Musician Learns Irish Song for Mullarkey's

Samantha Fitzpatrick is not a stranger to the stage. Since she was 5 years old, she has been performing various genres of music for a variety of audiences.

So, when the owner of Mullarkey’s contacted her and the rest of the Samantha Fitzpatrick Band to perform on a regular basis in downtown Willoughby, she was elated.

“We wanted to play in downtown Willoughby so bad,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a cool place with young, college-aged people.”

While the band’s playlist includes a myriad of musicians and genres including Janis Joplin, Alanis Morissette, Bob Marley, Katy Perry, Metallica and Miranda Lambert, Mullarkey’s owner originally thought they had played Irish music based on the Fitzpatrick’s last name.

“He said it wasn’t Irish music, but it was definitely really good,” she said. “Mullarkey’s is a fun place to play at.”

Since then, the Samantha Fitzpatrick Band has added an Irish song to their lineup.

Fitzpatrick provides the vocals and guitar while her other bandmates, Jono Yowell and Scott Siffin, play bass and drums, respectively.

“Our band is different from others around here,” she said. “We try to play a variety show. Scott might play with buckets or water jugs, and Jono plays either electric or standup bass.”

Fitzpatrick’s two main influences are her mom and Jewel. Her mom was her first, main influence, helping her find her passion for music through forming the Sweethearts of Harmony when Fitzpatrick was 11. The group traveled and performed doo-wop music at car cruises, sock hops and festivals.

“Having the Sweethearts let me understand what it’s like to do music professionally,” she said.

On a professional level, Fitzpatrick hopes to hold a regular career by day and be a musician at night. She’s already earned a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Ohio State University and is currently taking classes at Tri-C to become a sign language interpreter.

“I still want to be grounded and have a family and do music as a job whether it takes me locally, regionally or nationally,” Fitzpatrick said. “There’s nothing better than doing what you love for a career.”

The Samantha Fitzpatrick Band will be at Mullarkey’s, 4110 Erie St., on the following dates:

Friday, March 4 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday, March 25 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday, April 15 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday, April 29 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Find the band on Facebook here.