March is the busiest time of year for Pittsburgh-based Celtic rock band The Low Kings — St. Patrick’s Day is prime time for their style of music.
“We get to feel like the special person at the prom, which is awesome,” said Shawn Melvin, lead singer, guitarist and founding member of The Low Kings.
But the band is getting a reputation for pulling in a crowd all year round at bars and clubs around the region as well as at numerous festivals every year.
“Everyone wants to book us in March. The rest of the year, bars are like, OK, we’ll book you — but it’s after the show that they say, oh my gosh, that was so much fun, when can we have you back?” said Adam Valenti, who plays bagpipes and whistles in the band.
The Low Kings describe themselves as “Pittsburgh’s premier Celtic rock band.” Started in late 2016 with an acoustic string band format, their numbers have now swelled to six members, and their style evolved into energetic rock.
In addition to Melvin and Valenti, the current lineup includes Tom Bayley on bass, Doug Heckman on guitar and vocals, Terry Engelman on guitar and vocals, and Jeff Moore on drums.
Between them, the members have played in plenty of bands, but The Low Kings has been a high for them all.
“It’s been a very fun and organic and wild experience,” Heckman said. “I’ve never been in a band that was this successful.”
They play a mix of original songs, covers of rock songs and traditional Irish and Scottish songs adapted to their style.
“I always wanted to play this kind of stuff. … It’s a joke we always make onstage, these songs are always super bright and driving rock, and at the same time, they’re about whiskey and murder,” Melvin said.
All of those things are true of the band’s latest single, “Paddy’s Round,” which can be heard now on major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Melvin wrote the lyrics and structure of the song.
“It started out being a song about whiskey and ended up being a song about depression after World War I,” he said. “It kind of started as a joke. We were thinking of just writing a song about brands of whiskey. Paddy’s is a common Irish whiskey, it’s 22 bucks and good for what ails you.”
But the song’s subject turned more serious under its fun rocking facade.
“This is the first song I’ve written end-to-end. I’m a late bloomer,” Melvin said.
The rest of the band layered on their instrumentations, and they’re pleased with how it turned out.
Besides their self-written compositions like “Paddy’s Round,” The Low Kings can certainly rock a cover, like the traditional Irish song “Whiskey in the Jar” or “It’s a Long Way to the Top” by AC/DC.
“We found the sweet spot, being able to help people connect with their Irish and Scottish heritage, throwing in some party covers, doing some originals and taking kind of boring 27-verse-long traditional Celtic songs, making them rock and doing a very contemporary and fresh twist on them,” Valenti said.
Whatever they’re doing is striking a chord in the Pittsburgh region. They’re excited to see their crowds growing all the time — many concertgoers are even wearing their T-shirts.
“I think the scene has been great. We’ve all played to empty rooms in the past, but that’s not happening now, which is crazy. People show up, they’re wearing our merch, and they’re coming up and talking about how they enjoy this kind of thing,” Melvin said.
“The thing that keeps me going is the vibes,” he added.
“It’s funny because every show that we continue to play, I look out on the crowd and see more and more Low Kings shirts. … They’ve shown us a really great response everywhere we’ve been,” Engelman said.
While they all love the music and the shows, the six members of The Low Kings agree a big part of the draw of being in the band is how much fun they have together and with the crowd.
“I tell them all the time, I love being in this band more than I actually like playing shows,” Heckman said. “It’s just so much fun to hang out with this group of guys.”
That being said, Heckman would still love to win a Grammy. In what category? “I don’t care, I just want to say ‘Doug Heckman, Grammy winner,’ ” he joked.
The Low Kings have become popular at regional festivals during the summer, as well as the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, which takes place each September.
They also have a packed St. Patrick’s Day weekend of concerts coming up, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Fermata Brewing in Ambridge. On Saturday, they are playing an impressive three shows, starting at 10 a.m. at Tequila Cowboy on the North Shore, then at 2 p.m. at The Crafthouse Stage & Grill in Baldwin Borough, and finishing up at 8 p.m. at Riley’s Pour House in Carnegie. They’ll be at Riley’s Pour House again on St. Patrick’s Day proper, at 8 p.m Sunday.
Music by The Low Kings can be found on major streaming services, and more information about the band’s shows and merchandise can be found at lowkings.com and on their Facebook page.
