Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley showcases 2 big shows ahead of St. Patrick's Day

As you might expect, Irish American month (the month of March) is kind of a big deal at the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley.

So, to celebrate, the center is presenting two major shows, one by an established legendary performer, and another by a trio of young musicians who may be the hottest up-and-coming band in the Celtic music world.

To kick things off, one of the most iconic names in all Irish music comes to Utica for a 3-6 p.m. performance on Sunday, March 3 when Derek Warfield and his phenomenal band, the Young Wolfe Tones take the stage.

The original Wolfe Tones, founded by Warfield, enjoyed unequalled success with 13 best-selling albums, three number one hits, numerous television appearances and sellout shows in esteemed venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall and The Royal Albert Hall in London.

After spending nearly 40 years as leader and front man of the Wolfe Tones, Derek broke off from the Wolfe Tones in 2001, Since then his solo career has yielded 12 albums to date, including the highly successful “A Nation once again.”

Derek has been presented with the keys to San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles for his contributions to Irish Music over the years and was honored as “Dublin Gael of The Year 2013” by the New York Dublin Society.

With the formation and ongoing success of The Young Wolfe Tones, the legend of Derek Warfield continues.

Then, March 14 marks the return of the band that drew the largest audience for any show at the ICCMV, Arise and Go. Show time is 7 p.m.

The trio, consisting of native Central New Yorker Mike Roddy on uilleann pipes, border pipes, small pipes, and whistles, Tim Ball on guitar, and Ellie Goud on fiddle, plays traditional tunes, chiefly from Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton, and French-Canada, with a precision and an energy not often encountered in this style of music.

The group’s varied musical backgrounds combine to produce a sound which is both grounded in tradition and uniquely fresh and driving, blending traditional melodies and instruments into fresh new arrangements that are sure to excite any audience.

“So much of the music we play is dance music, and as such some sets are straight ahead traditional jigs, reels, and the like,” notes Roddy. “However, one of the things we really enjoy is taking these traditional tunes a step further. Sometimes the sets seem to take on a life of their own, ending up in a very different place then we expected them to go.”

Arise & Go, winners of North America’s longest running live folk radio broadcast Best of Bound for Glory Award 2018, has been featured in Irish Music Magazine, Roots Music Canada, The Boston Irish Reporter and the Irish American News.

For tickets and more information on both shows, visit the Irish Cultural Center website at www.ICCMV.org.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Music column: Irish music on tap in Mohawk Valley in March