...pub...

Perhaps I should qualify that last post a little...

I've written about the Pub quite a bit.
If you ever come to see me in Nashville you'll have to go with me.
But it HAS to be on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night.

Those are the nights my friends, Sean, Josh and David (who make up Nosey Flynn) play live Irish music.

(ok, to let you in on a little secret. There are actually 2 pubs. Well, there are several pubs in Nashville, but only 2 Pubs. One is downtown Nashville right off Music Row, the other is south of Nashville technically in Brentwood. Sean and Josh play at the Brentwood pub on Fridays and Saturdays and at the downtown pub on Sundays. Sunday night at the pub is the more traditional crowd--kilts, and free-flowing Guiness and ciders. But Friday and Saturday nights at the pub are quite fun too :)

As Sean always says: "It's all about audience participation, communication, and intoxication!"

(or as he often says, "the more you drink, the better we sound". It's not true though. He and the rest of the band are TRULY talented, not only at leading a raucous crowd in traditional Irish drinking songs, but also in showcasing their musical abilities which are amazing.)

I love the Irish drinking songs. Especially the ones which allow me to release my "inner profane self" as Sean calls it. I think the first time I requested "Alice" I caught him really off guard. Since then he has realized that I can yell out the necessary phrase just as loudly as anyone else ;-)

But I also love the songs that aren't necessarily drinking songs. There's "Caledonia", which I first fell in love with as they sang it. There's the hauntingly beautiful "The Last House on Our Street" and "Loch Lomond". There's "Fairytale of New York", "Charlie on the MTA" and "Southside Irish" (the latter two also representing the Irish populations in two of my all-time favorite cities: Boston and Chicago).

There are the serious points as well--Sean is a devout Catholic and makes sure to intersperse his faith into the show, whether in a humorous way ("see, I can go to confession tomorrow. You Protestants are screwed!") or in more serious ways, such as making sure the true story of St Patrick gets told amid the crazy crowds on that day.

What's my point? I'm not entirely sure myself. I guess since I'm not going to be able to afford a trip to the island itself for awhile, this is my little slice of it right in Nashville. So when you hear me talk about "the Pub"...maybe you'll have a little clearer picture of why it means so much to me. The music, the people, the faith...it's all a part of what makes me ME.

By the way, if you're interested in hearing a little slice of Nosey Flynn, here's a link to their myspace page. They have a few songs on there...including Caledonia which is my absolute favorite.

Slainte!
(that's Cheers :-)