St. Patrick's Day comes early for Pensacola Folk Music Society
Mike Roberts
Special to Pensacola News Journal
If you want a head start on St. Patrick's Day, you're in luck. The Pensacola Folk Music Society is presenting "A Celebration of Irish Music," an evening of live performers featuring Rich McDuff, a perennial performer at McGuire's Irish Pub and the Pensacola Ukulele Players. The free event is from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, at Artel Gallery in downtown Pensacola.
David McVey organizes the Pensacola Folk Music Society, a loose group of 60-plus amateur musicians who meet at the gallery on Wednesday nights.
"We're growing quickly," McVey said. "Anybody who wants to learn how to play an instrument, this is the best place to do it."
The group's weekly jam sessions are comprised mostly of guitars but, depending on who shows up, can also include other instruments. Last week, a fiddle, harmonica, flute, and banjo joined in. The members played a variety of tunes under the folk banner such as bluegrass, country, protest songs, and the blues.
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Irish folk music — with its strata of laments, ballads, odes, jigs, limericks, and the occasional drinking song — is a snug fit with the group's repertoire. Staples include "My Wild Irish Rose," "Seven Drunken Nights," "Danny Boy," "The Irish Washerwoman," and "Whiskey in the Jar."
McDuff, a veteran Irish folk singer, grew up in Boston and graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 1986. After playing for several years in one of Boston's signature Irish pubs, he moved to Atlanta and opened a namesake bar while performing on tour.
In 1987, he earned the attention of McGuire Martin, co-founder of McGuire's Irish Pub who asked him to play in Pensacola. McDuff sold his pub in 1999 and became a popular guest at McGuire's. He also writes songs, including "Kiss the Moose," a tribute to a tradition embraced by McGuire's patrons. Like his performances there, his gig at Artel is unplanned.
"I never have a set list," he admitted. "I find it most effective to choose the songs that fit the moment. The audience loves the unexpected."
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McDuff has performed at the annual McGuire's 5K Run since 1999, including the national anthem, which he said is his favorite part of the day. He will also play at the St. Patrick's Day party, staring at noon Saturday, March 17.
The Pensacola Folk Music Society's other guest, the Pensacola Ukulele Players (PUPS), mirrors the former group's casual synergy. With about two dozen members, it formed about five years ago at Blues Angel Music on Pace Boulevard. The two groups have teamed up before, mixing the Hawaiian-esque lilt with its stringed distant kin.
"They're fun," said Susanna Tempesta, a ukulele player who joined three years ago. "It's easy for anyone to play. They just make you smile."
PUPS entertains at retirement communities several times a year, inspiring seniors to dance. McVey said that the Pensacola Folk Music Society wants to reach out too, coming out of its shell at the gallery. "A Celebration of Irish Music" is part of that mission. In the meantime, the group's welcome mat is unfurled.
"We really don't turn anybody away," McVey said. "Everyone is welcome."
Mike Roberts is a freelance writer for the News Journal.
WHAT: "A Celebration of Irish Music"
WHEN: 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 14
WHERE: Artel Gallery, 223 Palafox Place