For a local band, Beltaine, out of Durango, CO.

For old school Irish tunes, my favorite Irish band of all time is the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Nobody puts a better spin on a punch line of a funny song than they do. You'd also be hard pressed to find anyone more expressive on a heartfelt ballad than Liam Clancy.

For new school, I'm all about Gaelic Storm. The redhead and I went to see them this past March, and it was the best concert of any that I have ever been to, of any genre. If I come up with a lottery win, I may toy with the notion of following them on tour like people used to follow the Grateful Dead.