by Meaghan Paulosky
Unless you’re of heavy Irish descent or closely follow the genre as an outsider, you probably don’t know very much about Celtic rock. So when a band transcends the genre, crosses over to popular rock, and gains recognition from a variety of fans, they must be doing something right.
Such is true for the seven-piece band from Los Angeles, Flogging Molly. They officially began in 1997 with lead singer Dave King. King hails from Dublin, Ireland and relocated to the United States, a pretty significant reason for their American appeal/deeply Irish synthesis. Very few musicians can boast an ability to fully delve into two cultures. Says band mate Matt Hensley, “[we’re] affected by what happens around us and [get] a unique way of looking at the world…[King] gets his insight on things because he moved…”
That goes to say there’s an enormous connection and amount of sentimentality intertwined within each of their songs. They play with real heart and real talent, making it almost effortless to get just as amped about hearing their songs as they are about playing them. “The normal wear and tear of living off the road gets tiring, but enthusiasm while playing is easy,” says Hensley. He explains their strength lies in their live performances. “Fans are super energetic and feed off of it.” How could you not want to jam out to the sound of a killer violin?
That’s probably helpful considering their famously daunting tour schedules. Their upcoming tour, the annual Green 17 tour, features 32 shows around the country between January 24th and March 17th. Fortunately for us, one of those many stops is at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia on January 31st. Of this particular show, obviously a special one, they are, “looking forward to playing music. Thanks to Philly fans for keeping the dream alive.” As a city we can be proud of ourselves for being one of the first to recognize the powerhouse that is Flogging Molly. Remembers Hensely, “One of the first shows with a positive reaction [to us] outside of California was the TLA with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. A few people usually went to the merch booth when we finished our set, but that time a giant crowd was in line to meet us. It was really profound.”
As a group they’ve certainly grown beyond those days of meeting a few people in a merch booth as an opening act. “We’re always trying to grow, we’re like brothers and sisters. We try to be better musicians.” This family has been on the road for almost two decades now, sharing their flare on a Celtic-punk fusion with the world and making a few interesting memories along the way. Memories that are on par with their loud and lively music — or at least those that they can remember.
Check out their latest album “Speed of Darkness” or go see them do what they do best on January 31st at the Electric Factory.
