Oh, the March Holidays!
It's the start of the week leading up to St. Patrick's Day. Terry Weir, who leads my weekly Wednesday session, has arranged for us to impersonate a pub band for the holiday. Last night we played St. Brigid's parish "Irish Night" corned beef dinner.
Next Saturday, we do the afternoon "quiet shift" at Harrington's Pub in Wakefield. There's a loud band on later, and they'll be set up already, so we just slide into the space in front of the drum kit and plug into their PA. Our shift 1:30-5pm. On a normal St. Pat's the line to get in doesn't build up until about 2:30, but with the day being Saturday, who knows?
Then we're off to do the 7-10 shift at Grumpy Doyle's in Reading. As compared to Harrington's (which is a long room, with the bar down one wall and a long divider running the middle of the room, so even when it's half-empty it feels like a maze of tunnels. A cozy and inviting tunnel, but still...) Grumpy's is wide open. It's converted from a Chinese buffet, so it specializes in wide open. Big plate windows on a big square room of high tables with a big square bar in the middle, and a second big square room of booths and tables. We get the non-bar room, keeps us out of the way of business. Don't know if there's music before or after us (unlikely) but I'm sure it'll be packed from before we get there till long after we leave.
So if you want to go out for the St. P's American Experience, come to someplace I'll be!! but if so, please wear this hat, as it's very festive. And VERY Irish, you can tell them I said so. Quite authentic.
I'll buy you a beer.
Next Saturday, we do the afternoon "quiet shift" at Harrington's Pub in Wakefield. There's a loud band on later, and they'll be set up already, so we just slide into the space in front of the drum kit and plug into their PA. Our shift 1:30-5pm. On a normal St. Pat's the line to get in doesn't build up until about 2:30, but with the day being Saturday, who knows?
Then we're off to do the 7-10 shift at Grumpy Doyle's in Reading. As compared to Harrington's (which is a long room, with the bar down one wall and a long divider running the middle of the room, so even when it's half-empty it feels like a maze of tunnels. A cozy and inviting tunnel, but still...) Grumpy's is wide open. It's converted from a Chinese buffet, so it specializes in wide open. Big plate windows on a big square room of high tables with a big square bar in the middle, and a second big square room of booths and tables. We get the non-bar room, keeps us out of the way of business. Don't know if there's music before or after us (unlikely) but I'm sure it'll be packed from before we get there till long after we leave.
So if you want to go out for the St. P's American Experience, come to someplace I'll be!! but if so, please wear this hat, as it's very festive. And VERY Irish, you can tell them I said so. Quite authentic.
I'll buy you a beer.