Politics as Usual at the Mecklenburg Inn

After every election, no matter what the outcome, I have always held out the hope that those who come to power will quickly cast aside their  political and ideological differences in favor of crafting policy that works for the common good of the American people. There was a time when no matter how visceral or vitriolic  the campaign that leaders afterwards would turn their pitchforks into plough shares–and  put the needs of the country over the needs of the party. 

This notion, however naive considering the present tone in Washington, comes from those  memories of true statesmen like Ronald Reagan and Thomas “Tip” O’Neill extending a warm and genuine hand across the aisle or across the room. 

While I am tempted to engage in the usual postmortem after last week’s midterms, I will refrain from what is usually a fruitless and feckless exercise in trying to gage the will and mood of the American public. I remember those educated pundits of just two years ago that had declared that the Republican party was just a breath away from extinction. After elections of such historic proportions, there will always be those grand declarations about mandates and change; but seldom do those pronouncements correctly reflect the political reality.

There are those voices that claim that this election was about killing healthcare, rolling back economic reform, and bringing about a less intrusive government.  But the real numbers paint a very different picture. Americans are nearly evenly split on all these issues–so there in no clear mandate for either party. But what has been expressed by the majority of the  American people time and time again is the need to end the cancerous partisanship that is threatening the health of this nation. So while many politicians will make the case about some “greater national will of the people,” most politics remains local–and Americans will continue to reward those that serve the needs of their constituents with re-election.

One such honorable public servant is John Doyle of the West Virginia House of Delegates. We caught up with him at the Mecklenburg Inn a few months back. This venerable institution in Shepherdstown provides the perfect setting for mister Doyle to do what he does best–listening to the people, and when the spirit moves him–belting out a few Irish ballads.

What a better country this would be if more of our representatives  would raise their voice in sweet refrain instead of soured rancor.

 

 

Posted by: Chris Poh

What We Really Need is a Good Tune and a Good Drink

       The jukebox at the J.J. Bitting Brewing Company

As the Northeast prepares for yet another day of record-breaking heat, I realize that I don’t need to be adding to the abundance of hot air circulating over the continental United States. So rather than embarking on another round of some maudlin discourse or political pontificating, I thought it might be nice to provide some relief to the sultry weather with some tunes and a tonic.  

Some featured favorites from the our jukebox:

Runa - Courted a Sailor

Garnet Rogers – Better Days

David John and the Comstock Cowboys – Shenandoah

Jackie Tice – You Love the Rain

 Jack Tannehill – Babe

 

Gerry Timlin – Will You Go Lassie Go

  

Now as to that tonic, might I recommend a Singapore Sling mixed with Bluecoat American Dry Gin from our friends at Philadelphia Distilling.

Posted by: Chris Poh

Finding the New Spirit of the Molly Maguires in Jim Thorpe, PA

Standing on the heights above Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania one can not help but get a sense of the powerful mystique that pervades this historic American town. Every door and window beckons to those that care enough to hear the tale. Step through these portals and meet the ghosts of our past and the spirit of our future.

I began this year’s annual March pilgrimage  with a pint and a song at the quiet shebeen located off the back parlor of the Gilded Cupid Bed and Breakfast. My cup was filled with Guinness, and my ears were filled with a tune trumpeting the struggles and exploits of the Molly Maguires. In past years, I would have raised that first glass honoring those intrepid Irish colliers from a bar stool at the old Molly Maguire’s Pub; but unfortunately that celebrated saloon on Broadway, like so many of the region’s anthracite mines,  is no longer in operation. 

But Jim Thorpe is that resilient community that epitomizes the grit and fortitude of the nation. Today once more you can hear the coal cars of the Reading and Northern Railroad  rolling through the Lehigh Gorge from the outside deck of the  recently reincarnated Molly Maguires Pub. It was there that I ended this year’s journey – raising a final pint in tribute to both the Irish heart and the American spirit! 

All of us at American Public House Review wish everyone a very happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 Click here to enjoy some suitable Irish tunes for the celebration.

    Posted by: Chris Poh

Paying tribute to John Lennon

Each of us has certain dates on the calendar that we just can’t forget.  Whether it is a birthday or anniversary, sometimes just seeing the date pop up on our cell phone or calendar brings back to us a rush of memories.  Now I have never been one who could be described as good with dates, but today’s date is one that will always conjure up a feeling of sadness for me no matter how many years go by.  December 8th was the day John Lennon was killed.

Last year I had the opportunity to return to one of Manhattan’s great pubs, the Ear Inn on Spring Street.  Besides centuries of history, the Ear was also reported to be a regular haunt for my boyhood hero John Lennon.  Each time I go, it’s almost like a pilgrimage to find something about Lennon that perhaps I could relate more closely to.  Even though I am too young to recall Beatlemania, Lennon and the Beatles hold a special place in my memory.  They were my first “favorite band” and Lennon was one of the reasons I wanted to become a musician.  His murder was perhaps the first such event to awaken me to the world outside my suburban home.

Thanks to something called “Rockband”, which has been described to me by kids I coach in soccer as something of a video game involving famous musicians, the Beatles have moved back to their rightful place atop the collective consciousness of popular music.  Sure I may have to settle for watching a digitized cartoon version of the boys from Liverpool, but the music is the same.  And to have a 15 year old ask me what Beatles album I think they should get for Christmas warms my heart and gives me hope that their influence upon Rock and Roll will never fade.

by Dave McBride

The Celts invade Bethlehem, PA again

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a city known throughout the country for what it used to be.  Once home to the beating heart of American industrialization, the giant Bethlehem Steel plant went quiet leaving the city in dire financial circumstances.  In fact, Billy Joel’s famous song “Allentown” was supposedly written about Bethlehem, but the name just didn’t fit the tune as well, I guess.

Bethlehem's Celtic Classic

But the impression that some people have of Bethlehem as a big industrial ghost town is simply not the case.  Sure, it may not be one of country’s most important manufacturing areas anymore, but it is a terrific place full of cultural delights and rich in history.  Music is at the core of Bethlehem’s appeal, and once a year the Celts takeover for a festival that brings people from all over the Mid-Atlantic to rediscover this still great city.

Gaelic Storm raise the roof at the Celtic Classic

Bethlehem’s Celtic Classic, known by locals as Celticfest, is a tradition well into its third decade of existence.  It brings together Celtic food, history, culture, and especially music, to create a weekend party that simply must be experienced.  If you are like me, and you are a lover of Celtic music, this free event showcases some of the absolute best nationally renowned acts in the genre. 

This year’s schedule was one of the most exciting in recent memory.  As usual there were dozens of great acts.  The headliners were Gaelic Storm, the band first made famous by their appearance in the film “Titanic”, but they have since gone on to produce some of the most enjoyable and fun releases in the Celtic music genre.  Also in attendance were the Canadian band The Town Pants, a personal favorite of mine, as well as two artists featured on the APHR Jukebox; Charlie Zahm and Gerry Timlin.  Besides a great Irish balladeer, Mr. Timlin also owns a terrific pub called the Shanacie which the American Public House Review featured earlier this year.

the Keogh brothers of the Town Pants

Like it is every year, the 2009 installment of Bethlehem’s Celtic Classic was terrific fun.  There were great vendors selling Celtic gifts and music, wonderful food and drink, and entertainment aplenty.  My thanks go out to all who make this amazing and free event happen every year.

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Posted by: David McBride

 

 

Sarah is not the only gal from Alaska calling it quits

At this juncture I will not get into the endless or mindless media speculation as to why Sarah Palin is stepping down, nor will I use this particular post to dissect the politics of the matter. It suffices to say that I appreciate the governor’s current efforts to downsize the number of people in government, and I personally thank her for renewing my awareness of the great state of Alaska. Too often we in the lower forty-eight forget that America is much more than just about the events that occur in New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC. 

Since John McCain thrust Mrs. Palin onto the national stage, I have spent many more hours watching Captain Sig Hansen of the Northwestern haul Opilio crab out of the Bering Sea on the TV series, Deadliest Catch. And my Sunday evenings would not be complete without watching the Ice Road Truckers making the run up the Dalton to Dead Horse on Prudhoe Bay. And as Alaska’s award-winning broadcast journalist, Geo Beach likes to say,”Things really are Tougher in Alaska.” 

Sadly, those tough conditions have brought about the demise of another Alaskan lady. Alice’s Champagne Palace in Homer is no longer functioning as a regular bar. What the future holds for this legendary club and watering hole is uncertain; but this popular institution has overcome adversity and hard times in the past. 

We look forward to a time once more when musicians like Ellis Paul will sing her praises, and raise a glass to those that don’t quit until the last load is delivered, the last pot is hauled on board 

and the last crew safely finds their way back home.  

Sunrise View from the Ocean House Inn - Homer, Alaska

Click here to enjoy Ellis Paul singing ”Alice’s Champagne Palace“  

Special thanks to the crew at the Ocean House Inn for providing the glorious sunrise image. 

 

  

Posted by: Chris Poh

An Off Kilter take on Celtic

I can’t think of any place on earth with more things for you to do on your vacation than Walt Disney World.  You can spend a week getting to one of the four theme parks when the gates open and keep moving until closing and still not see everything there is to see.  Unfortunately, when most people think of Disney World they think the whole experience consists of oversized mice and robotic pirates.  But beneath the pixie dust there is a huge collection of delicious restaurants, more than a few terrific bars, and a collection of great live music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you make it to Epcot, check your timesheet and see when Off Kilter is next scheduled to play.  Then have a seat on a bench in front of the stage you’ll find next to the Canada pavilion.  Oh, but before you do that, just take a short stroll to the Rose and Crown Pub in the neighboring United Kingdom pavilion for a pint.  Then you and your beer can sit and enjoy a performance from one of the best Celtic-Rock bands you will ever hear.

This week on the American Public House Review Jukebox, we have a little sampler of what Off Kilter can do.  The Green Fields of France is a gorgeous song, and the boys do an incredible job with it.  But check out their website for more great stuff.  They bring Celtic to a new rocked-out level of fun.  But honestly, you must seem them live.  After seeing them once, you’ll find yourself going back again and again.  Who needs mice when you got great beer and rollicking music?

by Dave McBride

One For My Baby…

Bull Shot - P. J. Clarke's

There are just too many days as of  late when I find myself feeling a level of post meridiem melancholy that would normally be  reserved for those wee small hours after midnight. But this extended period of  pensiveness does justify my singing the first few lines of that Mercer/Arlen classic at least twice a day now.

One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

It’s quarter to three,
There’s no one in the place except you and me
So set ‘em up Joe
I got a little story I think you ought to know

We’re drinking my friend
to the end of a brief episode
So make it one for my baby
And one more for the road…

The talk around Tin Pan Alley was that Johnny Mercer worked out the lyrics to Harold Arlen’s unconventional 48 bar,  key changing melody while sitting at the bar at New York’s P. J. Clarke’s. Another famous patron would  fan the flame of this American torch standard with a version that would ultimately define tears in your beer and late night laments. And this is only fitting, since Frank Sinatra, who is more often associated with Sardi’s and Jilly’s when it comes to prominent city saloons, would always raise his last glass of the evening at P. J. Clarke’s when  socializing in Manhattan.

In the current issue of American Public House Review there is an effective recipe for a Bull Shot which this editor first discovered while sitting at the aforementioned landmark tavern on a similarly cold gray afternoon  many years ago. It occurs to me that there is just enough vodka left to make two.

So I think I’ll throw on a little Sinatra, and have one for my baby… and one more for the road. (Click the last two links to hear Francis Albert Sinatra do it as only he can)

Posted by: Chris Poh

 

Another Great Train Song

The June issue of American Public House Review will visit saloons in Gold Hill and Virginia City Nevada. Connecting these classic western mining towns is the famed Virginia and Truckee Railroad. As we explore this enduring western landscape via bar and steel rails we thought it only fitting to include one of our favorite train songs. 

 We thank Greenwich Village based singer songwriter Jack Hardy for allowing us to use “The Zephyr (Take It Slow)” to provide a bit of traveling music during this month’s journey. 

Jack has been a major influence in American folk music since the 1960s. He is also the founder/editor of Fast Folk Musical Magazine. This non-profit publication and record label, which promoted independent artists, counts amongst its alumni – Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Julie Gold, Tracy Chapman, John Gorka, Richard Shindell and Michelle Shocked.

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher – American Public House review

 

Finding great music in unexpected places

A few months ago I wrote about a terrific pub found in a place you probably wouldn’t expect to find a great tavern, Walt Disney World in Florida.  But that is exactly where you find the Rose and Crown pub at the United Kingdom pavilion in Epcot.  But that isn’t the only surprise you may find in that neck of what locals call “the Mouse”.  You’ll also find some seriously good Celtic flavored rock.

As you walk out of the front doors of the Rose and Crown take a right and head towards the Canada pavilion.  Just before you get there, you’ll see a stage on the right.  Now take a look at the schedule the over-friendly person with permanent smile on his or hers face gave you when you walk in.  If it says Off Kilter is going to play soon in Canada, take a seat and have a listen.  You won’t be disappointed.

Five days a week, and five time during those days, five men from everywhere but Canada play a unique blend of hard rock and Celtic folk at the Canadian Pavilion.  Unlike Disney’s normal way of doing things, these guys may not fit the theme of their surroundings seamlessly.  Like I said, none of them are actually from Canada and what they play is mostly not at all Canadian.  But not a single employee I met that works in the Canada pavilion, all of them natives our northern neighbor, cares about that in the least.  All they care about is that Off Kilter is good, very good.

So have a seat, perhaps bring a pint with you, and be ready for a high energy performance form a band of virtuosos.  You’ll hear contemporary tunes, beautiful bagpipes melodies, and great traditional songs.  And they are all done with a flair only Off Kilter can provide.

posted by David McBride of the American Public House Review