Yr. Weekend, Pt. 3: St. Patrick’s Day at the Mucky Duck + The Dead Rabbits + The Zombies + The Skatalites + George Strait + More

Ouch. I am sunburned and in pain, with a back that’s been tweaked over a week spent flying and driving and chasing children and sleeping in unfamiliar beds, and I’m ready to sit down and hang out at the house for a while. Today, however, there’s quite a bit of awesomeness happening, especially seeing as it’s St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17th.

I celebrated yesterday, actually, attending the annual parade down in sweaty, sandy Surfside, TX, which is easily the most surreal St. Paddy’s Day parade you’re likely to see (beyond the one in New Orleans, maybe). The in-laws have a beach house down there, so we’ve hit the weirdness the past two years now… Anyway, there’s a lot going on, both related to the Irish and not; here we go:

St. Patrick’s Day, featuring O’Maoileidigh Irish Dancers, Clandestine, The Jig Is Up!, Jiggernaut, Earl Grey in the Morning, Brizeus, The Irish Session Players, Jim Mackenzie, & Martin Burniston’s Irish Singalong @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Believe it or not, I nearly forgot about the annual festivities over at the Mucky Duck today, which is freaking insane, truly, considering that it’s just about the best St. Patrick’s Day party in town. It’s already well underway, but there’s still plenty of time to hit up the Duck and bask in wonderment at all things Irish/Celtic, particularly awesome, awesome local folks like The Jig Is Up!, {Jiggernaut}, and Texas Celtic-folk icons {Clandestine}. And it all happens at one of the absolute-best, most genuinely cool bars in this whole damn city.

The Dead Rabbits/DollyRockers/Cottonwood Blossom/The Tyburn Jig/The Dollyrots @ Griff’s (3416 Roseland; 12PM, free!)
Another cool-looking St. Paddy’s party, this time at one of H-town’s other pre-eminent Irish bars, Griff’s. This is where you’ll want to go if you’re less into the folky side and more into the rock, with rollicking Irish folk-punks {The Dead Rabbits} & windswept Western-Gothic-surf rockers {The Tyburn Jig}, among others…

The Skatalites/Molotov Compromise/La Skandaloza/Jimmy Shadeaux Brickets & The Steeltoesoul @ Mango’s (4PM-1AM; $15)
Shifting gears, the show tonight at Mango’s has zero to do with anything Irish, but hell, it’s still pretty great. I dearly love The Skatalites, and it does my soul good to see that they’re still touring in some form or another, although it’s still a little strange to see ’em playing such a small venue. Old-school ska is the best ska, people — truth.

2013 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, featuring George Strait, Martina McBride, & Randy Rogers Band @ Reliant Stadium
Despite my general disdain for country music, I’ll admit to having a fondness for George Strait; the man’s a legend, and even back in his heyday, I always liked him and his music, despite hating most of his contemporaries. Bad news? Apparently this has been sold out for a long damn time now. Sorry, y’all…

The Zombies/Elephant Stone @ Fitzgerald’s
Whether you know who The Zombies are or not — and you really, really should know who they are — you’ve benefited from their musical legacy. Despite their relatively brief life back in the ’60s, they were one of the best damn bands in the British Invasion, and any guitar-pop band from the past 30 years owes them a serious debt of gratitude. And plus, “She’s Not There” is one of The Best. Songs. Ever. Really.

SXSW Overflow Fest, featuring

Next 2 the Tracks, Chrome Pony, Scareho, Schwervon!, All The Apparatus, The Horde and The Harem, The Jarheads, & Behold the Brave @ Super Happy Fun Land
Hit this one already today, so I’ll keep it brief, just popping back in to say that you really, really, really ought to check out the SXSW Overflow Fest (which I’m glad to see is getting more exposure this year). So far the bands I’ve heard have been almost uniformly great, and tonight’s no exception — I particularly like The Jarheads, All the Apparatus, Schwervon!, & The Horde & The Harem…

Runners-Up:
Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights/The Weeks/Second Lovers/Shelly Colvin @ Fitzgerald’s
the last place you look @ Lucky’s Pub (Cypress)
Houston We Have A Problem Fest, featuring Breathe Carolina, Chiodos, Escape The Fate, Motionless In White, Chelsea Grin, Norma Jean, Attila, Betraying The Martyrs, Buried In Verona, Ice Nine Kills, & Mouth Of The South @ House of Blues
Parabelle/Saturate/Downfall 2012/Threadbelly/The Chemist Inside @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
Joe “King” Carrasco @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
AR*V SXSpillover, featuring Andre Obin, Avoxblue, Futility Closet, & Stereo Telescope @ Notsuoh