Song of the Week ...

Since this is really "Irish" week, thanks to St. Patrick's Day, I figured the song of the week should be Irish.

Blackthorn is an Irish band that is very popular in the Philadelphia and tri-state area. They've been around for quite a few years, now, and have a huge following - they are a sought after band for any big Irish event in the area, and routinely play at Phillies games.

Here's some info on them from their website: It's hard to believe but Blackthorn is celebrating more than 20 years at the forefront of the Philadelphia music scene this year. They continue to draw record crowds in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware. "It's been an amazing journey, I had no idea when all this started that we would still be doing this today", says John McGroary, button accordion player and one of the founding members of Blackthorn. He adds, "I think we have a special connection with our audience. On any given night you can find several different generations at our gigs. They like the music but I think they also like being part of the Blackthorn family". Keyboardist Johnny Boyce agrees with McGroary saying, I always feel I'm part of something special when I get on stage. How many people get to do something they really love night after night for almost twenty years? The best part about it is the thousands of people we meet each year and the sense of community that has built up around Blackthorn."

Blackthorn has over five albums to their credit. The first album, "It's An Irish Thing" was an instant hit with their fans with songs like "Celtic Symphony" becoming and anthem of sorts in the Philadelphia Area. Within a few years, the band was back in the studio recording "Here We Go Again," the CD that cemented Blackthorn as the premiere Irish Band in PA. Drummer, Mike O Callaghan says, "Those first two albums were really important in establishing us as a different kind of Irish Band. We still paid homage to the influences of the past like the Clancy Brothers and the Dubliners but we did our own version of the songs using a more contemporary approach."

They have a song called "Alice," and I'm guessing that this is a popular Irish diddy (meaning, they didn't write it). I couldn't find the lyrics, but it sounds as if the song is based around a person who is or was drunk, and can't seem to find Alice ... a fun song to dance to, and the main chorus is something everybody loves to yell ... "Alice? Alice? Who the f&%k is Alice?"