St. Patrick’s Day is about to get a “wee bit wilder” with the Familiar Strangers.
The partially Swampscott-based band will bring the craic to two North Shore stops. First, they’ll raise a pint and a tune at Dirigible Brewing Company on Saturday, March 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. Then they’ll keep the St. Paddy’s spirit rolling on the big day itself, Tuesday, March 17, at Brodie’s Pub.
“St. Paddy’s Day has always been a big thing for me being Irish,” Susan Ruth said. “We’re going to be playing a bunch…It’ll have some Irish-focus.”
The band started when guitarist Greg Young and fiddler Ruth met at a music festival in Maine nearly three years ago.
“We just met through playing music together and things just hit off well,” Young said.
At the festival, people often start playing their own music and others join in. Ruth, who grew up playing traditional Irish music and now lives in Swampscott, said she and Young knew many of the same songs and “we love singing together, the harmony.”
The name Familiar Strangers came from a bluegrass song and the band’s early connection.
“We were strangers and everything felt so familiar from the start so we felt it was a perfect name for us,” Young said.
About a year ago, Familiar Strangers settled on its current lineup: Young, Ruth, bass player John Brunette and dobro-banjo player Ken Clarkson.
The band is “bluegrass in the roots of the music,” Young explained. Familiar Strangers performs covers and remixes of songs the audience may know, ranging from country and bluegrass to more ‘80s and ‘90s tunes.
“We do it in our own Familiar Strangers bluegrass style,” Young said. “It’s a pure organic style.”
Ruth also said the band’s music is reminiscent of the festival Young and she met at and others similar to it.
“These bluegrass festivals are pure joy. Everyone’s playing music the entire time,” Ruth said.
The traditional bluegrass harmonies come through as well.
“That’s kind of what drives the music,” Ruth said.
Ruth also wrote a song that the group performs at gigs, and she said it’s a goal for the band to write more together.
Ruth’s song, “Flowers,” is on Spotify. The mellow track is emotional and reflective. It reflects on past relationships and versions of oneself that no longer exist. The fiddle plays a big role, supporting the lyrics in a folksy way and acting as almost a second voice. The instruments layer on top of one another, creating a spacious, almost echo-like feel reminiscent of the memories Ruth sings about.
The band’s first gig together was at the Swampscott Porchfest, and they continue to return annually. Ruth also mentioned other local gigs, from Town Hall to the Little G bar. They also perform at breweries and festivals closer to Boston.
“Hopefully there’s a lot more gigs coming up as well,” Young said.
