Bluestack still sings its ‘forthright opinions’

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Bluestack

Updated: November 24, 2011 2:59AM

The pen is mightier than the sword, and music is another powerful way to deliver a bloodless message. For Donegal native, Brendan Loughrey, who spent his first 29 years near the border of volatile northern Ireland, singing rebel songs and playing guitar has been a passion, a mission, and way of life.

Loughrey is now 41 and a resident of Darien, but persists with music that he feels is more important than ever.

“The Irish political climate is not as popular as in the late ’70s, but it is still relevant, still troubling, and the main media (in Ireland) is ignoring it,” he said. “There was rioting in Belfast in the last two weeks. We do have a lot of songs in our repertoire with forthright opinions and definitely have our opinions based on the many lifetimes before us and our own. There is still a lot of injustice and wrongs, and not a lot of bands left playing this music.”

Rebel rockers

Loughrey, who performs solo acoustic and also with a full band, Bluestack, likes to describe the music as “rebel rock,” with songs like “James Connolly,” “The Foggy Dew,” “Black and Tan” and originals that mix in well with the traditional songs. Overall, the sound can be compared with the music of the Wolfe Tones blended with the music of The Clancy Brothers and The Chieftains.

“The music is not just ‘Irish-Celtic or Celtic rock,’” he said. “There are a lot of plastic Paddy Irish bands around, and nothing wrong with that, it’s fine, lots of people like the light, fluffy, ‘Lucky Charms’ leprechaun stuff. We’re just not one of those bands.”

Bluestack performs Saturday at The Kerry Piper in Willowbrook, and Loughrey performs a solo acoustic show July 14 at the Chicago Street Pub in downtown Joliet.

Loughrey has lived in the Chicago area since 2002, but originally came to the U.S. in January 1991, when he was hired by Seanachie (Storyteller) Irish Pub in downtown Nashville as the house musician.

“They hired me because I was still singing rebel songs,” he said.

Loughrey has appeared on major stages throughout Ireland and also here in the U.S., where he has opened for Sting, John Mellencamp, and Chuck Berry. Loughrey broke through in the U.S. and emerged as a major vocalist following the success of his first album, “Atlantic Breeze.” He has served as a voice coach and has performed the national anthem in 2004 at a sold-out Wrigley Field.

Going electric

Loughrey has also seen success with Bluestack, named for the Bluestack Mountains in rugged northwest Ireland. Now in its second incarnation, the group is comprised of Loughrey on guitar and lead vocals, Tony Bauman on drums, and Jeff Hansel on bass. In May, the band’s new CD, “Not Without A Fight,” was released, on the 30th anniversary of the passing of Bobby Sands. [Sands, member of the Irish Republican Army, died during a hunger strike while in prison.] This CD launched a new ‘loud, electric’ sound for Bluestack.

“Our new electric sound opens a lot more doors musically on stage, gives the music a little more edge. We’re not deafening, just changes our sound to a more modern rock sound,” said Loughrey. “It’ll draw in the kids too, in getting the full story out to them. No point in telling a story if there’s no one there (to hear it).”

But Loughrey’s solo acoustic shows continue to be popular, and he notes the difference in the shows,

“There is a huge contrast,” he said. “The acoustic show is a sit-down, pay attention, listening crowd, a lot more mellowed.”