"I'd go to all kinds of [jam] sessions. I busked a lot. I met a lot of young traditional musicians. There's a revival of the driving Celtic rhythms, and I got caught up in that."
Scythian continues to be one of the hardest-working bands on the Irish pub circuit. Friday, for example, they're at Finn Mac Cool's (713 Eighth St. SE; 202-547-7100). Thursday, it's back to Fado. On Aug. 13, Scythian plays the Maryland BBQ Bash in Bel Air. Then Aug. 17, the band makes its debut at Iota (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-522-8340), heads back to Fado two days later, then has a weekend engagement at Flanagan's (7637 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda; 301-986-1007). A new album should be released in a few weeks.
Scythian's Joe Crosby, Alex Fedoryka and Danylo Fedoryka, from left, jam at Fado in Chinatown.
(Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)
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"We're aware that there's something going on, and we're having a tremendous amount of fun, but we don't know where this is taking us," Alex says. "We're not focusing on one thing. It started with Celtic music, but then we got into the Jewish music, and as soon as people hear that, they start doing leg kicks. Bluegrass has a different feel, but the end result is always the same. . . . What I want is the feel of a village square dance or a country dance, where people can get together, they can drink, they can dance and not care if they make fools of themselves. The point is just to have a good time."
MADDEN MADDEN WORLD
The Madden NFL video game series is a sensation like no other -- the best-selling sports franchise of all time counts pro athletes and armchair quarterbacks among its most rabid fans, but you know all that if you read the Weekend cover story about it last October. And if you spend hours playing Madden NFL against the computer or your best friend, you should check out "Madden Challenge 2005," a virtual football season played out by more than 100 local competitors.
"We've done [smaller Madden] tournaments at Clarendon Grill," explains organizer Vincent King, "but I'd have friends over to play Madden, and I thought it would be cool to have people come in as different teams and play the whole [NFL] schedule."
Vincent King and his business partner Frank King (no relation) are organizing four separate 32-team leagues that will simulate the full 16-game NFL season on PlayStation 2 consoles every Tuesday night, beginning Sept. 7.
Chosen game sites are Tom Tom (2335 18th St. NW; 202-518-6667), Crystal City Sports Pub (529 S. 23rd St. Arlington; 703-521-8215), Clarendon Grill (1101 N. Highland St. Arlington; 703-524-7455) and the Pour House (319 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; 202-546-1001).
Think you could lead the Redskins to glory? Good luck -- literally. Players don't choose a franchise, probably to prevent everyone from picking the Eagles, Panthers or Falcons and avoiding the Chargers and Cardinals. Instead, there's a lottery that involves drawing balls out of a bag. "You could be the first [one to choose] and draw team Number 32 (the lowest-seeded team)," King explains. "It's fair."
This league's not for the meek -- games are played in four five-minute quarters on Madden's highest setting. And because gameplay is cumulative, if your pixilated Michael Vick goes down with a broken leg in Week 2, he could be out for the season. No trades are allowed.
Registration runs from Sunday through Aug. 20, or whenever leagues at each establishment are full. It may be possible, for example, that Tom Tom's league has room after the Clarendon Grill's slots are closed. There is a $150 entry fee per team, with prizes awarded at the end of the season; in addition to rewards for the winning team and runners-up, there will be extras for the teams that rack up the most rushing or receiving yards, for example. League-specific Web sites will keep track of schedules, results, stats and injuries. Call 703-675-6757 or 202-345-7866 for more information.
"We want people to get out to these bars, have fun and game with people you probably haven't gamed with before," King says.
