Ocean City sure knows how to party, right? Even though impending bad weather caused the parade to be cancelled, partiers showed up at all their favorite watering holes to be Irish for a day - well, all weekend and again on Thursday. Rah!! I was especially happy to see Old School back on stage again Friday at Fast Eddie’s. Linda (vocals), Vincent (guitar/vocals, Erve (bass/vocals) and Phil (filling in on drums) put on a fun-filled high energy show, as usual. Mid-way through the show, they were joined by the one and only Chris Button on lead guitar. That’s right, our guitar wizard, who has relocated to the Annapolis area, came to visit us to play a couple shows at Bourbon Street on the Beach, another happening music/party spot in town. We were glad he stopped by to share his music with us. You can hear Old School next on Sunday, March 27th, at Bourbon Street. Linda & Erve will be joined by former band mate Taylor Knox on lead guitar and their new drummer Frank Hill. Linda invites one and all to come join their Sunday afternoon party; begins at 4 pm.

I must say I have been most impressed with the excellent bands being featured at Fast Eddie’s. Saturday’s parties were off the hook beginning with Fiddlefire & Friends. These guys know how to kick up the excitement with excellent musicianship and song selections guaranteed to put you in the party mood. It has become a St. Patrick’s Day tradition to have these players come together to amp up the celebration. John Heinz is the fiddle player extraordinaire who puts the fire into the group along with Michael Smith (guitar/keyboards) & Jay Stinemire (drums), both of Reform School, and bass man Hank Horst. The place was packed to the rafters when I arrived and folks were certainly fired up.

After a brief tear down set up period, Dust n’ Bones took the stage to treat us to a night of most excellent classic rock. We use to hear this group most often at BJ’s; I’m glad they’ve found a new venue to showcase their talent. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dean Clark was in full voice, sounding better than I’ve ever heard him. This tall good-looking guy sure knows how to connect with and charm an audience. Pretty awesome, Dean.  Mark Townsend is the man behind all those great guitar licks; also an impressive musician and performer. Aaron Bowers plays bass and Kurt Webster (relatively new to the group at two years now) plays drums. I noticed the connection between Aaron & Kurt as they ran the gamut of rock and country tunes; and Kurt was very dynamic on those drums (loved the hair flipping, Kurt). It was obvious they were having a really good time. You can hear them Saturday at Coins.

Earlier in the day, I checked out a cool little bookstore called The Buzzed Word where Lauren Glick performed solo on keyboard. She played all of our favorites and introduced a few new originals, too. She’s been on fire writing of late. Just a few titles of her new songs: “I’m Onto You,” “Perfectly Capable” and “Me Wishing You Love and Peace.” In Fun Fotos you’ll see a few pics of Lauren with partner Dave playing at The Skye Bar (wish I could go there but the steps are killer for me). I’m heading to Lighthouse Sound tonight (6pm) to hear her again. We are celebrating the release of her latest original, “Don’t Add Up.” Be sure to request these new songs; you’re going to hear them on the readio soon. You go girl!

Last night I returned to Fast Eddie’s to hear The Mercury Agenda playing for the real-date St. Patrick’s Day party. In case you’re wondering who was that woman being wheeled around in a desk chair, yep that was me; and boy do I appreciate it. I’m going to refer to it as my throne, right Eddie? Thank you to partner Frank for setting me up with that. Anyway, back to music. I’m continually amazed at the talents of the young players in this group. Guitarist Chris pulled out a fiddle last night to the delight of the audience while awesome vocalist Doug sang a few bona fide rousing Irish tunes. I asked Chris how many instruments he plays. His reply: guitar, violin, mandolin and a little keyboard. He didn’t mention that he sometimes swaps roles with bass player Austin who can also play lead guitar. And I had to complement drummer David again. It’s still hard for me to believe that he’s only played for three years. He’s truly amazing! Their mash-ups of classic tunes and the transitions are truly brilliant. They bring to mind the term “Rock Warriors” as they wield not swords but guitars. They melded Hendrix to Zeppelin; Doors to Beatles to Cream. It’s so entertaining and gratifying to this ol’ gal that my favorite music is still being played by these twenty-somethings. And Douglas - your vocals are becoming more and more powerful while your stage presence is off the charts. Love this band.

It’s time for me to wrap this up and get ready to go again. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and always party safe!

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