Ah, The Luck O' The Irish

It is a little known fact that St. Patrick was actually not Irish at all, but British. To keep in the spirit of having a good excuse to drink beer, talk a bunch o'blarney, and vomit corned beef and cabbage among family and friends, the Launchpad presented its own we're-not-really-Irish-either celebration. It was a night in which legends were born. Unfortunately, no one will remember any of them due to the ever-flowing Guinness and Jameson and Bushmills, oh my.

Nonetheless, with a fabulous lineup of some of your favorite local and hostile musicians—The Gracchi, None of the Above and Icky and the Yuks along with Orange County band Bullets and Octane—we had our green light.

The Gracchi made their performing debut in a manner consistent with the seasoned musicians that have taken the Launchpad stage before them. They even have a hot chick guitar player, and she can actually play. The music was fueled with simple, crunchy riffs and had a '70s kind of feel.

Next up was Bullets and Octane from Orange County. Wow! The music was explosive and immediately grabbed the audience's attention. The lead singer played to the crowd, jumping off the stage and dancing on the floor. With a tight mix of deep-throated vocals and skilled musicians, Albuquerque will be happy to see these guys again. None of the Above jumped up next with their own frustrated rock 'n' roll feel, strutting their stuff to an increasingly untamed house. Finally, the crowd choice of the night, our hometown heroes: Icky and his lovable Yuks.

Richard Trott, lead vocalist, seems to have a gift for making the very people he insults love him dearly, singing local faves like “Fuckaholic” and AC/DC's tune “TNT.” His angry aggression is happily backed by a skilled group of other angry, musically inclined men: Gil Sanchez on guitar, Jay Collins on guitar, Bob Beckley on bass and John Broilo on drums. If you don't think some sound guys and a postal worker could make a guy in a kilt mosh, then you haven't experienced Icky and the Yuks.