Irish, blues, and more

Mick Carr

Why wait until March to get in some Irish pub songs? Mick Carr will be in the Coppertop Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m., kicking off this week’s run of shows that will provide a soundtrack to (hopefully) a fresh dump of snow.

Brian Richard returns to the ’Top Friday, followed by blues-guitar ace Chris Fitz on Saturday. Jazz/pop/funk guitarist Paul Caraher will play in the Coppertop from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Carr grew up in Scotland, but his parents emigrated there from Ireland, and brought along their music.

“My background is all Irish. I had no relatives in Scotland and we’d go back to Ireland every year to visit aunts and uncles,” says Carr.

Carr studied guitar as kid and joined youth bands that performed around Ireland.

Looking for the proverbial “greener grass,” Carr moved to Boston in 1991 and started playing in the Donegal Cords. His solo career took root in the pubs of Allston.

While Carr is well-schooled in fare such as “Wild Rover” and “Fields of Athenry,” he says he also enjoys playing country songs as well. He’s got a mean version of the Billie Jo Spears hit “57 Chevrolet,” for instance, that you can check out on his Web site here http://www.mickcarrlive.com.

“The Irish songs always have a story behind them, that’s why I like them,” Carr says. “Country songs are like that too, so I started learning some of those. I do a lot of the Irish songs, but maybe 40 percent of the set can be anything from country to Eagles.”

At least that ratio works until March rolls around.