The Saw Doctors Come to Sacramento

(From March 2012)

Missing The Saw Doctors

Back in the days when visits to record stores happened weekly, I came across a compilation CD of Irish Music cleverly titled Irish Hits, or something like that. As I recall, the CD featured some old school artists like the Dubliners, Christy Moore, and the Clancy Brothers as well as more modern acts including Sharon Shannon and a band called the Saw Doctors. The featured track was called Never Mind the Strangers and it got a lot of play in my car as I drove around San Francisco in 1998.

Long before ITunes and with an embryonic Amazon, Never Mind the Strangers was my only link to the band. The song is lengthy, with chummy lyrics, and an extended jam session featuring an accordion, tin whistles, and I think a juice harp. The band sounds like they are having a grand time, and although the track wasn’t recorded live, it gives you a sense how of how they might sound in concert.

The Saw Doctors

By delightful coincidence, a few weeks later, I read that Guinness would be sponsoring a music festival in San Jose featuring some of the biggest names in Irish music. Scanning the list of artists, I noticed that the Saw Doctors --- below Paul Brady but above the Young Dubliners --- were on the bill.

My good friend Big Mike was a lover of Irish Music and was always up for an adventure, so off we went to the first Guinness Fleadh to be held in the bay area. It was a hot day in San Jose, but cool under the tent when the Saw Doctors took the stage, and when the first chord of their anthem N17 sounded, 500 people jumped to attention. That’s what people do at Saw Doctors concerts, they jump. For the next 90 minutes Big Mike and I jumped, sang, and witnessed something extraordinary --- the audience seemed to know every word to every song. The songs were nostalgic but not maudlin like so many Irish songs can be, and the band was having just as much fun as the audience. I recall a review in the San Francisco Chronicle extolling their energetic set and calling them “everyone’s favorite band that nobody has heard of.”

Guinness Fleadh 1999 in San Francisco. Big Mike at the far right.

The following year, the Guinness Fleadh moved to the cozier and cooler Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park, and once again the Saw Doctors were on the playbill. Big Mike and I brought a large group of friends this time and, by now, we knew every song by heart. While headliners Elvis Costello and Van Morrison delivered dour sets on the main stage, The Saw Doctors, armed with a fresh stock of songs from their new album Songs from the Sun Street, stole the show in one of the smaller venues. Following the concert, Big Mike and I bought a few CDs, and although the band did not sign the CD’s, they did make a series of esoteric doodles along the liner notes --- an exercise that seemed to amuse the band immensely. 

The Fleadh ran out of stout in 1999 and was no more, but the Saw Doctors found a new home in the heart of North Beach at the iconic Bimbos 365 Club. I used to call San Francisco the 33^rd county, not just because of its lovely pubs and soft Irish weather but more because of the high IQ of its citizens regarding Irish issues. San Franciscans viewed the Saw Doctors as a legitimate Irish band and not some PBS inspired collection of pretty boys singing breathy ballads while surrounded by manufactured mist. The Saw Doctors sing songs about what the Irish and Irish Americans like to talk about: the peace process, immigration, sports, the Catholic Church, the bad economy, and of course the beauty of Ireland. The songs are sprinkled with catchy refrains and choruses allowing the audience to literally become the 6^th member of the band.

San Francisco has a lovely building at the end of the avenues and near the zoo called the United Irish Cultural Center, and the old joke was that the center was not united, Irish, or cultural.  However, when the Saw Doctors came to town, every neighborhood seemed to turn out, even the toughs from the Sunset District. You could rely on the Saw Doctors to make at least one appearance a year in San Francisco, and Big Mike and I would always make an event out of it. In most cases, following the show, the band would adjourn to the nearest pub to meet the locals. They were always approachable and accommodating.

Davy, Anthony, and Kevin join Big Mike for a pint after a show.

One night back in 2004, I met a pretty girl at dinner before a Saw Doctors concert.  Things seemed to be going well and I asked her if she wanted to go to the show. “What kind of music do they play?” says she. “I’m not sure”, says I, “I guess you could call it Irish Rock and Roll.”  She politely passed and I had my last night of being a single guy at a wildly entertaining Saw Doctors show.

I ended up marrying that pretty girl and soon after moved to Sacramento where I lost touch with the Saw Doctors for a few years. Big Mike, now in San Diego, saw them a few times in Southern California, once waking me up with a midnight phone call from a bar where he was murdering pints with the band.

A few months ago, I received an email from the resourceful Amanda McGrath, who handles publicity for the band, informing me that the SawDoctors would be making a Sacramento tour stop on Thursday, March 29^th at the  Ace of Spades.

 Although the band has never played Sacramento before, there are a few Saw Doctor links to the capital city. Michael D Higgins, the newly inaugurated President of Ireland, immortalized in the Saw Doctor’s hit song Michael D, is a cousin of the Coyne Family, who own the historic Delta King Riverboat. The Coynes held a party in Mr. Higgins' honor the night of his inauguration in their restaurant. Speaking of food, perhaps the finest restaurant in Sacramento, The Waterboy, is named after bass player Anthony Thistlehwaite’s old band. The owner and chef, Rick Mahan, is a huge fan of that seminal Celtic group. 

Unfortunately, the Saw Doctors won’t have much time to sample the restaurants in Sacramento, as they have gigs slated for Friday and Saturday in San Francisco, and Sunday in Los Angles before flying back to Ireland. This current tour is their biggest ever in the states, spanning six weeks and covering 29 tour stops.

Leo and Big Mike

If you live in the Sacramento area and feel that your St. Patrick’s Day celebration needs to be extended, do yourself a favor and buy the Saw Doctors new album and a ticket to Thursday’s show. I certainly won’t be jumping around like the old days, but will definitely be there to welcome some old friends to Sacramento. I think Big Mike might be there as well.

Corned Beef on La Caja China

Although often shrouded in myth and legend, St. Patrick was a real guy, and many scholars have documented his life and his travels. Patrick committed himself to converting Ireland to Christianity, a herculean task which left little time for anything else. Life in 4th Century Ireland must have been rough, and after a tough day of dealing with Druids, Patrick would certainly have craved something to eat and perhaps a refreshing beverage.

I am certain that he would be baffled by the way society celebrates his life today with the block parties of loud and drunk people dressed in every imaginable shade of green. At times, I am baffled by it. Yet, there are still wonderful tributes, parades, and dinners held in his honor every year where that gorgeous Irish trait of hospitality is showcased. I would like to think my house keeps his memory alive every year when I invite 150 of my closest friends over for an afternoon of food, spirits, and music.

I am not a fan of the traditional way of cooking corned beef, whether it be in the crock pot or in a pot of boiling water. Whenever given the opportunity, I will grill. The last three St. Patrick's Days, I used my two trusty Webers and the results were good. But this year, with the guest list growing, I decided to employ my new toy: La Caja China.

Since buying my La Caja China ten months ago, I have used it four times, twice for pork shoulders, once for a whole 70 pound pig, and last Thanksgiving for three turkeys. It is such an enjoyable way to cook and invariably I am joined by neighbors and friends to just stand around, imbibe a bit, and enjoy the succulent smells of slow cooked meat. If you have an internal probe thermometer, or an Igrill, cooking with La Caja China is almost fool proof.

There is not a lot of information out there about grilling corned beef, let alone slow roasting it in La Caja China, so I decided to try it on my own and take some pictures along the way.

Step One: The Corned Beefs

Generally, when you use your La Caja China, a large crowd is expected. I decided to buy 8 corned beef briskets. Try to keep them all about the same size and weight. I don't really look beyond what your neighborhood grocery store has stocked, and I certainly don't think one brand is superior to the other.

Step Two: The basting sauce

I like to mix a rich brown mustard with maple syrup, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. For 8 corned beefs, I made a about a cup.

Step Three: The Soak

Your corned beefs are laden with salt, so the secret is to unsalt them. Since my party started at noon, I had to get up early to begin the process. After the alarm went off at 4:00 AM, I filled two big ice chests full of warm water. I then cut the corned beefs out of their tight plastic wrap, making sure to save the little mustard seed, coriander, and black pepper spice packets. The corned beefs were then gently dumped into the warm water were they stayed for an hour and a half.

At 5:30 AM I removed the corned beefs and dried them with paper towels. You need to change the salty water, wipe down the ice chest, then refill it with warm water. Dump the corned beefs back in, and soak for another hour and a half for a total of three hours.

Step Four: Baste, sprinkle, probe, and cover

I then placed in my La Caja China four aluminum cooking tins, Since they are somewhat collapsible, you can bend them in a way that they all fit. After placing two corned beefs in each tin --- fat side up --- I basted the top and sides with the marinade. Next, I sprinkled the spice packets over the corned beefs.

I use an Igrill, but any external probe thermometer will work just fine. Sink the probe half way through the thickest part of the corned beef and run the cord outside of La Caja China. Next, cover the tins, loosely, with foil. Place the metal charcoal bed on top.

Step five: Time to cook

I have a model one La Caja China and that calls for 16 pounds of charcoal, evenly divided in
two piles. DO NOT use Matchlight, stick with Kingsford. Douse the piles with lighter fluid, and after the fire catches, wait about 20 to 30 minutes before spreading them evenly across the charcoal bed.

The final temperature you need is between 160 and 165 degrees. I set my Igrill for 160 degrees, poured myself a Jamisons, turned on some Irish Music, and enjoyed myself.

Remember, as La Caja China cooks, a layer of suffocating ash develops. It is very important after an hour and a half to shake the ash off, and add fresh new coals. With the box open, I took the opportunity to baste the sides of the corned beefs with the marinade. It looked and smelled tremendous!

After shaking off the ash and adding fresh coals the temperature made its way to 160 degrees. It took me two hours and 45 minutes to reach that goal. Once removed, the corned beef sat for about 15 minutes before slicing. Our intention was to make corned beef paninis, so we sliced as thin as possible.

I must say, the meat turned out amazing --- smoked and sweet.

8 corned beefs, coleslaw, fresh rye bread, several versions of potato salad, and lot of sweets fed about 170 people. We also went through 10 bottles of whiskey and a keg. Happy St. Patrick's Day!