Blaggards

Blaggards play Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge on Wednesday, October 7, with fiddler Heide Riggs joining them on stage. It's a Houston band playing a Houston room, and they've been at it for over two decades.

They formed here in July 2004, and they call their sound 'Stout Irish Rock' — traditional Irish music mixed with rock 'n' roll. The rock side of that equation pulls from a wide spread: Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley on one end, Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath on the other. It's the kind of sound that gets them compared to Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys and the Pogues.

The band is a trio: guitarist and vocalist Patrick Devlin, bassist and vocalist Chad Smalley, and drummer Kevin 'Turbo' Newton. They also run an official podcast and road diary called SlapperCast, which they put out every Tuesday. For this show, they're bringing in fiddler Heide Riggs to round out the sound.

One small thing to keep in mind before you head out: the name is Blaggards, no 'the' in front. Depending on where you're from, they pronounce it BLA' GUARDS or BLA' GHERDS. The show starts at 8 PM at Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge, 3714 Main St, Houston, TX 77002. Admission is $5 and it's 21+.