St. Patrick’s Day revelers pay heed: This weekend’s slate of green-hued parties features lots of solid live music for those of you who like a soundtrack to your imbibing. Here are some highlights, but you should go check out the listings on Pages 9 and 16-17 for all of Saturday’s options.
• For Bend’s preeminent Irish-ish good-times band, Five Pint Mary, St. Pat’s is like Christmas, New Year’s and the Fourth of July all in one. That’s because the band has a gift for rollicking Celtic folk-punk fireworks that’ll keep you dancing and drinking till the wee hours of the night. They’ll play thrice this weekend: for free at 8 tonight at Kelly D’s (1012 S.E. Cleveland Ave., Bend); for free from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Saturday in O’Kane’s Square at McMenamins Old St. Francis School (700 N.W. Bond St., Bend); and at the annual Harp Hall St. Pat’s party at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Domino Room (51 N.W. Greenwood Ave., Bend). That one’s $5 and open to the 21+ crowd. Look the band up on Facebook.
• Speaking of McMenamins, its big St. Pat’s shindig will run all day Saturday, with music starting at 1 p.m. Along with Five Pint Mary, the Moon Mountain Ramblers, the Tune Dawgs, Tony Smiley and Bend Fire Pipes & Drums will play. It’s all free. More details: www.mcmenamins.com.
• Prefer your St. Pat’s celebration to feature harp music in the afternoon? Then you’re looking for Strictly Organic Coffee Co. (6 S.W. Bond St., Bend), where Rebecca Smith and friends will play Celtic music for harp, flute and violin from 3-5 p.m. It’s free!
• Want your tunes relatively mellow? Head to River Rim Coffeehouse (9570 Amber Meadow Drive, Bend) for chamber-folk band Hilst & Coffey and Celtic-flavored string ensemble Wild Rye playing music from and for the Emerald Isle. 6 p.m. Free.
• Looking for that classic musical form of Ireland, hip-hop? Hit Silver Moon Brewing (24 N.W. Greenwood Ave., Bend) for Mosley Wotta and special guest Blak Irish. Top o’ the morning to ya, McMoWo! 9 p.m. Free.
• Need some heaviness to course through your beer-soaked veins? Then you want Kleverkill and Exfixia at Third Street Pub (314 N.E. Third St., Bend). Bang your head till your party hat with the buckle falls off! 9:30 p.m. Free.
• Last but definitely not least, you could see U2 on Saturday night, too. The Tower Theatre will screen the Irish mega-band’s 1988 documentary “Rattle & Hum” at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available through the venue. More info: www.towertheatre.org.
— Ben Salmon
