Albuquerque’s favorite St. Patrick’s Day party band Dirty Old Town ABQ is back, and they’re bringing “flagons of fun” — hopefully filled with Irish whiskey — performing three shows starting on Saturday, March 15 at Tractor Brewing Company Nob Hill (118 Tulane Dr. SE). The party continues on March 16 at the Mineshaft Cantina (2846 NM-14) in Madrid and returns to Albuquerque on St. Patrick’s Day proper, March 17, at Canteen Brewhouse (2831 Aztec Rd. NE). The sets will be a mix of Irish, American and “Irish adjacent” folk, Americana and punk rock tunes drawing inspiration from a multitude of cultures and styles. The band teases some brand new originals as well.
“Of course, we are very heavy on The Pogues,” Singer, songwriter and accordion player Deborah “Debo” Orlofsky says. “We’ve got a smidge of Dropkick Murphys, but we’ve got all this other stuff that we’re going to play too — some more traditional stuff. We have a set of three Irish polkas that are very lively. If anybody feels like getting up and doing some steppin’, we got the tune for them for sure.”
Orlofsky says the name of her band was inspired by British Songwriter Ewan McColl in the 1970s. McColl’s “Dirty Old Town” was popularized by British Celtic punk band The Pogues and covered by various musicians over the years. The name fits well because her bandmates Thomas Dewers (guitar, mandolin), Terry Bluhm (bass) and Zoom Crespin (drums) have crossed paths or played together in different projects throughout the years and “tripped over one another,” as Orlofsky puts it. She says the band started out as a duo who planned on playing a few shows leading up to last year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, but after giving themselves a bit of a punk makeover, DOTABQ kinda took off.
Orlofsky says this year’s performances will include a variety of genres played on a variety of instruments. For example, Dewars will switch from guitar to mandolin at the beginning of their second set, and Orlofsky will bust out the accordion for an “Irish-ish send-up” of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California.” She says a Dirty Old Town St. Patrick’s Day party isn’t your typical party because DOTABQ isn’t a typical Irish band. When you mix in artists like Dolly Parton and Lou Reed, things are bound to get a little bit wild, but that’s kind of the point, right?
“We’re not bound completely by tradition,” Orlofsky says. “I think we have a similar spirit to the Pogues in terms of taking things and and mixing them together in ways that didn’t happen before, so we take liberties.”
It is St Patrick’s Day, and partigoers do want to hear Irish-sounding music, so band won’t stray completely from tradition during their performances. Orlofsky says they will perform the 1860s classic “Finnegan’s Wake,” a song with no definitive authorship that’s been performed by everyone from Bryant’s Minstrels in the 19th century to The Clancy Brothers in the ’50s. A slew of punk bands still cover it today, including a famous Dropkick Murphy’s version.
“It’s a great old story about Tim Finnegan who dies one day when he falls off a ladder because he’s drunk,” Orlofsky says. “It’s about the restorative powers of whiskey and what happens at the wake.”
Some say punk is an attitude, others say punk is about the music. This holiday celebration fits both criteria. If you’re looking to hear an original song that nobody has heard, dance to a timeless anonymous classic, or sing along to a cover that everybody knows, these shows encapsulate what an American St. Patrick’s Day celebration is meant to be. Good times, good folks and beer pints o’plenty.
“I think our crowd is going to be the people that appreciate the fun of the holidays and all these different cultures and traditions,” Orlofsky says. “Justl like during Cinco de Mayo we’re all Mexican, during St Patrick’s Day we’re all Irish — or ‘Irish-ish.” That’s how Thomas and I like to describe it.”
Dirty Old Town ABQ
March 15, 7 p.m.
Tractor Brewing Company Nob Hill
118 Tulane Dr. SE
March 16, 3 p.m.
Mine Shaft Cantina
2846 State Highway 14, Madrid, NM
March 17, 6 p.m.
Canteen Brewhouse
2381 Aztec Rd. NE