Wagner prepares playlist for State Patrick’s Day

Every year on this weekend, thousands of college students from around Pennsylvania begin the St…. Every year on this weekend, thousands of college students from around Pennsylvania begin the St. Patrick’s Day season by venturing to Penn State University. Known as State Patrick’s Day, the anticipatory party begins the celebration of all things Celtic, and that definitely includes music.

Here are a few of my Celtic-inspired favorites from all over the musical map. I hope they will get you in the spirit and (maybe) stay on your iPods past March 17.

The Dubliners — The Very Best Of

With the charismatic vibrato of Luke Kelly and later Ronnie Drew at the helm, the Dubliners have defined the folk music of Ireland for almost 50 years. With banjo, guitar, violin and vocals, the troubadours made tracks like “Rocky Road to Dublin” into national epics. Though the archaic mix of instruments might seem like a strange choice for a band coming of age in the 1960s, tracks like “Black Velvet Band” are still haunting as the violin laments for home and the banjo treks forward, its tremolo bouncing with each step.

The Pogues — Rum Sodomy & The Lash

Considered in most histories the first celtic-punk group, The Pogues and its lead singer Shane MacGowan have changed impressions of both “punk” and “Irish” over their 20-plus year career. On this release, the Anglo-Irish group finally came into its own with MacGowan writing some of his most memorable songs and the rest of the group playing to his high level with virtuosic performances.

From the jubilance of “Billy’s Bones” and “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn” to the sullen experience of “Dirty Old Town” and the captivating terror of the final ballad, “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda,” Rum has the dynamics for any St. Patrick’s Day get-together.

Loreena McKennitt — Live in Paris & Toronto

Following a different channel than many of these artists, McKennitt is a singer-songwriter who’s followed Celtic music wherever it had a presence in the world. Though her songs find much of their basis is in the folk music associated with the idea of “Celtic” in the British Isles, they follow the paths of Celtic peoples all over Europe from Turkey to Spain.

This live release offers a glimpse into how electric even traditional instruments can sound with McKennitt and her bandleader Brian Hughes creating a live experience that transcends the recorded versions. In McKennitt’s songwriting, there’s a sense of storytelling that shadows her music, telling not just the story of “The Highwayman” or “The Mummers’ Dance,” but of the music of the people in those stories.

The Real McKenzies — Loch’d & Loaded

It’s a bit late to advertise them for your Robbie Burns Day festivities — held on Jan. 25 — but knowing how popular the bagpipes are this time of year, Vancouver’s “kilt-wearin’ punks” deserve a place on the list. Combining bagpipes with the best bar band you’ve ever heard, this release was the band’s first on one of Fat Wreck Chords’ sister labels, and it’s one of its best.

Combining its earlier sense of balladry with a more punk rock-centered speed, the bagpipes pump out eighth notes like a great lead guitar, and singer Paul McKenzie sounds like a Canadian counterpart to The Pogues’ MacGowan.

Songs like “Gi’ Us a Dram” and “Donald Where’s Yer Troosers?” are fun odes to culture, whereas “Nessie” and a cover of Tudor Temple’s “Swords of a Thousand Men” seem like soundtracks to the battles of Scots all over the world. Accented by the fine guitar work of “Dirty” Kurt Robinson, the lead guitar lines are often as powerful and focused as the bagpipes, making this an ideal listen for fans of either instrument.

Dropkick Murphys — Do or Die

Recorded in 1997 with the production assistance of Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen, Do or Die has come to be regarded as one of the finest punk-rock albums of the ’90s. The 16 songs aren’t particularly similar to the more Celtic-tinged albums the group has produced as of late, but they do resonate with the experience of the Irish in the United States. Here the guitar and bass take the place of the banjo and fiddle, and though this deviates from the previous forms, it reflects the diversity of Ireland’s diaspora.

The crunch on Rick Barton’s guitar shoots like a jet from the speakers as Mike McColgan’s charismatic tone tells the stories of Americans trying to simply exist in a country hostile to them. Coupled with the skilled rhythm work of drummer Matt Kelly and bassist Ken Casey, tracks like “Road of the Righteous,” “Barroom Hero” and the crowning “Skinhead on the MBTA” all exist as auditory attacks like nothing the group did before or has done since.

Whether you’re playing them now or in six-months time, these albums transcend the “holiday” moniker and stand as great pieces of music outside of their Celtic identifications.