I am rather embarrassed to say that it was not an editorial decision, but a sheer oversight, that led me to fail to mention Jimmie’s Chicken Shack’s appearance at Seacrets last weekend. I mean seriously, they’re not U2 or anything, but it’s still pretty great to have national-level artists playing in OC clubs — in the off-season no less!
So if anybody was there and wants to send me their impressions of the event, in text or picture format, please, be my guest. And show Seacrets some love at their upcoming spring events — they’re working hard to add some excitement to Ocean City nightlife, and the  level of artists they bring in really show how far they’ve come.

If you’re at all into the bar scene in Ocean City, you probably know Off the Boat, the sensational Irish band that regularly performs at Shenanigans’ Irish Pub. They’re a solid group of musicians with an authentic Celtic spirit, and from the Maryland Irish Festival to OC’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, they can be counted on to make our state look good. But you already knew that, right?

What you didn’t know is that Off The Boat just got back from Guantanamo, Cuba, where they traveled to perform for US troops stationed there. From the press release: “They had a terrific time and were treated like royalty by our troops and military and base personnel as a whole!” Congratulations, Off The Boat.

Your next chance to see OTB live is St. Patrick’s Day weekend at Shenanigan’s, but check out www.offtheboat.us to download some tracks if you’re curious.

Let’s face it, February and March around here don’t inspire a lot of positive thinking — unless you count “maybe if I just lie very still and close my eyes, when I open them it will be June and I can go to the beach.” But our very favorite orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, might be able to offer a sense of wonder to even the grumpiest among us (that would be me) with their March 30th concert in Ocean Pines. Titled “The Wonder of Prodigies,” the concert will focus on the talents of extraordinary young musicians, including guest performances by the Peabody Children’s Choir and the Peabody Violin Choir. Most remarkable of all, the orchestra will be performing the world premier of “Hexapodia,” a work by 12-year-old composer Thomas Reeves. Seriously, could you have even pronounced that title when you were twelve?

So don’t miss the chance to be reminded that if the children are, in fact, our future, then we’re actually in pretty good shape. And if you have kids of your own, bring them along, and maybe they’ll get some ideas of their own — as long as they don’t include ask for a Stradivarius for my birthday.

“The Wonder of Prodigies” by the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra will be performed at the Ocean Pines Community Church at 3 pm on Sunday, March 30, with a pre-concert talk at 2 pm.