Local Rockers Release Album of Seven Irish Tunes

Seven Irish songs will define the newest musical output from Boys From the County Bexar, a San Antonio ensemble formed by veteran local rock musicians.

The group is releasing an album that interprets traditional tunes and rebel anthems through an acoustic and electric lens. The tracks include covers of Pogues favorites like "A Pair of Brown Eyes" and "Lorca’s Novena." The lineup also features "Back Home in Derry," a song written by Bobby Sands, a Provisional Irish Republican Army member who died during a hunger strike in prison.

The band’s sound relies on acoustic guitars, mandolin, and accordion. These instruments are backed by drums and electric bass to create a contemporary, rough texture. The musical approach aims to respect the original material while adding a modern energy. Singer-guitarist Mike Ryan noted that many of these songs were traditionally performed in pubs over many years. He stated that the recording process prioritized fun over strict precision. "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 ensemble includes several musicians with deep roots in the San Antonio alt-rock scene. Ryan, the former frontman of Coyote Dreams, leads the group. He is joined by accordionist Michael Galindo and bassist Blake Smithson, both former members of Coyote Dreams. Mandolinist Michael Martin from the Infidels and drummer Jamie Roadman, who has played with Buttercup and Los Mescaleros, complete the lineup. The group came together after Ryan, Galindo, and Martin performed a series of shows focused on Irish pub songs. They added a rhythm section to the lineup at the suggestion of Joe Treviño, the owner of Blue Cat Studios. Smithson said he and Roadman recorded their parts in just two days. "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 interest in Irish music stems from his work writing a play called Borderland Rogues. The play tells the story of Saint Patrick’s Battalion, a group of Irish immigrants who fought alongside Mexican troops during the Mexican-American War. Ryan said the music was inspired by his trips to both countries. He described the shared struggles of the Irish and Mexican people as a driving force behind the project. "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 album keeps a mellow and reflective tone for most of its runtime. The band only shifts toward a faster punk tempo on one track, "Paddy Public Enemy No. 1." This song was originally recorded by MacGowan with his post-Pogues band, the Popes. The band name itself draws from the Pogues track "Boys From the County Hell."

The group plans to celebrate the album release with a party on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. The venue is the new Ludivine’s Foxy Saloon in St. Paul Square. Admission costs $5, or $10 for a ticket and a CD. The location is 1160 E. Commerce St., and the phone number is (210) 233-6256.

The band’s future schedule remains uncertain due to recent federal workforce changes. Galindo, a remote employee, had to relocate from San Antonio to Washington, D.C., following Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency actions. Ryan said the members will continue to perform these songs in various formats. He mentioned an informal collective that mixes their music with readings of his play in different towns. Ryan said he will keep the songs available for these performances as long as he can. "Well, I’m always going to have these songs in my pocket," he 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."