Top O' the Mornin' to Ya

I’ve realized that I write about television shows far too much on this blog, so I thought it was time to shift gears a bit.

I seem to be quite obsessed with Irish pubs lately, so this past Friday a friend and I decided to meet up with some friends at Fado in Pioneer Square. This is generally an area of town I tend to avoid after dark, but I will make the occasional exception when it involves a cool Irish pub. Anyway, after downing a few drinks and catching up with old friends from college, we decided a nice brisk walk to Kells would be a great choice of activity. We were itching to dance, and Kells generally has a live band.

Kells is one of my favorite bars in town – I’ve never not had a good time there. It’s one of Seattle’s favorite hideaways, located in Post Alley above Pike Place Market. The traditional Irish pub has a warm, cozy atmosphere, and not only that, but they have Hoegaarden on tap, my absolute favorite beer!!

After arriving on Friday night at about 12:30 a.m., we promptly claimed some space at the back bar, which happens to be right near the stage. Already more than slightly buzzed at this point, our excitement rose when the band came out. As they warmed up, I knew the show would be entertaining. And it WAS! This was music like I have never heard before! Imagine traditional Irish music mixed with modern punk and what do you get? A rockin’ good time!! We alternated between dancing, jumping up and down, attempting to Riverdance, and drinking for the next hour and a half. Sweet.

I found out that the band is called Amadan, an Irish-Gaelic colloquialism for fool or idiot – what an awesome name! According to their web site, it’s also a Pacific Northwestern colloquialism for the Irish punkrock institution that attacks the senses from all six sides and routinely orchestrates chaos out of the throngs of expectant fans. The band says they exist for each other and for these people – a crew as integral to the phenomenon as the rogues’ gallery of musicianship itself.

Amadan starts off each set with fists in the air and a resounding “ARGH!” from the crowd. Then the six band members ROCK OUT! It was the high-energy, foot-stomping music typical of Irish pubs, but with a nice modern twist. I can’t really explain why I found this type of music so entertaining, because it’s not really the style that I listen to every day. But how can you go wrong with guitar, bass, didgeridoo, drums, fiddle, accordion, spoons, penny whistle, snare drum and banjo? Not to mention vocals that included sheep and monkey sounds! (Seriously.)

It was such a great time that when I found out Amadan was playing again at Kells on Saturday night, I just had to make another appearance. The second time around was just as good as the first, if not better. I think Saturday night was the epitome of “Eat, drink and be merry.” We ate, drank, danced until our heads and feet were throbbing. And I have to say the most entertaining part of the night was when a random chick we were dancing with threw herself blindly backwards, only to be caught, inches from smashing her head into the ground, by one of my friends. Since no one seemed to notice, I think this sort of behavior is common at Amadan shows. Cool.

The band is from Oregon, so I may have to take a trip down there sometime in the near future to see them again.

Argh!!!