The Real McKenzies return for two-night St. Paddy's warm-up
What's the ideal entertainment to warm up for the most famous Irish holiday on Earth? Canada's original Scottish punk band The Real McKenzies, of course — kilty as charged! And don't laugh, their cred is clearly proven by the band's reliable annual appearance in town, mixing bagpipes and guitars around St. Paddy's Day.
This time, The Real McKenzies are here with a two-night stand at The Buckingham, singing songs of Highlands tragedy and copious boozing — each night its own specially curated affair.
First, 7 p.m. Thursday, The Real McKenzies will play 2008's Off the Leash — including the big hit Chip — from start to finish. The Devil's Sons and Super Ego open this show.
Next, 5 p.m. Friday, the McKenzies will do a best-of night, belting and jumping through all the hits, this time with Brutal Youth, Bogue Brigade and Pagans of Northumberland sharing the bill.
Doubling down on the Scottish, you're likely to hear one of many Robbie Burns poems set to music over the two days, of course.
“I was raised with Robert Burns and I just love him,” says singer Paul McKenzie in the band's bio. “I think we've covered 15 of his songs. One of the things about Canada that you have to understand is that in the '20s, Robert Burns was f---ing huge, and Scottish music was also huge there back then. “Even today, there's a Robert Burns statue in every major city in Canada.”
After The Buckingham gigs, the band continues on to Calgary Saturday and Sunday to play Modern Love, if you want to be part of a Celtic convoy.
While singer McKenzie is the only original and continuous member of the band, the act has stabilized for years around Aspy Luison on bagpipes, Kenny Lush and Mario Nieva on guitar, Barry Higginson on bass and Paul Patko on drums.
Whether you're Irish, Scottish or any other “-ish” in the sea, this looks to be an amazing two-day party, just in time to hit the pubs again on St. Patrick's Sunday.
Find $30.50 tickets for either night at realmckenzies.com.
ART
Thru 3/15: Robyn Adams: Chalef changeant/Wolf Willow; Stephanie Rossi: Salutogenic Design (FAB)
Thru 3/15: Grant Leier: If You Know, You Know. (West End)
3/16-26: Terri Heinrichs: Vivid Impressions (Trinity)
Thru 3/16: Elise Findlay: Another
Life (Alberta Craft Gallery)
Thru 3/26: Tom Thomson: North
Star (AGA)
Thru 3/30: Kateryna Kryvolap
(Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts) Thru 3/31: Identity Ether
(AGA Community Gallery)
Thru 4/6: Finding Our Way group show; Rhayne Vermette: Letters (Ociciwan)
Thru 4/9: Adrien Veczan: Nuances (CAVA)
Thru 4/13: Eveline Kolijn: The Energy Futures Portfolio Project (Harcourt)
Thru 4/13: Luke Johnson: Farewell to the North (Do Not Apply Compression Gently) (Harcourt) Thru 4/17: Oksana Movchan: Metanoia (Gallery@501)
Thru 4/19: Ingrained in Time
(Red Brick Common)
Thru 4/26: Visions of Grandeur: Lands Worth Saving (Wild Skies)
Thru 5/4: Santosh Korthiwada: Inseparable Fragments
(Art Gallery of St. Albert)
Thru 5/5: Brenda Draney: Drink from the River (AGA)
Thru 5/5: Emmanuel Osahor:
I made this place for you (AGA)
Thru 5/26: Braxton Garneau:
Pay Dirt (AGA)
Thru 6/15: Minutiae
(Alberta Craft Gallery)
Thru 6/29: The Wild Side:
Polar Prairie Pacific
(Musée Héritage Museum)
Thru 8/4: Dwayne Martineau:
Boreal Fortress (AGA)
Thru 12/31: Damian Moppett: Untitled Abstract Object in Space (AGA)
BOOKS
3/16: Sarah Percy's Forgotten Warriors signing (Audreys) 3/19: Midlife 2 launch (Audreys) 3/20: Florence Ashley's Gender F*cking launch (Audreys)
COMEDY
3/14-17: Ivan Decker (Comic Strip) 3/15: Faris Hytiaa (Grindstone) 3/15: Dale Ward (Yuk Yuk's) 3/15-16: Lief Oleson Cormack (Comedy Factory)
3/15-26: Matt Rife (Jubilee)
3/16: Lisa Baker (Yuk Yuk's)
FILM
3/14,16-20: Hey, Viktor! (Metro)
MUSIC
3/14: Dead Bob (Starlite)
3/14: ESO's Castle's & Warriors: Transcendent Sounds (Winspear) 3/14: Benny Sharoni (Yardbird) 3/14: Ariana Whitlow's Turn Back Time (Festival Place)
3/14-15: The Real McKenzies, Brutal Youth, Bogue Brigade (Buckingham)
3/15: Argument Club, K Burwash, Skrunt Skrunt, Shawn Pinchbeck (Collins Gallery) 3/15: Geordie Kieffer (Union)
3/15: Nekromantix, Forbidden Dimension, Confusionaires (Starlite) 3/15: Obroa-Skai, Abrupt Decay, Everything You've Ever Loved, Hedero Doom (Aviary)
3/15: Rêve, Ralph (Starlite)
3/16: Gary Allan (River Cree)
3/16: Celtara (Blue Chair)
3/16: Mike Dunn (Black Dog)
3/16: The Strand (Aviary)
3/16: The So Noted Singers' When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (St. Albert United Church Hall)
3/17: GWAR, Cancer Bats, Fuming Mouth (Midway)
3/17: The Local Group, Mary Liv, Joel Rohs (Aviary)
3/17: The Old Sod (Winspear)
3/18: Lucki (Midway)
3/20: Ryan McMahon, Brandon Baker, Amanda Penner (Aviary)
THEATRE/ DANCE
3/14-16: Motown Getdown (Citadel) 3/15-16: Jeanette Kotowich's Kisiskâciwan (Theatre Network) 3/15-31: Robot Girls (Varscona) 3/16: Charlotte & the Music-Maker (Winspear)
The List is published every Thursday. If you have events you'd like amplified, or have any corrections or updates, please email jfeniak@postmedia.com.