Young Dubliners

Forced out by oppression -- presumably Thin Lizzy's terrorist twin guitar attack, the monumental weight of the Corrs' shite pop polluting the moors and the shame Black 47 bestowed upon the Irish with its dodgy hip-hop from men far too old to be "chillin'" -- a pair of Celtic immigrants traded their lush, troubled land for Los Angeles and began anew. Formed in 1994 by Dublin natives Keith Roberts and Paul O'Toole, the Young Dubliners brought back the anthems of the Waterboys and the Alarm, plus a bit of Simple Minds balladry. Like Hothouse Flowers, the band rolls its rock in Irish folk that's accessible to an audience whose only exposure to the Emerald Isle is The Commitments. The Young Dubs' modernized take on the music of the homeland is unhindered by expatriate identity, allowing Roberts and company to explore themes and styles as they see fit. All need not be drinking, drugging and dames, ya know.