Two bands to help you get your Irish up, 72 hours in advance of St. Patrick’s Day, and this will not be a Blue Monday. Taking center stage are Erin, then Zeb and Jim.

We all know that people like to get their Patrick’s Day started well before the 17th, and even though that is a Thursday this year, they have the luck of the Irish. And we are talking beyond a few, only DJ driven and well-before, pre-Paddy’s shows locally.
To get the ball rolling, a country group plays the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday night — named fittingly enough Erin’s Alibi. Like you need an excuse to be Irish oriented. They merge their presentation with classic and edgy new country, and a wee bit of rock.
But what’s becoming a new stalwart is a duo that plays at Ziggy’s every Monday night, Zeb Sears and Jim Hanvidt. But first letters aside, they aren’t ZZ Top, having refined their style of music from their earlier and heavier playing days, performing separate gigs while seven years apart musically, that you could say ran a parallel path, before meeting up again at an open mic, then knowing this was meant to be.
Still, Zeb described the new sound he’s fallen in love with as raw and defiant. And Jim has adopted what he calls slap acoustic guitar, from his time with the bass. Together, they are called Chimney Fish, having fully formed from an initial night of music at Shooter’s Pub in River Falls, then moving forward.