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music | by Sarah Hoberg TheT Last Wednesday some friends and I headed down to The Park Royal Pub to see a band called The Town Pants. I've been to several Town Pants shows in the past at bars like The Blarney Stone in Gastown and they played once when I was a waitress in an Irish pub out in Maple Ridge, but I have always liked the atmosphere in The Park Royal. Maybe it's the low ceilings and the crowd of older pub regulars mixed with rowdy, 20 year-olds, or maybe it's the music that seems to reach everyone no matter what their age. But while I've never been to Ireland and have no idea what the inside of a real Irish pub looks like, when The Town Pants play at the Park Royal, something makes me feel like I am in the Irish countryside, listening to a band of real live Irish boys (and gal) with my toes tapping and my hands clapping like a toy monkey by the second song. The Town Pants are a rollicking, rowdy Irish folk band; a four-piece group that has a way of getting the crowd completely involved in their performance. The band is comprised of Dwayne & Dave Keogh, Aaron Chapman & relative newcomer, Virginia Schwartz. Sharing lead vocals and guitar are the Keogh brothers, with Aaron Chapman on banjo or penny whistle, and the lovely Ms. Schwartz on the fiddle. This is one busy band. They launched their debut album, Liverdance in 1998 followed by Piston Baroque in 2002, and have toured extensively in the United States and across Canada, and have completed two European tours. They play nearly every night of the week at different bars and pubs from North Vancouver to Coquitlam and in my opinion, they have grown and improved over time like a fine wine. On this particular night, the mood was, as usual, laid back and relaxed. The band everyone that exhausted me just watching. As for the rest of the crowd, there is no rule on dancing. In fact, I haven't seen that many good dancers at their shows, mostly just a huge group of people jumping about with happy smiles on their faces. This is one band that gets everybody up dancing. And then there are the toasts. This is the first rule of thumb at a Town Pants show - make sure you have a drink in your hand at all times or you may feel a slight twinge of anxiety as everyone but you lifts their glasses in a heartfelt toast to friends, good times and most importantly - beer. For the rest of the show the band carried on in their friendly, casual way and we continued to toast until, at night's end, we hiccupped our way out of the Park Royal Pub and into the night with a rosy hue on our cheeks, a tune in our heads, and a feeling of comradery with our newfound friends at the Park Royal Pub. started playing and rolled through a few of their smash hits like Dirty Old Town and a song about somebody named McGraw and the straps of her bra? that always gets everyone going. Between songs there is always a playful banter between the band members and audience. Little jokes and stories, and other crazy antics always keep things interesting. During the first set Virginia played a couple of fantastic reels on the fiddle and even did a little step dance for u To find out more about the Town Pants, and to find out where they're playing next, check out their website @ www.thetownpants.com. July | August 15