Continuing my exploration of different genres of music, I’ve already dabbled into Carolina Beach music, and this past weekend I ventured into a reggae bar (which was a huge explosion of dreadlocks, but totally awesome). Now, this next genre isn’t foreign to me. I’ve heard it tons of times throughout my twenty years of living and have come to associate it with leprechauns and shamrocks.

It’s called Celtic rock.

The band that pulled me into this genre goes by the name of Barleyjuice. Upon listening to them at The Celtic Force, I had an image of men with giant mugs of green beer and plaid kilts, which, I soon figured out is not a bad thing. Any band that uses a bagpipe and an accordion to create their art automatically gains my respect and an ear that will listen.

Barleyjuice

Kyf Brewer, Keith “Swanny” Swanson, Shelley Weiss, Eric Worthington, and Gregor Schroeder make up Barleyjuice. They come from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and have become a huge success in the Celtic rock world. Not only have they been named “Best New Album of 2010” by Irish Voice and “Celtic Rock Album of the Year for 2009” by Chicago’s IAN, but their songs have also been featured on hit shows such as The Office and King of the Hill.

For those living in Myrtle Beach, SC who want a great Irish band to accompany their green beers on St. Patrick’s Day, then you’ll be able to catch Barleyjuice playing the Celebrity Square stage event at Broadway at the Beach, which is organized by Zeus Media Network, from 7-9 p.m.

Although I­ am not of legal age to partake in the festivities (at least not the beer), I may have to stop by to check them out. It’s their last show in the US for a couple of months, as they are heading to Ireland for a tour.

I’m not going to lie and say that I’m going to start rocking out to Celtic music while driving down the boulevard, but I will say that I love discovering bands like Barleyjuice. As someone who aspires to write for a music magazine someday (preferably Rolling Stone) there is nothing I enjoy more than finding these not-so-famous bands that are able to make a living sharing their art with anyone willing to listen.