So I was looking for something fun to do on a Saturday night, in or around Boston, for little coin. I decided live music would be the best choice. There are literally hundreds of clubs in Boston that offer live music on any given night, and Saturday is especially busy. I began to search for something my girlfriend and I could both groove to, which means I ruled out the hardcore reggae at Harper’s Ferry and Pabst fueled metal at O’Briens, and started to look a little deeper.
I first checked the Phoenix Boston online listings. Your search can pretty much begin and end here. They list theatre, comedy, music, poetry slams, homeless guys on crystal meth that perform at Subway stations, etc…
I didn’t see too many shows that jumped out at me, I first contemplated a night at Scullers jazz club, romantic right? I figured that even though my girlfriend had probably never heard of Eliane Elias, the vocalist/pianist performing, she might enjoy a relatively relaxed evening celebrating bossa nova’s silver anniversary…I guess?
The only problem with Scullers was that I’d have to pay a minimum of $56 bucks just to get in, and a lot more if I decided to drink and eat. Just when I began to calculate my expenses for the rest of the month, I noticed a listing for The Erin Og band, performing at the Old Irish Alehouse in Dedham. The Old Irish Alehouse is a restaurant located near my girlfriend’s apartment that we had actually been threatening to perform (and I use that term very loosely) karaoke at for a few months. I figured, why not check this place out? There was no cover, the location is on the outskirts of the city, so the drinks would probably be cheap, and The Erin Og band sounded like a cool Irish folk song experience that might end up including a performance of Whiskey in the Jar, one of my all-time favorite jams.
We arrived around 9:30, and the Erin Og band had already begun their set. After saddling up to a nice two-top that put us just about in the middle of the bar and the stage, it was time to kick back and relax. The Erin Og Band, Boston’s Irish Rebel Band, is a really tight group of musicians that wail out Irish classics with enthusiasm. These guys were good, and they interacted with the crowd (myself, my girlfriend, an older guy and his wife, and another older guy who was acutally playing tambourine for most of the show) a good amount. More guests arrived at the show, some left, and in the end, a night with Erin Og, my love, and a few rum and cokes was just what I needed.
Seriously, check these guys out. They play all over the state and they’re really good: The Erin Og Band MySpace page
