THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019 // 9
His great-grandmother was Sarah
Makem, a collector of folk songs from Ire-
land. Her son was Tommy Makem of the
famed folk band The Clancy Brothers, who
played for Bob Dylan at the White Horse
Tavern in New York City’s Greenwich
Village.
McElhinney will play a variety of old
and new folk songs from America, Scotland
and Ireland.
“One moment I’ll have you laughing and
the next moment you’ll be crying with tears
for the old country,” he said.
McElhinney enjoys performing folk
music because it’s a “music of the people.”
“It’s a music about the people. It’s about
their lives, their stories,” he said.
He said Irish music isn’t celebrated in
Ireland as much as it is in the U.S. Surpris-
ingly, Irish people want to hear more Amer-
ican country music.
But he says there’s something special
about the atmosphere of an Irish pub. “It’s
just a community hub — that’s what I like
about an Irish pub,” he said.
Josh Curll, a vocalist and guitarist from
the band the Sons of Malarkey, said he feels
like the band is “brothers and sisters in
arms” after playing together for 10 years.
“We just have a feel for each other,” he
said.
The six-person band plays Irish rock and
is inspired by bands like The Clancy Broth-
ers and The Dubliners.
Curll described Irish music as “sad sto-
ries set to upbeat melodies.” “There’s a lot
of pain in those songs,” he said. “At the
same time, they’re a way of expressing
joy.”
He said the band is looking forward to
playing at the first year of the festival and is
excited about its potential.
Stout Pounders are one of the festival’s
other large bands.
Darin Wallace, a vocalist in the five-per-
son group, said they are “untraditionally
traditional.” They play traditional Irish and
Scottish Folk music as well as covers and
original songs.
Stout Pounders have been the house
band for Seattle’s St. Patrick’s Day Dash for
the last 10 years. For festivals the band tries
to create sets that have good starts that carry
through the middle and finish strong.
“We don’t care if we’re playing for 20
people, 200 people or 2,000 people, we
bring that same energy,” he said.
The band, he said, “tries to be a fun,
good-time band that makes you forget about
any troubles or things going on, and you
can just sit back and enjoy, or throw back a
pint or three.”
For the full musical line-up, see page 5. CW
Luke Whittaker
Aubrey and Dan Tobin own Crown Alley Irish Pub in Ocean Park.
Annie Henry
Annie Henry.
That Irish Guy
Les Hause
Marian DiCicco.
That Irish Guy, aka Ireland native
Emmet McElhinney.
The Bold Doherty
Zach Doherty, aka The Bold Doherty.