Dispatch from the Dockside

Man, I meant to post these pics from St. Pat's at Ross's later on yesterday, but, somewhere around 4 o'clock, the innards of my stomach transformed into a raging torrent of hate and anger. I spent more time in the bathroom last night than a stripper looking to make it through her second shift.

I enjoyed myself so much singing these ol' Irish ditties that I've decided to see if I can make it a year round thing. So, in addition to booking the jazz standards act, I'll also be trying to book some gigs doing the Irish stuff. Stay tuned for more news on that, and maybe even some audio in the near future.

Anyway, onto the sweaty, bearded pics of Irish drinking and rebel songs:

St. Pat's Hangover

I'll post pictures from the St. Pat's gig at Ross's later on. Everything went well and it was a lot of fun being able to spend a day performing genuine Irish music on St. Pat's. It's nice to be able to cut through a lot of the plastic Paddyism and general ignorance that surrounds the holiday and give people a wee bit of my own culture.

One of the surprise outcomes of me working on St. Pat's is that instead of being terribly hungover yesterday, I was just really tired. So I put a few projects on the back burner for the day and went over to the West End for a sammich and cigar, accompanied by a few beers. Of course, I wanted to get a little something done, so here's an oil pastel sketch I did of some of the old timers at the Celtic Cottage here in Long Branch.

Happy St. Pat's Day!!!

Hey, kids! A very happy St. Patrick's Day to you all. I hope to see a few (or more) of you over at Ross's Dockside this afternoon in Sea Bright. Settle in for a few pints and listen to me belt out a few old rebel and drinking songs. My aim is to keep the whole thing as Irish as possible and to steer away from all the plastic Paddyism you see run rampant today. I want everyone to be exposed to bits of Irish culture they might otherwise not be, all while having a helluva time. So, if you like good food, waterfront views, drinking, and singing at the top of your lungs, you should definitely swing by.

In the spirit of the holiday, I give you a little photo sequence of the last 5 days of my life. My friend Mark is turning his basement into an Irish Pub, and asked to me throw a mural up on the wall. It's based on the one in the movie 'The Boondock Saints'; from the scene where they load up on all that fine weaponry. It really shouldn't have taken me as long as it did, but I was going for a bit of a faux finished look to give it that worn, rustic feel. And, being that it was my first time trying something like that, and that I'm a perfectionist, and that there was a lot of friggin' letters, it took me a long time.

Well, I'm off to drink a pint and dance a jig. Not because it's St. Patrick's Day, mind you. That's just what I do on Monday mornings. Slainte, all.