Irish folk comedy in show

Marc Wisnosky describes his acoustic, folk, Irish comedy trio's playing style simply as quintessential "Yankee Irish drinking music." "We're Yankee, we're Irish and we're drinking," he chuckled the other day.

The West West Terrace native's Pittsburgh-based band, Ceann na Caca, makes its Schuylkill County debut Friday at Holahan's Fine Food & Spirits, North Centre Street, Pottsville.

Irish classics like "Wild Rover" and "Whiskey in a Jar" are staples at any Ceann na Caca show, but the trio also delves into uncharted territory by spinning out atypical acoustic versions of rap jams like Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Gin and Juice" and slowed down renditions of teeny-bop-pop hits like Hanson's "Umm Bop."

For Friday's performance, the trio will be trimmed to a duo - Wisnosky on vocals, the Irish tin whistle and a bodhran, and Patrick J. Halloran on vocals and guitar. James Telfer IV, a Rochester, N.Y. native who plays bass and fiddle, can't make the show.

Wisnosky, however, said the night's flavor will be as potent as ever. "It's one thing to play in Pittsburgh or New York," Wisnosky said. "But we've never played at home. It just hasn't happened, and we're not quite sure how people will take us."

Halloran is from Fogelsville. He and Wisnosky met on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh and first began playing together at opening nights in neighborhood bars.

The band's name, often shortened to "CnC," is Gaelic for a not-too-flattering term of endearment.

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