Bagpipes are playing, the smell of stout is in the air. It’s almost 3 p.m. on Sunday and Whiskey of the Damned is about to perform for a packed house at Suds O’Hanahan’s Irish Pub in Beloit.

St. Patrick’s Day is a favorite time of year for many people of Irish heritage, and this Irish rock band is no exception.

The five-piece band was put together by Ireland native Eoin McCarthy and UW-Whitewater alumnus Blaine McQuinn. McCarthy is the lead vocalist and a guitarist. McQuinn sings backup vocals and plays a multitude of instruments including violin, fiddle, mandolin and bagpipes.

The other three members are Shawn Hoffman (bass guitar), Tim McQuinn (drums) and UW-Whitewater senior Michael Favaro (accordion).

To celebrate their favorite holiday, the band will perform an all-day concert, playing for 18 hours in four different cities.

The band will kick-off with a show at 6 a.m. Thursday in Whitewater at Fat Jack’s bar. After, they’ll pack up their equipment, hop in their tour van, and head to the Red Rock Saloon in Milwaukee for a show at noon. Next, they head to McCarthy’s Irish Pub in Saukville for a show at 4 p.m., before finishing the night at Bub’s Irish Pub in Germantown.

The band took time to talk with the Royal Purple before their show in Beloit.

RP: You guys are from all over the place, how did you all meet?

BM: Well, funny enough, [we met on] Craigslist.
EM: Craigslist personal ads. Man seeking fiddler [laughs].

RP: What’s your favorite thing about performing on St. Patrick’s Day?

BM: For me it’s getting drunk. But I can only speak for myself [laughs].
EM: The crowds. The crowds are a lot of fun.

Tim McQuinn: There are just huge crowds at every gig. You’re never at a gig where there is nobody there, because everybody’s getting drunk that day
EM: Our shows are pretty crazy to begin with, but St. Patty’s Day just kicks it up an extra level. It’s ridiculous.

RP: So, you’ll be performing four shows on St. Patrick’s Day. If fans like one of your shows, can they get a ride to the next?

EM: We have our tour van that we travel around in so we generally fill it up with other drunken idiots and take them from bar to bar with us too.
TM: Usually it happens like at the first show we play at people are like, “Oh, can we come for the rest of the day?” We’re like yeah sure, we have tons of room in here.
Micheal Favaro: We have a good friend who rents out a big van and takes people from Whitewater [to our different shows].

RP: Anything else you guys want to say to the students at UW-Whitewater?

BM: We’re bi-winning.
EM: Yeah, only hop in the van if you can party like Charlie Sheen [laughs]. Bollocks.