(Image above: Sally Schaefer, photo by Meredith Snow)

(March is the month for celebrating Irish culture and music in Western New York, so in this preview writer Benjamin Joe has focused on the music of two stalwarts of the local scene who focus on Celtic music: Sally Schaefer – in all of her musical incarnations – and Celtic punk band Gates of Steel)

By Benjamin Joe

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up quickly and for Buffalo music fans, now is the time to get merry with your fellows. From punk rock to Irish rock n’ roll, the city of Buffalo is awash with celebration for the month of March.

Notably folk music player and former touring member of 10,000 Maniacs, Sally Schaefer will be taking time out from working on her album to paint the town green.

Today (Saturday, March 1), Schaefer will be playing with McCarthyizm, sharing the stage with the traditional Irish band, Crikwater. The show begins at 2 p.m. at Flying Bison, 840 Seneca St., for the annual Shamrock Run afterparty. The show is free and all ages.

On Wednesday, March 5, Schaefer will be playing with Tyler Bagwell as they perform dark folk songs at 8 p.m. at the Revolution Gallery, 1419 Hertel Ave., for Ash Wednesday.

The duo will play at Sportsman’s Tavern, 326 Amherst St., on Saturday, March 8 as part of a tribute to Shane MacGowan and The Pogues. Other groups performing include Yellow Jack, Captain Tom & the Hooligans, Crikwater and McCarthyizm. The fun starts at 8 p.m.

Schaefer and Bagwell will be offering “Through Irish Eyes: Buffalo Irish History in Soung” at the Buffalo History Museum (1 Museum Court) on Wednesday, March 12, at 6 p.m.

McCarthyizm will be playing at the Buffalo Irish Center, 245 Abbot Road, at 4 p.m Friday, March 15.

They’ll perform at Eugene V. Debs Hall (483 Peckham St.) on Sunday, March 16, from 6-7. The show is free, but the “Chef Steve Dinner” is $15 per plate.

The duo will perform 8-11 on St. Patrick’s Day, Monday, March 17, at the Essex Street Pub (530 Rhode Island St.)

And at 8 p.m. Friday, March 21, at The Cave (71 Military Rd.), Schaefer and Bagwell will open for traditional supergroup Bánóg.

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On the other end of the spectrum is the band Gates of Steel, which has lined up four shows and starts its March run at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 7, at Molly Maguires (834 Abbott Road).

“We’re a punk rock band and we’ll be playing a bunch of shows in March,” Angel Rivera of Gates of Steel said. “(It’s) for Saint Patrick’s Day. It’s like the Super Bowl of Irish punk rock.”

The following week, the band will be at Mr. Goodbar (11100 Elmwood Ave.) at 8 p.m. Friday, March 14, to play more tunes by the likes of Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly.

And since there can never be enough, tickets for another punk rock show being played by Gates of Steel are now also on sale at The Caz, 2221 Seneca St., in South Buffalo where a tribute to Irish Punk Rock will be celebrated at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, after the Old First Ward Parade.

Gates of Steel will be giving Saint Patrick’s Day another hurrah at Potters Field Restaurant and Pub (425 Potters Road) on Sunday, March 16.

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Saint Patrick’s Day means a lot of different things to many different people, Irish or no, but great music is its staple in Buffalo. As Schaefer said, she’ll be working hard to complete her album, but on Saint Patrick’s Day she’ll be playing on top of a table.

“I only do it once a year and it’s on Saint Patrick’s Day,” she said.