Everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day! I'm not sure why.

Image via Wikipedia

Are you? I mean, I'm happy for the Irish and I suspect I have a little Irish back in my own ancestry, but why do we all wear the green and go for the day with such gusto? I also have a little Creek Indian in me, but I haven't noticed any celebrations breaking out on their behalf. How about we pick a day and dress like these guys?

Cocoa Moon - the Latin restaurant - dressed up for St. Patrick's Day

Really, no other group causes us all to act as if we are all related. I know it's all in good fun and I really don't mind. I enjoy celebrating different cultures, it's just that I don't understand how this one captured the imagination of so many. We're even chided if we don't participate - "Where's your green?"

Latitude shows the green and snags a media interview.

Jack Neely, who wrote a great article on the subject last week, suggested that perhaps our identification with the Irish reflects our American inclination to support the underdog and the defeated. Again, I submit to you my Creek ancestors. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger underdog or a group more thoroughly defeated.

Junior League Band, Blueplate Special, Knoxville

Ah well, might as well join in. Knoxville goes for it to a small degree. We have Irish music and green is abundant, though mostly for commercial reasons. There is no parade. I caught the Blueplate Special that day at WDVX. The first artist, the Junior League Band was not Irish, nor did Lissy Rosemont and her band play Irish music. Their website describes them as an "old time inspired rock band." That's probably a fitting description.

Lissy Rosemont sings and Irish Ballad

She played banjo and every song featured an electric rock guitar. Their music and particularly her vocals reminded me greatly of Hilary Hawke who I wrote about a while back. One hails from Georgia and the other from New York, but they have arrived at similar musical styles, at least to my ears. Lissy did end with an old Irish ballad in honor of the day.

Four Leaf Peat, Blueplate Special, WDVX, Knoxville, St. Patrick's Day 2011

There was no mistaking the Irishness of the next band. Hailed as "Knoxville's Premier Traditional Irish Band," and perhaps our only traditional Irish Band, Four Leaf Peat. I believe they said this represents their fifth consecutive St. Patrick's Day show on the Blueplate.

Four Leaf Peat, WDVX, Knoxville, March 2011

Four Leaf Peat, WDVX, Knoxville, St. Patrick's Day 2011

They are a talented group playing a wide range of traditional instruments and sticking very close to their tradtional Irish roots. I enjoyed them live, but I'm not so much a fan of the genre. Hearing that style music once a year is enough for me.

Now, if you want to talk about some Creek songs, that's another discussion altogether. Here's a little clip to get the movement started.