27

MONDAY

I have a confession to make, and may the saints—George, Patrick, and Andrew— forgive me: Once upon a time, I heaped ridicule on U.K.-folk fans, in particular the host of Strands of the Celtic Knot, a show on Memphis, Tenn., volunteer radio station WEVL. An Anglophilic, tweed-sporting fellow, he and his intimate-parlor-performance-attending buddies were easy targets. At least until he thrust a flier into my hand for a show featuring Robin Williamson. The name was familiar, and not merely because of its similarity to that of a certain comedian. I went back to my incredibly cool, obscure-fanzine-approved record collection, where I found, to my horror, Williamson’s name on the back of The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter and The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion, two amazing records by the Incredible String Band. In that terrible, “Cat’s in the Cradle”–esque moment, I realized that I was enchanted and moved by the same mystic folk sounds as the aging, PBS-watching objects of my scorn. The band plays with the Espers at 7:30 p.m. at the Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $25. (703) 549-7500. (David Dunlap Jr.)