Flogging Mollyby Ted Newsome
The Band
Flogging Molly is a seven-piece band out of So Cal that's hard to put a label on. The front man, Dave King, is from Dublin, Ireland. He's about as Irish as a man can be and responsible for the band's howling vocals and acoustic guitar. Next to Dave is none other than skateboard legend Matt Hensley. This time he's strapped with an accordion instead of a skateboard, but you can tell Matt approaches this complex instrument with the same determination and skill that made him a great skateboarder. Add Nathen Maxwell on bass, Bridget Regan playing the fiddle and an occasional tin whistle, Robert Schmidt alternating between mandolin and banjo, Dennis Casey playing a mean Sabbath-like guitar, and George Schwindt banging on a set of drums, and you've got a band that has enough energy to light up Las Vegas.
The Show
The first time I saw Flogging Molly I didn't really know what to expect. When I lived in So Cal, Kris Markovich kept telling me about these guys, but I never saw them. I knew Matt Hensley was in the band, and there was some sort of Irish theme going on, but that was it. Then Flogging Molly came to New York City and was playing at this little club called The Continental (the place Iggy Pop used to play back in the day), and I knew I had to check them out first hand.
The band members looked harmless enough when they stepped on the tiny stage¿kind of a shy-looking bunch¿but when they plugged in their instruments and started to play, all hell broke loose. Irish folk is the backbone of Molly, but she's injected with a heavy dose of punk rock. It's like they took the energy of all the bar fights in Ireland and plugged it into their instruments.
After a few songs, I found myself surrounded by men and women singing, dancing, and frolicking about. It was like the music turned everyone into a big family, singing songs they'd known all their lives. There I was, right in the middle of this swirling pit of energy, dripping with sweat, dancing, singing my head off with all my brothers and sisters. We weren't just watching the show, we were part of it.
When Molly started playing "Sentimental Johnny," I knew the show was coming to a close. It sounded like the end of some crazy carnival. There were rows of people dancing arm in arm and yelling at the top of their lungs¿I nearly lost my voice. It was the best show I'd ever experienced.
Highlights included all of Dave's lyrics (especially "Salty Dog", "Selfish Man," "The Likes of You Again," and "Devil's Dance Floor"), Dennis' solo on "Black Friday Rule," Bridget's fiddle, and of course, watching Hensley play that crazy contraption called the accordion. Oh yeah, there was no cover charge at the door either. I think it's Molly's standard procedure: no cover, but you need lots of beverages once the show starts.
The Album
After the show, I bought Molly's latest CD Swagger (Side One Records). It's engineered and mixed by Steve Albini, which explains how Molly's big sound can be captured on a little disc. It has thirteen really good songs that'll have you singing along, too. There's no skipping tracks on this disc. Now, if I crank my stereo up full blast, my apartment fills with the same raw energy that drove the crowd into a frenzy at Tfffhe Continental. Of course it's not really the same without all my brothers and sisters. When's the next family reunion?
