This is the week everybody gets to be Irish for St. Patrick’s Day.
While there are several gigs happening on St. Patrick’s Day itself,
there are several more sprinkled throughout the week.
Most
prominently, Vancouver Celtic punks The Real McKenzies make their annual
St. Patrick’s Day pilgrimage to Lethbridge when they play Scores, March
14. They will be joined by the Lethbridge Firefighters Pipes and Drums
and Montreal punk band the Boids. Tickets cost $20.
Folk/ roots/ jazz
band the Junkman’s Choir plays another early St. Patrick’s Day ceilidh,
March 15 at the Italian Canadian Club beginning at 7 p.m. There will be
green beer, wine, Irish food and prizes. Tickets cost $35 from
Blueprint.
St. Patrick’s Day itself offers a variety of
options. Classical music aficionados will enjoys the Lethbridge Symphony
Orchestra’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, March 17 at the Southminster
United Church. Their fifth Masters series presentation features oboe
player Gerard Gibbs, who will lead the Symphony through Bloch’s
Concerto Gross Bo. 1, George Frideric Handel’s “Obbligato, Anton
Dvorak’s “Serenade for Winds Op. 44.” And keeping in with the St.
Patrick’s Day theme, a set of Celtic folk tunes including “Londonderry
Air.” The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets cost between $20-$55.
Of
course there is lots of traditional Irish music with O’Reely playing
Backstreet South at 8 p.m.; D’Arcy Kavanagh and Ian Hepher playing the
Mocha Cabana and Oliver Swain and the Big Machine playing at the Owl
Acoustic Lounge.
For a weirder take on jazz music, Blackberry
Wood are back in Lethbridge, March 14 to play the Slice — on a weekend
this time. They are brilliant and put on a magnificent show of upbeat,
quirky circus jazz music. So check them out.
And if you like sultry jazz music, Ann Vriend returns to Lethbridge to play a solo show at the Slice, March 15.
They are competing with a lot of big shows.
The
Geomatic Attic has a special two day spectacular of the Ray Charles and
Aretha Franklin tribute, March 14 and 15. The show begins at 8 p.m.
each night. Tickets cost $35 advance, $40 at door.
The
Geomatic Attic has a busy weekend as they are also having a rockabilly
night, March 16 with Bent 8 and Alistair Christi. The Toronto based
musician combines the best of honky tonk, country swing, roots
rockabilly, jazz and blues Tickets cost $22.50
If you like hip hop,
local rapper Strong V is having a release party for his new single at
Inferno, March 14. Special guest Raymundo is also on the bill.
For
a complete contrast to that, Inferno hosts another metal night, March
15 featuring Fox Eyes, SS Doom, Penitentz and Soggy Moccasins.
The
Lethbridge Folk Club also has a show on March 15. They bring back Back
Porch Swing who will be playing some Cow jazz, western swing, folk and
bluegrass music at the Moose Hall. The show begins at 8 p.m. sharp.
Other
cool shows this week include the return of Spencer Jo and the River
Jacks to the Owl Acoustic Lounge on March 14 and Sault Ste Marie
songwriter Kalle Mattson at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, March 15.
Last,
but definitely not least, if you always like the cover of the Rolling
Stone, don’t miss Dr. Hook featuring Ray Sawyer, who return to
Lethbridge to play Average Joes, March 13. The show begins at 9 p.m.
Tickets cost $25.They will be playing their many hits including “On The
Cover of the Rolling Stone.”
