For Southern California punk\/folk band Vagrant Nation, March means one thing: St. Patrick\u2019s\u00a0Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s what we call our harvest time,\u201d said Chris Hellings, a mandolin and guitar player for the\u00a0band. \u201cWe tell [band members], tell your day job you\u2019ll need the weekend off. We\u2019ve had years\u00a0when we had to take the whole week<\/em> off.\u201d<\/p>\n The band, which plays Gallagher’s on St. Patrick’s Day, has its roots sunk deep in both traditional Irish music as well as the Pogues,\u00a0Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphy\u2019s.\u00a0Hellings recalls one year when the band played three days of two-a-day gigs on Fremont Street\u00a0in Las Vegas, then jumped in their cars to return to Southern California for St. Patrick\u2019s weekend\u00a0gigs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d like to keep that kind of tempo,\u201d Hellings said. \u201cWe\u2019ve done some recording and we\u2019d like\u00a0to get back to full steam ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, Vagrant Nation has a more sane schedule, playing Friday night at Silky Sullivan\u2019s in\u00a0Fountain Valley and a Saturday hooley of traditional music at Yorkshire Square. Irish music at a\u00a0place with as English a name as that; go figure.<\/p>\n On St. Patrick\u2019 Day, Sunday, the Nation will be the house band for Gallagher\u2019s, playing from\u00a0breakfast to last\u00a0call.<\/p>\n While Vagrant Nation will be pumping up the volume at Gallagher’s, the folksy Whooligans will be playing at the Auld Dubliner. Shenanigans offers its own take on the day with Flogging Seagulls,\u00a0which advertises its music as \u201880s \u201cShamrock,\u201d with Irish instrumentation for music from bands\u00a0like Eurythmics.<\/p>\n Although Hellings knows the band won\u2019t be able to get through the day without several versions\u00a0of Wild Irish Rose, Irish Rovers and Fields of Athenry, he says the band easily has five or six hours of Irish\u00a0music in its repertoire and never uses song setlists. Instead, they try to tailor the music to the mood and\u00a0vibe of the crowd.\u00a0That might include some jigs and reels, Irish punk or even Social Distortion or Bad Religion with\u00a0an Irish twist.<\/p>\n The five-piece band was founded by Nick Morgan and, according to Hellings, each member\u00a0brings unique qualities and training, even if none of them are from the Auld Sod.\u00a0Band founder Morgan, who plays guitar and some fiddle, comes from a jazz background.\u00a0Hellings and violin player Seth Hansen, are classically trained, bassist Juan Acosta comes from\u00a0a metal background and drummer Norm Antonini cut his teeth with ’80s cover bands.<\/p>\n When not playing at Gallagher’s in Long Beach, the band often plays at the Auld Dubliner in\u00a0Long Beach or pubs throughout the South Bay and Orange County. They also do the\u00a0occasional house party, birthday or wedding.\u00a0Like many such groups, Vagrant Nation has gone through a number of iterations and line-ups\u00a0and its members also play with other bands, wherever gigs can be had. But Hellings thinks the\u00a0current line-up is especially solid.\u00a0So much so that the Army vet quit his day job to concentrate on music.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a group that fits together well,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t just want to be just a once-a-year\u00a0around St. Patrick\u2019s Day band. We want to do this every week, learn new material and write new\u00a0songs.\u00a0Vagrant Nation has always been my number one band. It\u2019s the band I\u2019d really like to see\u00a0succeed. ”<\/p>\n Five places to get your Irish on, on Sunday:<\/p>\n Gallagher\u2019s Pub and Grill<\/strong><\/p>\n 2751 E. Broadway<\/p>\n What\u2019s on tap (musically): Vagrant Nation (1 p.m.)<\/p>\n For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Auld Dubliner<\/strong><\/p>\n 71 S. Pine Ave., Long Beach<\/p>\n What\u2019s on tap (musically): The Whooligans (11 a.m.)<\/p>\n For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Red Leprechaun<\/strong><\/p>\n 4000 E. Anaheim St.<\/p>\n What\u2019s on tap (musically): Assorted acts (9 a.m.)<\/p>\n For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shenanigans Irish Pub & Grille<\/strong><\/p>\n 423 Shoreline Village Drive<\/p>\n What\u2019s on tap (musically): Flogging Seagulls (6 p.m.)<\/p>\n For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n