Dubliners to play pre-Patty's Day

The musicians that make up the Young Dubliners are keen on taking breaks, according to Keith Roberts, the band's guitarist, lead vocalist and founder. But they also get antsy if too much time passes without activity.

"We were performing straight up through New Year's Day this past year," Roberts said by phone from his home in Los Angeles. "We needed a break because we had been on tour for about 10 months straight. So we decided to take a few weeks off.

"But being who we are, I started getting e-mails from the others about two weeks into the break asking me if there was anything we could do or any place we could play."

That's what Roberts likes about his Irish-pub rock band. He likes the dedication, he likes the enthusiasm and he likes the fact that he and the boys are coming back to Salt Lake City. "We play there twice a year. And for a while, after the Zephyr closed, we were in a bit of a club limbo. We played the Red Butte Garden and the Utah Arts Festival. But there wasn't a club that was like the Zephyr.

"Sure we played a couple of places, including the Velvet Room, and while I liked the size of that one, there were a couple of technical problems that got in our way."

This time, the band is playing at a new club, The Depot. And Roberts has heard some mixed reactions. "I've heard it's the best club yet. But I've also heard some people don't like it. I'm just happy we can play in Salt Lake City. And we're coming a week before St. Patty's Day."

St. Patrick's Day has always been a Young Dubliners tradition. Even the shows that lead up to the celebrated Day of Green become more intense, more fun and more spontaneous. "It's funny, because we have a set list that we tweak throughout a tour. But when we start getting the St. Patty's Day mentality, everything goes out the window. We play songs we haven't played for a while. We work up some traditional Irish-pub songs and we just let loose and deal with the consequences later."

The current band line-up — Roberts, guitarist Bob Boulding, drummer Dave Ingraham, violinist/keyboardist/harpist Chas Waltz and bassist Brendan Holmes — has been in place for the past six years. And the last album, "Real World," has been one of the most successful to date.

Roberts said he would like to see this incarnation make a live album. "The Young Dubliners released a live album back in 1998, which was not to our liking. There was too much studio touch-ups that eventually over-produced the album. It didn't sound like us live.

"I would love to do a live one now, on our own terms and get this line-up on a live record. We have matured through the years and I think we're playing better than ever."

If you go

What: Young Dubliners

Where: The Depot, 13 N. 400 West

When: Saturday, 9 p.m.

How much: $15

Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499

Web: www.smithstix.com

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com