If you're looking for a good time this St. Patrick's Day weekend, look no further than the rock/celtic band . There are two chances to catch the fun-loving guys this weekend -- they play for Frederick Community College students at lunch on Thursday and for the public at the on Friday evening.
The Philadelphia band is the brainchild of Kyf Brewer, a rocker who scored a hit, "Raised On The Radio," in the '80s with the Ravyns. That song was featured on the soundtrack to the film "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Barleyjuice's songs feature strong drinks and loose women.
The band's biggest hit and catchiest tune thus far -- "What Up Yours?" -- attempts to answer the age-old question of what's under a bagpiper's kilt. "When Irish eyes are smiling / what do you think they're smiling for?
" Brewer growls. "It's a nod and a wink to me Lucky Charms / What's up yours?" The group's three albums, released on Brewer's own record label, have increasingly been filled with original tracks, supplemented with more traditional Irish tunes.
A fourth album is on the way. The songs mix traditional Irish instruments like pipes, whistles and fiddles with guitars and drums. The roots of the Barleyjuice stem back to 1989, when Brewer, then a member of the band Company of Wolves, went to Ireland to film a music video.
He heard bagpipes and fell in love with their sad, haunting sound. "I'm really just trying to blend my love for the pipes and Celtic music with pop and rock 'n' roll -- to have my cake and eat it too," he said. Surprise though, Brewer's family is originally English, not Irish.
Growing up, St. Patrick's Day was to be avoided, not celebrated, he said. Despite having a pack of avid, dedicated fans, Barleyjuice has yet to get noticed by the mainstream music industry.
"It's very, very hard for anyone to make it unless you're 16 and you're beautiful and you're very, very talented," Brewer said. "It's all 'American Idol' now." When: Friday, March 16th at 8 p.
m.
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