Live music is a part of the three Salt hill Pubs’ programming year-round, but on St. Patrick’s Day, co-owner Josh Tuohy likes to go all out, with a roster of entertainment scheduled from morning till night.
After all, St. Patrick’s is nothing if not an opportunity to drink and make merry, ideally for as much of the day as adult life will allow.
Tuohy is “trying to be a little over the top on this, just to make sure it’s really fun and really loud,” he said in a phone interview.
It’s also a chance to showcase bands that draw from Ireland’s varied musical history.
“We try to mix that loud, a little more in your face (music) with some more traditional jigs, reels, etc. so there’s something for everyone,” Tuohy said.
In the “in your face” category is The Rebel Collective, a Celtic folk-punk project from southern New Hampshire whose repertoire comprises original songs and traditional and contemporary covers.
They’re set to play at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Lebanon Salt hill, after the pub’s ceremonial first pint and Irish breakfast, that is.
Playing the morning 9 a.m. slot in Salt hill Pub Shanty, the Newbury, N.H. location, is JD and The Stonemasons, whose latest album, the rollicking “Westward,” came out in February.
“You think you’re at a pub in the Irish countryside when you hear these guys,” Tuohy said.
The Stonemasons will perform at the Lebanon and Newport Salt hills later on Tuesday.
A couple of bagpipers are also in the mix. The acclaimed Anthony Santoro, who leads the Irish Trad Sessions at the Lebanon pub, will perform in the Salt hill Ceili Band from 1 to 3 p.m. in Newport and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Newbury.
Meanwhile, Eryk Bean, aka the Drive-By-Bagpiper, will make the rounds to each pub for a short 10-minute set before proceeding to the next location.
While the pints will no doubt be plentiful, Tuohy emphasized that the event is for all ages.
“The families and kids kind of make the pub what it is,” he said.
The St. Patrick’s Day celebration has been a tradition at Salt hill for decades. Next week’s festivities mark the 23rd iteration at the Lebanon location, with the Newport location not far behind, and the Shanty on its 12th run.
Last year, somewhere between 750 and 1,000 people walked through Salt hill’s three locations, Tuohy said, with some lining up at 7:30 a.m. to get a good seat, then staying long into the day.
“It’s absolutely 100% for the fun of it. It’s a party,” Tuohy said.
Salt hill Pub’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration is slated for Tuesday, March 17 at the business’ three locations. Go to salthillpub.com to learn more.
The party doesn’t stop
The St. Patrick’s Day festivities don’t stop with Salt hill. A number of other Upper Valley venues have music and other forms of revelry set for the holiday. A sampling:
The Windsor American Legion Post is holding a St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday, March 14. A corned beef dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by dancing from 7 to 10 p.m. Reservations for the dinner had to be made by March 1, but the dance party is open to the public. Tickets are $10. Learn more on the town’s Facebook page: Windsor, Birthplace of Vermont.
The Upper Valley’s own “drinking song supergroup” Blarney and Friends will perform for diners at Skunk Hollow Tavern in Hartland at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 13. The group will play again at 6 p.m. at the Filling Station in White River Junction on Tuesday, March 17.
A group of Vermont singer-songwriters will perform in a belated St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Friday, March 20 at Seven Stars Arts Center in Sharon. Among them are folk and bluegrass musician Patti Casey, Irish fiddler Geordie Lynd and the Gaelic music group Footworks. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start. For tickets ($20 online; $25 at the door; free for kids under 12) and to learn more go to sevenstarsarts.org.
Snakes of Ireland, who call themselves “a drinking band with a guitar problem,” is coming out of retirement to perform at Crossroads Bar and Grill in South Royalton at 8 p.m. on St Patrick’s Day. Learn more on the bar’s Facebook page: Crossroads Bar and Grill.
Music sans shamrocks
Not all the performing arts events coming up in the next week are St. Patrick’s Day themed. For instance:
Super Bug, a punk rock band from Hillsborough, N.H., is performing at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 13 at Sawtooth Kitchen, Bar and Stage in Hanover. Tickets are $5. Learn more at sawtoothkitchen.com.
Experimental composer and Dartmouth College alum Raegan Padula will DJ this Friday at the barn-cum-arts-space at 873 Bragg Hill in Norwich. The BYOB event is free but donations are encouraged, as is carpooling. Music starts at 10 p.m.
“Rage and Sage,” a donation-based mixer, dance party and “sound bath integration” event is happening from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 13 at Studio 34 in Claremont. Beachwear and tropical-inspired looks are encouraged. The event is substance-free and open to people ages 16 and up. Pre-registration is required. Sign up and learn more at studio34nh.com.
Upper Valley Baroque will perform J.S. Bach’s “Easter Oratorio” and “Magnificat” at Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. Another performance is scheduled for the next day at 3 p.m. at Lebanon Opera House. For tickets to both concerts ($26.90 – $57.95) and more information, go to uppervalleybaroque.org.