Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly is an American seven-piece Celtic punk band[2] formed in Los Angeles in 1995, led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records.

Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly in 2015
Flogging Molly in 2015
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresCeltic punk, folk punk
Years active1994–present
LabelsSideOneDummy, Burning Heart, Vanguard, Borstal Beat, Rise[1]
MembersDave King
Bridget Regan
Dennis Casey
Nathen Maxwell
Matt Hensley
Mike Alonso
Spencer Swain
Websitefloggingmolly.com

History

Early years

Prior to forming Flogging Molly, Dublin-born Dave King was the lead singer for heavy metal band Fastway featuring guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motörhead in the early to mid 1980s. He later fronted a hard rock band called Katmandu (1991), featuring Mandy Meyer of Krokus on guitars. Afterwards, King retained a record deal with Epic Records and began to work on a solo album, but began to reconsider his record deal when the label opposed his idea of bringing in traditional Irish instruments. King negotiated out of his record deal to go his own way musically soon after.

In 1993, King met guitarist Ted Hutt, bassist Jeff Peters, drummer Paul Crowder[2] and violin player Bridget Regan and put together a rock band with a Celtic music influence. They began to play a mix of Irish traditional and rock music. Putting King's poetic lyrics to rocking melodies, they played at a Los Angeles pub called Molly Malone's weekly, building a small but loyal following. Together, they wrote songs such as "Black Friday Rule" and "Selfish Man", which was the beginning of Flogging Molly's sound. Ted and Jeff then left Flogging Molly because an earlier band of theirs, Reacharound, received a record deal. King and Regan began to find new members and the current band was formed.

They continued a routine of playing every Monday night at Molly Malone's. They put out a live album, Alive Behind the Green Door in 1997. In an interview with Kerrang! magazine, King stated that the band's name comes from the bar (Molly Malone's) that faithfully supported the band from the very beginning, "We used to play there every Monday night and we felt like we were flogging it to death, so we called the band Flogging Molly." They were signed onto SideOneDummy Records after a show when the record company's owners attended a concert and noted their intensity.

Career

Flogging Molly has released an independent (26f Records) live album titled Alive Behind the Green Door, as well as seven studio albums: Swagger, Drunken Lullabies, Within a Mile of Home, Float, Speed of Darkness, Life Is Good, and Anthem; and an acoustic/live DVD/cd combo Whiskey on a Sunday, which has gone platinum. They have toured with the Warped Tour, Larry Kirwan's American Fléadh Festival and contributed to the Rock Against Bush project. They have sold in excess of a million and a half copies of recorded output as of December 6, 2006.[3]

In March 2007, the band released an exclusive EP through iTunes entitled Complete Control Sessions. The EP includes two new tracks, as well as acoustic versions of previously released songs. A year later Flogging Molly released Float, an album dubbed "one of the most important CDs of the year, if not the decade" by Alternative Press. Flogging Molly also recognized the album as influential to their career as their first album recorded in Ireland (though mixed in California) by producer Ryan Hewitt. Fans met the release with great anticipation and enthusiasm, landing it at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. The album includes the band's first two chart singles, Requiem for a Dying Song (which hit No. 35 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts)[4] and Float (which hit No. 40).[4] Another accolade came to the band in June 2009 when their album "Drunken Lullabies" went gold.

Flogging Molly released a live DVD/CD set called Live at the Greek Theater in March 2010. The 3-disc set (double CD + full-length DVD) captures Flogging Molly's performance at the Greek Theatre on September 12, 2009, and includes content spanning the band's entire catalog. The band appeared in the 2011 season premiere of Austin City Limits.[5]

Dave King performing in 2011

On March 10, 2016, the band released their first new material in five years, a single titled "The Hand of John L. Sullivan", honoring the Irish-American boxer of the same name. It is also the first studio recording with new drummer Mike Alonso. Life Is Good was released the following year and the band's follow-up to that was 2022's Anthem.

Salty Dog Cruises (2015–present)

From March 13 to 16, 2015, Flogging Molly began hosting a yearly Caribbean cruise. The 2015 Salty Dog Cruise Cruise[6] featured shows by the band and many others, over three days leaving from Miami to Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay on the Norwegian Sky. All bands performed two times on the stages throughout the ship or on the special stage set on Norwegian's private island of Great Stirrup Cay.[2]

In 2016, from March 18 to 21, the second yearly cruise took the same itinerary on the same ship and hosted, among others, Rancid, Fishbone, Frank Turner, Street Dogs and The Tossers.

In 2017, the Enchantment of the Seas hosted the third annual cruise that left on March 10 to Coco Cay and Nassau, until coming back to Miami on March 13. The guests invited by the band were NOFX, DeVotchKa, Less Than Jake, The English Beat, The Skatalites, The Bouncing Souls, Dylan Walshe and many others.

On August 21, 2017, the band announced that the 2018 cruise would take place April 20–23, leaving from Miami, sailing to Key West and to Great Stirrup Cay. Originally, the cruise was supposed to take place on the Enchantment of the Seas as in 2017; however, the ship was changed and the Norwegian Sky has been announced. The line-up includes The Offspring, Buzzcocks, The Vandals, Lagwagon, and Mad Caddies, among others.

Musical style

Flogging Molly's music is influenced by various artists, such as The Dubliners, The Pogues, Horslips, Johnny Cash, and The Clash. The album Within a Mile of Home (2004) is dedicated to the memories of Cash and The Clash frontman Joe Strummer.

Their music ranges from boisterous Celtic punk, like the pirate-themed "Salty Dog", "Cruel Mistress", and "Seven Deadly Sins", or the defiant "What's Left of the Flag", "Drunken Lullabies", and "Rebels of the Sacred Heart", to more somber songs like "Far Away Boys", "The Son Never Shines (On Closed Doors)", "Life in a Tenement Square", and "Float". Lyrics typically touch on subjects such as Ireland and its history, drinking, poverty, politics, love, and death and include several references to the Catholic Church. "What's Left of the Flag" and "The Likes of You Again" were written as tributes to King's father, who died when King was a child.[7]

Members

Discography

Studio albums

References

  1. @riserecords (October 21, 2020). "We're happy to welcome @floggingmolly..." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  2. Life Is Good Out Now. Floggingmolly.com, Retrieved on March 13, 2020.
  3. "Du søgte efter plade". Archived from the original on July 26, 2007.
  4. "Flogging Molly – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  5. "Flogging Molly "Saints and Sinners" | Watch Austin City Limits Online | KLRU". Video. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  6. "Flogging Molly's Salty Dog Cruise – 2018". FloggingMollyCruise.com. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  7. Ambrose, Anthony (July 27, 2009). "inTuneMusic Online: Warped Tour @ Oceanport 7/19". Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
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