San Antonio band releases album of seven Irish tunes

Boys From the County Bexar released a new album of seven Irish songs on Monday, Nov. 3. The group, composed of seasoned San Antonio musicians, blends acoustic instruments with electric bass and drums. The project represents a shift for the members, many of whom have spent decades in the local Tex-Mex and alt-rock scenes.

The album covers specific compositions from the Irish canon. Tracks include "A Pair of Brown Eyes" and "Lorca’s Novena," both associated with the Pogues. The band also performs "Back Home in Derry," a rebel song written by Bobby Sands. Sands was a Provisional Irish Republican Army member who died in prison during a hunger strike.

The musical arrangement features acoustic guitars, mandolin, and accordion. These instruments are supported by a standard rhythm section. The sound aims for a reverent but energetic interpretation. Singer-guitarist Mike Ryan, who is the former frontman of Coyote Dreams, described the recording process. "These songs, some of them have been sung around the pubs, the tables for years," Ryan said. "They’re not meant to be recorded against a metronome. … With the recording, there was a spirit of let’s just do it and have fun."

The lineup includes several former Coyote Dreams members. Accordionist Michael Galindo and bassist Blake Smithson join Ryan on stage. Michael Martin of the Infidels plays mandolin, while Jamie Roadman handles drums. Roadman has also played in Buttercup and Los Mescaleros. The group formed after Ryan, Galindo, and Martin performed a series of shows dedicated to Irish pub songs.

Blue Cat Studios owner Joe Treviño urged the trio to add a rhythm section before recording. Smithson noted the speed of the process for the new members. "Jamie and I just did it cold over the course of two days," Smithson said. "It wasn’t songs that Jamie or I had ever played on, so it was interesting having to adapt."

Ryan’s inspiration for the project stems from his play, "Borderland Rogues." The work documents the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, a group of Irish immigrants who fought alongside Mexican troops in the Mexican-American War. "A lot of this music was completely inspired for me from trips to Ireland and Mexico," Ryan said. "They’re fighting the same struggle, and they always will, and they’ll always express it through their music and their poetry. And that’s what this album’s about, and it’s a big nod to [late Pogues singer] Shane MacGowan."

The band’s name references the Pogues song "Boys From the County Hell." The new album generally maintains a mellow tone, with the exception of "Paddy Public Enemy No. 1." That track, originally by MacGowan with the Popes, uses faster punk tempos. The group will hold a release party at Ludivine’s Foxy Saloon in St. Paul Square at 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Admission is $5, or $10 for a ticket and CD.

Future touring plans are uncertain due to staffing changes. Galindo, a remote employee, moved from San Antonio to Washington, D.C., following federal workforce reductions. Ryan said the members plan to continue performing the songs in informal settings. "Well, I’m always going to have these songs in my pocket," Ryan said. "I haven’t ever been able to crack that touring thing where it’s anywhere close to profitable. But what I have been doing though is working with this informal collective of artists, and it’s morphed into something that’s really cool the way we go to different towns singing, doing a reading of my play, an abbreviated reading of my play, mixed with their projects."