Bagpipes and Punk?

The only time I usually hear bagpipes is at funerals or on St. Patrick's Day, hearing one in the background at the Sokol Underground on Saturday night was a new experience.

Flatfoot 56, a Celtic punk band from Chicago, showed Omaha how to mix punk and Irish. The lead singer, Tobin, and other American Celtic punk bands sing with a fake Irish accent.



Celtic punk has become a popular form of punk since it's beginning in the 1980's. Bands like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly have contributed to the Celtic following.

Flatfoot 56 seems to have their own style. The show started with the song "loaded gun" and afterward Tobin told the crowd to split in half and face each other like in the movie "Braveheart." He counted down from three and the crowd collided. The song started and people were scattered about the dance floor. No one was hurt.

The violence and aggression of punk is sometimes confusing to people that don't follow the scene. The first time I went to a punk show I liked it and I jumped in the "circle pit." No one gets hurt usually, people just get pushed and maybe sometimes knocked down.

I didn't get in the pit as much as I did the last time I went to a punk show. I'm getting a Little to old for it now. I just needed to get some pictures, so I went in a couple times.
I must admit that the songs sound a lot alike, but, their version of "Amazing Grace" was fun to hear.