Press

"...makes Flogging Molly look like a bunch of nancy boys..." PADDY ROCK RADIO

"Thoroughly irresistible, ass-kicking Irish rockers..." MARGARET MOSER, AUSTIN CHRONICLE

"...fast, frenzied, fiddle-powered, and always-fun barroom rock..." DIRTY LINEN

"...great music spilling with Irish attitude..." DENIS SHEEHAN, ASKEW REVIEWS

"H-town's heir to the emerald throne of Phil Lynott and Shane MacGowan" HOUSTON PRESS

"Fear not the snarling singer, he's a very nice man." SARA CRESS, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

About

Blaggards (pronounced BLA' GUARDS or BLA' GERDS, depending on where you're from) was formed July 2004 in Houston, Texas.

We play what we call "Stout Irish Rock", traditional Irish music mixed with rock n' roll, informed by everything from Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley to Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath. We are most frequently compared to bands like Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and the Pogues.

Blaggards consists of original members Patrick Devlin and Chad Smalley, plus newcomers Christopher Buckley and Greg Main.

Front man, guitarist and singer Patrick Devlin grew up in Dublin, Ireland, and moved to Houston in his early 20's. After working in the local club scene for several years, Patrick recognized a demand for Irish rock music that nobody was taking advantage of. In 1996, to this end he formed a band called On The Dole, later renamed Patrick Devlin Band. Although the band did well, opening for legendary Irish touring acts like the Wolfe Tones and the Saw Doctors, eventually Patrick decided it was time to clear the decks and start again.

In 2003, while hosting a weekly open mic at an Irish pub, Patrick met bassist and singer Chad Smalley, who had recently returned from New York City and was looking for a new project. The two began singing and performing together regularly, developing a tight vocal harmony style. A year later, Patrick and Chad founded Blaggards along with fiddler Turi Hoiseth and drummer Brian Vogel, both students at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.

Within weeks of forming, we found ourselves in high demand and were gigging constantly across Texas. We soon had a second home in Austin, where we met Christopher Buckley. Christopher, an accomplished fiddler who has won first place awards in the Midwestern Fleadh Cheoil and competed in two All-Ireland world competitions, came to Austin by way of Minneapolis, MN, where he performed in local Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minneapolis pubs. In late 2007, Christopher eagerly jumped into the fold along with drummer Greg Main, a longtime veteran of the Texas music scene.

Blaggards have toured the East Coast twice, along with visits to Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana. We've opened for Gaelic Storm, Brave Combo, Brother, Cowboy Mouth, David Allan Coe, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, James McMurtry, and Royal Crown Revue. We look forward to touring the rest of the country and abroad, and plan to release a live album soon, followed by a new studio album in 2008.

Our debut STANDARDS is available on CD Baby, Napster, and iTunes.

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• Chad Smalley - vocals, bass

• Patrick Devlin - vocals, guitar

• Chris Buckley - fiddle, mandolin