’Tis
emerald green shamrocks every day with
Flogging Molly
By
Molly McGuire
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Only one band has enough gale to be celebrating the infamous holiday every
night of the year, and it’s none other than Flogging Molly. Even though
St. Patty’s day was two weeks ago, there was a strong presence of green
and shamrocks among the crowd, March 22. Even the outside lights of the Key
Club in Hollywood were flashing green. It was a special night, not only for
Flogging Molly, but for its label mates as well. It was Side
One Dummy’s record label’s 10-year anniversary and it marked the
end of a two-month U.S. tour for Flogging Molly.
The band Vox took the stage with great energy, the violinist slapping the violin
strings and creating a sound that was almost guitar-like. The band was just
signed by Side One Dummy and is going to be touring more in the future.
The next act to take the stage was a band that has as great of a reputation
as Flogging Molly: the Briggs.
They are a quartet of Southern California natives who have a special Irish
punk music to them.
I was amazed at how packed the club was. It was a sold-out show and when Flogging
Molly took the stage it was no surprise why. They opened with “Within
a Mile of Home” from the latest album, “Within a Mile of Home.” However,
when they started the intro for “Drunken Lullabies” from the album
of the same name, the crowd went insane.
Flogging Molly is not your average band. The group may have your average guitar,
bass and drums but they bring so much more to the table. The group’s
instrument assortment includes a banjo, Bodhran (Irish drum), spoons, fiddle,
tin whistle, uilleann pipes, accordion, concertina, mandolin, bazouki and a
mandola. All of these instruments are mastered by the bands seven members.
Dave King (vocals) is originally from Ireland, where he gets his inspiration
for his music. This was also the major inspiration for the new album’s
lyrics.
Before he played “To Youth” King announced that this song was about
Ireland and his mother who inspired him to keep going for his dreams.
Flogging Molly also likes to liken itselves as pirates, and it’s apparent
with their lyrics and merchandise. With songs like “Queen Anne’s
Revenge” it’s hard to not imagine yourself as a pirate as well.
As the show came to a close, I was overwhelmed by the crowd’s energy
and I considered myself truly Irish.
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