Exhilarating Irish-American band Black 47 has since the early ’90s been stirring up the traditional music of the Ould Sod with “rock, reggae, big band, hip-hop, Dixieland, Latin, East Village noise and a couple of kitchen sinks,” according to Ireland-born founder, vocalist and guitarist Larry Kirwan. The New York-based sextet always rates a vigorous welcome in Chicago, whether playing Oak Forest’s annual Memorial Day weekend Irish Fest — “We’ve been coming to Gaelic Park for 10 years, so if we don’t show up, we’re murdered,” cracks Kirwan — or joining the festivities around St. Patrick’s Day (Black 47 plays Wednesday at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St.; 312-923-2000)
Q: Has St. Pat’s gotten too rowdy?
A: Well, it’s not particularly Christian — it’s all pagan-lookin’ to me — but I really get off on it. You’ve been through a long winter, and you want to kick up your heels. Everyone’s feeling their Irish heritage; part of that is feasting, drinking and having a good time with your friends.
Q: Your House of Blues concert is all-ages, correct?
A: I get great grief from Chicagoans if we do 21-and-over shows. We have a huge young following, and they have my e-mail address — I get huge amounts of song requests, too.
Q: Such as?
A: The songs you can’t leave Chicago without playing or they’ll be waitin’ at the airport with hatchets, like “James Connolly” and “Funky Ceili.”
Q: What’s your new uilleann pipes player, Joseph Mulvanerty, like?
A: He has a jazz background, and we now do a set of jigs that are pretty wild — sort of a cross between County Leitrim and Somali.
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