Local musician gets to the heart of Irish lore

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Mar. 8, 2024) — Maybe it’s my red beard or my unabashed affinity for a good pint, but I’m at times mistaken for some kind of authority on being Irish – especially around this time of year.  In truth, I’m no expert on the country, its history, the culture or St. Patrick’s Day.

Local musician Sin Silver, however, is as Irish as they come. She grew up in Ireland and studied law before making the big leap to the United States to pursue a career in music. In 2015, she released her debut album, “The Motherload,” with her band Sin Silver & The Avenue.

Now living in Concord, Sin spends most of her time teaching music and performing at Graton Casino in Rohnert Park most weekends. She occasionally hosts a fun livestream performance on her Facebook page, taking requests and interacting with fans.

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it’d be fun to do a holiday-themed Q&A with our local Irish expert:

Q. What’s the most popular question you get asked around St. Paddy’s Day?

A. “How do the Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?” It’s a national holiday and there are big parades in every major city. We pin shamrocks to our coats, and the pubs are full of music.

Q. What’s the thing Americans get wrong most often when it comes to Ireland and/or St. Paddy’s Day?

A. Of course, the big one is St. Patty’s Day. No one in Ireland calls it that. Also, we are not that into leprechauns in the Emerald Isle. We think that’s a bit cheesy.

Q. What St. Paddy’s Day traditions do you typically take part in each year?

A. I like to have a full Irish breakfast of sausage, lean back rashers, baked beans, fried mushrooms, toast, Barry’s Tea and some type of potato. Also, if I’m playing music and people are singing and dancing, I feel like I’m back home. The Irish love to celebrate with music, song and dance.

Q. Any place in our region that reminds you of Ireland?

A. Point Reyes. Craggy, gray coastlines.

Q. Guinness or Beamish?

A. Even though my Cork father might not like this response, Guinness – served room temp. I just prefer the finish. It is better in Ireland, and you have to mix it with gray weather. I would never crave a Guinness in the California sun.

Q. Have you ever found a four-leafed clover?

A. I have not, but a regular brought me a laminated one at Petar’s of Lafayette, where I had my first gig when I came from Ireland.

Q. Do you believe in the “luck of the Irish”?

A. I have to answer yes as I recently saw a rainbow at Graton Casino, where I play regularly, and captioned it, “Luck of the Irish!” I believe the phrase harkens back to the Gold Rush, when Irish miners were finding gold and silver with little expertise or training. Just pure luck. To me, that is quintessentially Irish.

Q. What popularly requested Irish songs do you love to play? Which ones could you do without?

A. I still love playing “Galway Girl.” The Steve Earle version, not the horrible hack version by Ed Sheeran. I’m a bit sick of “The Wild Rover” and “Whiskey in the Jar.”

Q. If someone visiting Ireland wanted to experience some good traditional Irish music, what city, town or pub would you recommend?

A. Gus O’Connor’s Pub in Doolin, County Clare.

Sin plans to release a new single titled “Light it Up” later this year. Be sure to catch her next livestream at 1 p.m. March 17 at www.facebook.com/sin.silver.7. Later that night, tune into 90.5 KVHS at 7 p.m. as Sin and I will continue the conversation on a special St. Paddy’s Day episode of the Beat of Diablo.

Additional information at sinsilverandtheavenue.com.