In the Mexican-American war of 1846-48, a group of soldiers in the American army discovered that they were more sympathetic with the Mexicans’ cause than they were with the Americans’. Called the Saint Patrick’s Battalion because so many of them were of Irish origin, they earned their place in history books by defecting and joining the Mexican army.
Tom Landa gets it. He isn’t a descendent of a San Patricio but he was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and Canadian mother of Irish descent. And he’s the lead singer of The Paperboys, a band that somehow manages to combine Mexican Son Jarocho with Irish jigs and reels (not to mention bluegrass, ska, soul, pop and funk.)
On March 13 and 14, he’ll be performing with The Paperboys and other musicians as part of CelticFest Vancouver, a nine-day celebration that culminates with the festive St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16.
In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is more of a religious holiday. “Here,” he says, “it’s become much more like Hallowe’en — a day to be someone who’s not who you are.”
For some people, CelticFest will be a chance to honour their roots, or at least feel Irish for a week. For others, it’s a chance to drink and have some fun.
Landa started a different version of a Celtic festival around 1998. He was doing a gig with another Irish band, who told him about a festival that brought the Irish and wannabe Irish together. Landa not only thought it would be a cool idea, but he also welcomed the chance to play in his home base in Vancouver. The first year it was held in the now defunct Starfish Room on Hornby. (“That’s back in the day when Vancouver had a lot of live music venues but that’s another story....”)
CelticFest Vancouver, which started in 2004 but took a year off for the Vancouver Olympics, now takes up much of the downtown, with forays into East Van and False Creek. “It’s not just about St. Patrick’s Day,” he says, noting that the five other Celtic nations are Brittany, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales. He’s proud that CelticFest is right up there with all the other festivals — Fringe, Authors, Folk and Jazz — that honour the city’s vast cultural experience.
But he likes that everyone likes to be Irish, at least for a little while. “At the end of the day,” he says, “Ireland’s got some of the best music in the world.”
Tom Landa and Kalissa Hernandez of The Paperboys are hosting the who’s who of local Celtic music at Ceili’s Kitchen Party on March 13 at Ceili’s Modern Irish Pub on Granville. On March 14, The Paperboys are one of four bands playing at the CelticFest 10th anniversary gala with The Once, Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project and Hermitage Green at the Vogue Theatre on Granville. Go to CelticFestVancouver.com for details.
