Salt Lake City is like a second home to the Young Dubliners.
The Irish-American band made a name for itself among Utahns at the now-defunct Zephyr Club throughout the 1990s. The group has also played Red Butte Gardens, Kingsbury Hall, Port O' Call — and the 2002 Winter Games and the Utah Arts Festival.
This time around, vocalist/guitarist Keith Roberts, bassist Brendan Holmes, violinist/keyboardist Chas Waltz, drummer David Ingraham and guitarist Bob Boulding will play the Velvet Room.
"We found that place when we were last in town," Roberts said by phone from Columbus, Ohio. "We were on the town and went in for a drink and looked into playing there. We're real excited to be coming back to Utah."
The band is on tour supporting its new album "Real World," the third album for Higher Octave Recordings and the sixth for the Young Dubliners. "This album is unique because it's the first time that we recorded a follow-up album with the same band line-up," Roberts said with a laugh. "But we spent a lot of time on this album and really paid attention to the songwriting and the music."
Roberts said that getting the album together took longer than the band anticipated. "During the middle of it all I was having vocal problems. I found out that I needed to undergo surgery to get a callus removed from my vocal cords."
This came when the band was trying to record Roberts' vocal tracks. "We started working on the album in April, with the hope we'd get it done by June. But in June I went under the knife, and we had to put things on hold for a couple of months."
In addition to backing off on recording, the band had to cancel its August tour dates. "That was hard for us, and a bit nerve-wracking," said Roberts. "As many people know, our bread and butter come from touring. And when you cancel the shows, it hits you hard."
Roberts began to feel healthy in mid-August and the band continued working on the album. "It was very fast from that point. I would lay some vocals and the others would put down the background vocals and we'd send it off to the mixer."
The album features fist-pumping anthems, jigs and reels. And those familiar with the Young Dubliners' live shows will love the studio version of "Waxies Dargle." "We finally made an album that actually captures the energy of the live show," said Roberts. "I mean, I'm proud of all the albums, but this one is our best."
In addition, the band asked Jethro Tull flutist/vocalist/leader Ian Anderson to add some flute to the song "Banshee." "We had toured with Jethro Tull for a while, and I thought it would be cool if Ian played on the album. I e-mailed him my request, and he replied and said he would be glad to. We sent him off the demo and he sent us back his parts and we mixed them together.
"As soon as it was released, he even announced the collaboration on the Jethro Tull Web site. It was more than we ever imagined."
Presently, Roberts' voice is strong and he feels ready to come back to Salt Lake City. "I'm at the place where I feel the most comfortable. The train's rolling and I'm holding on for dear life."
If you go
What: The Young Dubliners
Where: The Velvet Room, 149 W. 200 South
When: Tonight, 7 p.m.
How much: $16
Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com