Local-PhotoShoppedSmallIrish pubs are a lot more than just whistle stops where you can linger over a pint after a long day (but they’re not a bad place to get the ball rolling). They have a unique culture where you can hang out, laugh, get a good meal, and hear some music – what the Irish call, “craic”, or, to midwestern ears, “pretty good times”.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit a few of these authentic haunts working as the recording engineer on Summit Brewing Company’sGood Will Beer Tour over the past few years. The vibe that permeates from every corner of “a local” in Ireland is that your amongst a group of convivial friends who are more than willing to share some elbow space, and a pint or two, with a stranger; a pretty different experience from the downtown Minneapolis bar scene.

(Well, other than the fact that both Minneapolis bars and Irish pubs now share a non-smoking policy that irks certain frequenters equally on either side of the Atlantic.)

The Local, seen through a pint glass during a Spring mist

Despite current trends, its nice to know that we have a place in downtown Minneapolis, The Local, that offers the flavor of an Irish Pub without the cliché that might occur from trying to be a flat-out mimic of one. The great pints, warm wood tones and comfortable conversation are there – as is the great pub fare, but the place is a thoughtful and sophisticated Irish/American blend. Don’t believe me? – check out their webcam.

About a week ago, around the time our own soggy Irish Spring-like weather was finally beginning to dissipate, we worked on a few radio spots for The Local with Paula Maki, a writer from Fallon. The spots were meant to give a broader feel than those they have done in that past that have mainly focused on the Irish roots of the place. The promise of this campaign, that will be heard on Cities 97, is that it will showcase The Local’s humor and sensibilities as well as its distinctiveness as a place to enjoy a pint and a conversation without the blaring techno beat and meat market milieu.

We were really pleased that the client, Peter Killen, from The Local, came down to the recording session for a few laughs during the voice-over tracking, editing, and mixing that was handled by John Lukas in recording studio B. John Farrell of NUTS was the announcer on all the radio spots while Scott Combs and Matt Sciple of Talent Poole were the main voices for “True Pint” & “Ladies Night”

And so, a toast to what we hope will be a successful radio campaign…

“Slainte” (insert your own “glass clinking” sound effects here)

Here’s “True Pint”

And, as a chaser, “Ladies Night”