Enter the Haggis and The Spring Standards Live at Gabe's (VIDEO) 5/6/10

Iowa City saw so much live music this weekend, we’re not even sure where to start. Indie rock and Celtic bluegrass seems to be a great place to begin, so lets dive in to The Spring Standards. The group opened up for Enter the Haggis, and if it weren’t for the talent of the latter, they might otherwise have given the headliners a run for their money.

It’s always refreshing to see a group live who can not only sing, but harmonize beautifully, and The Spring Standards left nothing on the table. Take a look at the following video from their Thursday performance at Gabe’s to see what makes this indie rock band from the New York so special. This next clip is from one of the most enjoyable songs I’d heard on this particular evening.

With the crowd still high off The Spring Standards performance, Enter the Haggis took the stage shortly afterward, and things took a decidedly Irish turn. Although the audience wasn’t as large as it could have been given the caliber of talent–likely a symptom of finals week–the music enthusiasts who were able to make it out were treated to an excellent mix of bluegrass, Celtic and folk rock jams.

This next clip contains no singing, but it may have been my personal highlight of the night. Too dark to show on video, attendees well-versed in Irish dancing made good use of the moment to showcase their fancy footwork. It’s moments like these that make me ask myself why I’d ever spend a night in a sports bar when this kind of entertainment is in abundance in our beloved city.

We’ll close out with my personal favorite song played this night. Celtic rock is one of those genre’s one might hear as often as other more mainstream musical stylings, but it’s hard to imagine Enter the Haggis not converting the skeptics.