Irish or not, it's time to celebrate.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

Any fiddle player idling on the couch in Lane County on Saturday must not want to work.

Musicians who can play something Celtic or vaguely Irish are in high demand this weekend. Many have been celebrating the holiday for weeks.

The books closed on the fourth Eugene Irish Festival during the first week of March. Irish Echo had a fundraising concert March 11.

But this is the weekend the whole town turns even greener than usual. It's greener than the University of Washington basketball team now that Oregon is a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance and the Huskies don't need their toe-step footwear.

Suddenly, all people have a wee bit of Irish in them, you know - my great-great grandmother lived in a castle in Ireland, that sort of thing.

One thing most performers can agree on is that St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to play. Crowds are in the mood to party, and the pay is better than usual because so many venues need to provide some music for partygoers to work their blarney to.

There are fundraisers, hip-hop shows, traditional Irish events and just enough festivity to go around. It's even on a weekend this year, so working stiffs can get as crazy as college kids.

Here are some good bets, all on Saturday unless otherwise noted:

The moving targets

Bruce Hartnell, who you might know from Los Mex Pistols del Norte, has assembled a ragamuffin group of some of Eugene's finest musicians who could go by the motto of "will work for holiday pay."

The large band, made up of members from several local groups, has dubbed itself the Glenwood Rebel Rovers. The Rovers feature several of the Mex Pistols, three members of Toad in the Hole and two guys from the Visible Men (including Dan Schmid, who's also in the Cherry Poppin' Daddies).

"We can do four hours of music if we do every Irish song with either whiskey or rover in it, and we intend to," Hartnell said.

The group is based around the musicians Hartnell took to Asia several years ago. Since 2004, those guys in various formations have played several venues in Eugene for the holiday.

In fact, they perform every "drinking" holiday, with the same instrumentation but different songs and styles. Hartnell demonstrated the German, Irish, Mexican and Gypsy versions on his button accordion.

"This year, we were offered a lot of shows, but not as much money as we'd like to see, so we decided to add guys and play all of them," Hartnell said in an e-mail.

Catch the Rovers from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at McShane's, 86495 College View Blvd. After a break, they start again at 9 p.m. at Max's Tavern, where representatives will remain throughout the night.

At 10:30 p.m., five members will split off for Luckey's, 933 Olive St. They will start a set there, "to be joined by the rest of the band halfway through our set, basically at the time the guys at (New) Max's (Tavern) take a break," Hartnell said.

Then they all head back to Max's, at 550 E. 13th Ave., play until 12:30 a.m., then split again to get something started at Diablo's before heading once again to Max's to close the night down about 1:45 a.m.

If that's too confusing, just stay at Max's and you'll see plenty of them.

Also happening at Luckey's, after the Rovers' performance, is sets by Irish pub band Circled by Hounds and Eugene punk bluegrass band Sid and Fancy. The Quick and Easy Boys opens the show at 10 p.m. for a $5 to $10 cover.

As an alternative, the Caledonians' second annual pub crawl will find the group bagpiping, drumming and Highland dancing first at 8 p.m. at the O'Donnell's Irish Pub, 295 Highway 99N ($5 at the door) and for a free show at 10 p.m. at the Cooler, 20 Centennial Loop.

With seven members, including two bagpipers, the Irish and Scottish fusion band also has a free show at 9 p.m. today at O'Donnell's.

The Skye's the limit

Reviving a tradition once put on hold, Eugene band Skye will take to the WOW Hall stage again, putting down some Celtic tunes in a show sponsored by KRVM-FM's "Celtic Quilt."

After a four-year hiatus, the contemporary Celtic band will present its blend of vocal and instrumental music, a news release says, with "some of it traditional, some arrangements of contemporary songs by other Celtic artists, and some newly composed tunes in a traditional style by various members of the band."

Skye is Michael Bardossi on fiddle; Julia Heydon on vocals, recorders, fiddle and guitar; Glen Waddell on vocals, guitar, bouzouki, whistles and pipes; and Lexy Wellman on vocals, bodhran, doumbec and guitar.

Skye's first public performance was as a foursome at the 1991 Willamette Valley Folk Festival. Its inaugural WOW Hall appearance was on St. Patrick's Day two years later.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, 291 W. Eighth Ave. Showtime is 8 p.m.

O'Donnell's breaks out big tents

Last year, a crowd estimated at more than 1,000 people chose O'Donnell's as their place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. This year, the pub is offering a similar lineup.

At noon, corned beef and cabbage dinners begin being served. At 5 p.m., the heated tents open, covering an area as large as a football field.

The Caledonians will keep the crowd warm from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. until the Johnson Unit takes the stage at 9 p.m., at which point a $5 cover will be collected at the door.

The Johnson Unit will feature new lead singer Greg Hall and an appearance by founding member Larry Wilt, who is doing a set with the band's original lead singer.

Irish and music with the Nettles 

What can a pub do to top itself on St. Patrick's Day when it celebrates Irish music all year round?

Sam Bond's Garage hosts weekly Irish jams on Sunday afternoons. For St. Patrick's Day, Bond's has invited "acoustic folkadelic band" the Nettles to play the annual party.

The Nettles have played Irish and old-time music in the Willamette Valley for more than a decade, scheduled around tours to venues from Seattle to South Carolina.

The Nettles have played at Wintergrass Bluegrass Festival and at the Oregon Country Fair, and have shared the stage with Kevin Burke and Casey Neill, a news release says.

Laura Brophy "has a reputation among traditional music insiders as a ferocious fiddler who can rip apart a traditional tune and set it ablaze," the release says.

The band also features local "new traditional" guitar player Kevin Johnsrude and drummer Brian Bucolo, who used to tour with Calobo.

Sam Bond's is at 407 Blair Blvd. The show starts at 9 p.m. for a $5 cover.

Bottoms up, twice, for the blues

Missouri International Blues Competition winners the Bottoms Up Blues Gang is coming to our area for shows Saturday at the Landmark Lounge in Yachats and Sunday at Sam Bond's Garage.

The Bottoms Up Blues Gang is a young, talented acoustic trio featuring vocalist Kari Liston, guitarist Jeremy Segel-Moss and Adam Andrews on harmonica. The trio plays a blend of originals and covers in styles drawn from Delta blues, soul, jazz and blues-influenced rock 'n' roll.

In the last five years, according to a news release, the Bottoms Up Blues Gang has averaged 275 shows a year, released three albums and shared bills with Chuck Berry, Robert Randolph, Robert Earl Keen, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mofro and Parliament Funkadelic.

The Landmark is at 111 Highway 101. There is no cover for the 9 p.m. concert.

The Sam Bond's show has Darren Smith opening; then it's Bottoms Up, with Wellsville playing a final set. It starts at 8:30 p.m. for a $3 to $5 cover.

March for peace

A daytime march and rally will feature music by artists in various genres who all agree that the war in Iraq should end.

Activities begin near the Lane County fairgrounds, 796 W. 13th Ave. where participants will begin to march toward a noon rally to the Federal Building, 211 E. Seventh Ave.

Samba Ja, Eugene's 30-member mobile percussion ensemble, will lead the march. The rally will feature vocalist Joanne Broh, political rap artist Ari Lesser and singer Scotty Perey and friends.

Then at 7 p.m., Cozmic Pizza, 199 W. Eighth Ave., will host a benefit for military defendants Ehren Watada and Suzanne Swift. Instruments of Change will appear with Janet Bates, and there will be holiday music.

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Linda Danielson, Chico Schwall and Fred Wilson will play Celtic music. Admission will be a sliding scale, $5 to $20.

Other ways to celebrate

At the Axe and Fiddle, 657 E. Main St., Cottage Grove, the Puddletown Paddys will open at 6 p.m. with "some foot- stomping, traditional Irish pub songs," a news release says.

The Paddys' set is free. At 8 p.m., a $5 cover will be charged to see the Irish group Fiana.

Up the street, at the Tap 'N Keg, 1704 E. Main St., Irish tradition will make way for hip-hop. There is no cover charge. The fun and games start at 9 p.m., with prizes handed out through the evening.

Disco band Satin Love Orchestra will play its third annual benefit concert for Habitat for Humanity, sponsored by Windermere Real Estate. Proceeds will help build affordable housing for low-income families in Lane County.

A cocktail hour begins at 7 p.m. at the McDonald Theatre lounge, 1010 Willamette St. The show is slated to begin at 8 p.m.

Advanced tickets are for sale for $14 each at the Windermere office, 1600 Oak St. They will cost $16 on the day of show.

Taboo, 23 W. Sixth Ave., is hosting a party featuring characters from the syndicated radio show "PK and the Playhouse." PK will host the event, sponsored locally by 94.9 JAMZ, which will start at 10 p.m. with a $5 cover.

The person with the best green costume will win $949, and DJ Tekneek will provide the dance music.

HOLIDAY PREVIEW

St. Patrick's Day

What: Bagpipes, pub songs, green beer and leprechauns

When: Saturday

Where: All over the world