MUSIC

Discovery Green and Capital One Bank present Thursday Concerts at Discovery Green. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. At the Anheuser-Busch Stage and Fondren Performance Space.

Rock out on Thursdays at the park's free, family-friendly concerts showcasing the best music of Texas and the Gulf Coast. Blankets, lawn chairs, and picnics welcome, and food, beer, and wine are available at the Lake House. No glass containers or alcoholic beverages, please. Co-sponsored by Houston Press & Saint Arnold Brewing Company.

Thursday, October 22:  Blaggards and The Flying Fish Sailors

Traditional Irish music with a Texas-tinged rock flavor.

Blaggards (no "the", pronounced BLA' GUARDS or BLA' GHERDS, depending on where you're from) 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 Chris Buckley and Michael McAloon.

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, Blaggards was born.

Chris Buckley, 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, Chris became a Blaggard, followed by drummer Michael McAloon in 2009.

Michael, a first generation Scot-American, grew up learning Irish step dancing, winning gold medals all across the United States before picking up the drums at age 13. A veteran of the Houston music scene, Mike has toured the country many times and studied jazz at the University of North Texas.

Blaggards have toured the East Coast several times, along with visits to Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. 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 played SXSW in 2008, and will be touring Ireland in March 2010.

Instrumentation
Chris Buckley: fiddle
Patrick Devlin: vocals and guitar
Chad Smalley: bass
Michael McAloon: drums

The Flying Fish Sailors (pictured above) began their journeys in 1988 performing Celtic folk, renaissance music and sea songs, then progressed to original songs, humor, parody and folk rock. No strangers to diversity, in their early days the band often played in punk clubs, opening for such notables as The Dead Milkmen, Live Skull, and Shoulders. In recent times the Fish have opened shows for the legendary British folk rockers Steeleye Span, Brother, Tommy Makem, and Altan. The bands’ influences range from The Chieftains to Devo.

Performing acoustic folk music and original comedy, the Flying Fish Sailors bring together elements from diverse musical styles to create a sound uniquely their own. Their shows combine modern and antique instrumentation, and musical styles from many times and cultures: A place where humorous original songs, Renaissance tunes, American and Celtic folk songs converge with classic rock themes, the blues, and even rap and heavy metal influences.

The Flying Fish Sailors are:

Greg Henkel- lead vocals, violin
Jim Henkel – lead vocals, bouzouki, guitar
Mitch Lawyer- bass, mandolin
Jay Lee- lead vocals, guitar
Joseph Linbeck – lead vocals, pennywhistle