founders also delivers Ann Arbor’s world music-flavored Rootstand at 9:30 p.m. Thursday for a swell pre-St. Patrick’s Day bash. Admission to the Thursday show is free. Details online at the Founders site.
Kate Nash
7 p.m. Sunday
Concert is sold out
The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
Award-winning English singer-songwriter Kate Nash’s show at The Pyramid Scheme sold out briskly after the concert was announced, a testament to her considerable indie pop-rock talents. Her brand new, fresh-off-the-presses album, “Girl Talk,” was released earlier this month, a haunting, powerful, rocking affair.
Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables, Tribal Seeds
8 p.m. Sunday
$22.50 advance, $25 day of show
The Orbit Room, Grand Rapids
Since 1996, Southern California’s seven-member Slightly Stoopid has released seven studio albums (and a couple of live collections) that roll out its horn-enhanced blend of slightly funky folk, reggae, psychedelic rock, blues and hip-hop. (Last year’s “Top of the World” entered the Billboard 200 at No. 13.)
The band’s 2013 tour also features fellow California reggae-ites The Expendables and Tribal Seeds. Tickets available through Ticketmaster; get details online at The Orbit Room website.
UNDER-THE-RADAR PICKS
Noto’s Jazz Jam with TrioJazz at 7 p.m. Thursday at Noto’s Old World Italian Dining, free — College and high school jazz musicians are encouraged to audition for a chance to play the upcoming GRandJazzFest in downtown Grand Rapids by sitting in with this trio led by guitarist Stephen Hilger playing at Noto’s, 6600 28th Street SE. Get more details online here.
Jazz pianist Bill Charlap and his trio playing the St. Cecilia Jazz Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in St. Cecilia Music Center’s Royce Auditorium, $30-$35 adults, $10 students — Jazz pianist Bill Charlap has played with some of the best in the business — Wynton Marsalis, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett — and this week he brings his talents to Grand Rapids as part of St. Cecilia’s popular jazz series. Get details and tickets online here.
Country music with Steve Rivers at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Back Forty Saloon, and the Kari Lynch Band at 10 p.m. Friday at Grand Woods Lounge, downtown Grand Rapids — Canadian-born country/Americana/rock singer-songwriter Steve Rivers, who bides his time between Nashville and Grand Rapids, takes up a two-night stand at the Back Forty Saloon, 48 W. Fulton St., while popular West Michigan country act the Kari Lynch Band revs up Grand Woods Lounge, 77 Grandville Ave. SW, with its country-styled St. Patrick’s Day tunes.
Daniel Holland and The Willeys playing One Trick Pony at 6 p.m. Saturday, free — This special St. Patrick’s weekend show at this downtown Grand Rapids restaurant at 136 E. Fulton St. is a popular, returning double-bill. Call 235-7669 for reservations.
Potato Moon at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Wealthy Theatre Annex in Grand Rapids, $12 adults (with discounts for seniors and students) — The Grand River Folk Arts Society presents one of West Michigan’s most beloved folk/Americana/swing groups Potato Moon, with its family-driven harmonies and singular textures, in this intimate setting at 1110 Wealthy St. SE. Get details at the society website.
Conklin Ceili Band, The Waxies and The Billies playing on Saturday and Sunday at Quinn & Tuite’s Irish Pub in Grand Rapids, free — Quinn & Tuite’s at 1535 Plainfield Ave. always knows how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style, kicking off their schedule of live music right after the Grand Rapids St. Patrick’s Day Parade wraps up around noon on Saturday. with Five Leaf Clovers opening the day of live entertainment. The Waxies, for instance, play at 11 p.m. Saturday and again at 10 p.m. Sunday. (The Billies kick things off at 1 p.m. Sunday, with Cailean and the Conklin Ceili Band following.) Call Quinn & Tuite’s at 616-363-8380 for more details.
Dorian’s Cross, An Dro, The Moxie Strings, Millish at 12:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday, and CrossBow, Peat in the Creel and Belfast Gin, noon-8 p.m. Sunday, at New Holland Brewing in Holland (free); Irish Breakfast with The Moxie Strings at 9 a.m. Saturday ($12) and KinFyre at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Saugatuck Brewing Co. in Douglas (free); and An Dro at 7 p.m. Sunday at Salt of the Earth in Fennville ($15) — Head to the lakeshore for more St. Patrick’s Day weekend revelry, with several outlets featuring the gamut of Michigan’s thriving Celtic music scene. Oh, and KinFyre will also be appearing on Local Spins Live at 10 a.m. Wednesday on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW), so tune in.
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