Dubliners giving back

Sláinte!láinte!

Seeking a recession-friendly release from the winter doldrums? One of the best freebies in Orange County will be found Feb. 6 at Muldoon’s Dublin Pub & Celtic Bar in Newport Beach, when the Young Dubliners, the United States’ foremost Irish rockers, descend on the pub.

This year’s Muldoon’s performance will be bittersweet for the band and their legions of fans alike; Alan Hirano, the Young Dubs’ longtime sound man at Muldoon’s, a friend of the band and himself a musician, died last January.

“In a way, this is a show that we can really dedicate to him,” said Young Dubs co-founder and frontman Keith Roberts. “It’s the only show we ever did with him, and he always looked forward to it. This will be the first one we’ve done without him.”

The annual gigs began through the wiles of Muldoon’s Special Events Director Richard Kaplan, Roberts said.

“Strange things happen out of the blue that become almost part of the whole memory of the band,” Roberts said. “During the time that we were steadfastly refusing to play in any pub anywhere, we were sort of tricked into this by Richard,” Roberts laughed.

He said the band was told they were to receive an award by Muldoon’s, so they decided to go and check it out. The non-playing engagement turned into an agreement to do a few songs, which turned into a full gig.

“It just went really well,” Roberts said. “We haven’t been so close to the fans in a long time. We call it our best-kept-secret situation.”

Since that first show, the band has played at Muldoon’s roughly once a year. Roberts, an Irish native, said he’s impressed that the pub, which the band charges a lower fee than its standard venues, doesn’t pass on the costs to its patrons. The show is kept free, and the patrons in turn benefit the pub by buying food and Guinness.

“Muldoon’s is a unique experience,” Roberts said. “We don’t do this anywhere else. A free concert is not very common for us. This is a great opportunity to give a little back, and it’s commendable that they do it. We’ve gotten a lot of e-mails from people who will be coming down through the Grapevine for the show. They see it as a gift.”

TICKET TO RIDE

Some of the band’s fans have been following them for a generation, since the band’s early days in the late 1980s.

“We started in Los Angeles, in Santa Monica, playing at a pub called the Irish Rover,” Roberts said. “It was sort of just a Saturday night thing. We ended up, after a couple years, getting a record deal.”

That initial request for an EP blossomed into a full album deal, he said, and the touring began.

“Once we went on the road, it just became our full focus,” Roberts said.

The bandmates began giving up their day jobs.

“After a while, we were touring a couple hundred days a year — sometimes more,” Roberts said.

Eight albums and roughly 15 years of touring later, the band’s still going strong. Some of the performers, like Roberts, are original to the band; others joined later.

“When we first set out on the road, lots of the band members realized the road wasn’t really for them,” Roberts said. “It’s hard on certain personality types, more than others. About 10 years ago we developed this lineup.”

The bandmates now spend their non-touring time doing session work and pursuing their hobbies.

“The band’s first in everybody’s priorities as a job,” Robert said.

FUTURE PLANS

Their latest album, “Saints and Sinners,” came out in February; the Young Dubs then went on tour until November, and most recently have enjoyed their longest non-touring break in many years.

“We haven’t seen each other in a while,” Roberts said. “If you don’t see each other for a week, it’s huge. We’re always together, so it’s very odd to be doing nothing for this long. All of a sudden you’re waking up in the morning with nothing to do; no motive or plan or anything.”

In February, the bandmates will launch an experimental series of gigs in Colorado that will take on a storytelling, acoustic tone, with songs that aren’t normally performed at their concerts and background on the band’s history.

Uillean pipe and pennywhistle master Eric Rigler, a bandmate who also became famous for his performances on soundtracks like “Titanic” and “Braveheart,” will have a chance to showcase his skills, as will performers like Long Beach native Bob Boulding, a talented guitarist, Roberts said.

“We may eventually bring that to L.A.,” he said.

They also hope to introduce an acoustic set in the middle of full rock shows.

The band was the first major Celtic rock band in the United States.

“It was something that was a good opportunity right when we started, because not many people were doing it,” Roberts said. “Now there are hundreds of [Celtic rock bands].”

Ironically, the public is now seeking acoustic-style performances that highlight traditional Irish tunes and ballads, and bands like the Young Dubliners continue to evolve.

“We constantly try to outdo ourselves,” Roberts said.

If You Go

What: Free concert

When: 2 p.m. Feb. 6

Where: Muldoon’s Dublin Pub & Celtic Bar, 202 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach

Cost: Free; arrive early for seating

Information: (949) 640-4110 or muldoonspub.com