Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. As you may be aware, summer is upon us, and the glorious concert season is about to begin. I’m excited for all the usual reasons but considering the last couple of years in America have been rather tough on humans…we could all use a break. And what better way to put all the bullshit aside than to attend a live event with your favorite band? People are social beings by nature and being around others is good for our mental well-being and our shared experiences are food for the soul. After a few years of fear, death, and the unknown…it’s time to start living again.

Which leads me to the great news I received the other day from a friend of mine named Monica. She sent me an email informing me that one of my favorite bands was headed my way and there was a press pass with my name on it. Well, I don’t know about you but for me, that was like an early Christmas present in June. Flogging Molly have announced a show on June 18th in Michigan.

June 18, Flogging Molly at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre – co-headline date with The Interrupters – The band will soon announce a new album for this Fall. The 11-song album finds the septet (with Dave & Bridget splitting their time between Detroit & Ireland these days) reunited with Steve Albini, a full circle moment for the punk band, with Albini having produced their beloved early aughts albums Swagger and Drunken Lullabies”. The band, in advance of their annual Los Angeles St. Patrick’s Day festival, previewed the album with the release “These Times Have Got Me Drinking”.

Yes, my friends, Christmas has come early this year. For the readers who might not be completely up on the band or are just learning about the Irish American Celtic Punk group, I will add a little history for context. Flogging Molly came together in 1997 out in Los Angeles and was headed up by Dublin (Eire aka Ireland) born vocalist Dave King.

Prior to coming to America from Ireland, Dave King originally came from an area known as Tor an Bhacaigh (Beggars Bush, Dublin). The area was once the home of a British army barracks on Haddington Road, which was a training ground for British soldiers and completed in 1827. The Beggars Bush Barracks was the first barracks to be turned over to the I.R.A. (Irish Republican Army) in 1922.

The exchange followed the Treaty of Dail, when British forces begin withdrawing from Ireland. The barracks was turned over to the National Army (headed up by Irish Hero Michael Collins and volunteers from the I.R.A. who supported the treaty. They were members of the National Army/Regulars from January 31st 1922 until 1924) who were in full uniform and armed, led by a Piper Band. The National Army fought the anti-treaty I.R.A. which set off a civil war in the country. Michael Collins would be killed in August of 1922, the National Army would be re-organized in October of 1924. The site has occupied a Pub since 1803 and is now home to the Labour Relations Commision.

Dave grew up in a tiny two room flat in the area. It seems that music was destined to be in his life forever and at the age of 6-ish, he received a guitar from his parents. When Dave was little he re-called watching David Bowie on tv with his mom. Judging from these two events, music was a vital part of his life from an early age and his mom had great taste in music. Dave would later cite David Bowie among his influences, along with Joe Strummer (The Clash) as well as Johnny Cash and Freddie Mercury respectively. Dave’s father passed away when he was ten years old. By his early twenties, Dave King would leave Dublin for London and eventually make his way to America (Los Angeles). He spent the first eight years in the U.S. without a green card and could not visit his homeland for fear of not being re-admitted into the country. The time away from Ireland and his mother was difficult and turned up in early lyrics for Flogging Molly tunes.

Prior to founding Flogging Molly, Dave joined a band called “Fastway” which got going around 1983 and included “Fast” Eddie Clark from Motorhead and UFO bassist Pete Way. The drummer was former Humble Pie member Jerry Shirley and the then unknown Dave King. Pete Way would leave the band to play with Ozzy Osborne. The band released an album in 1983 titled “Fastway” and were also put together the soundtrack to “Trick or Treat” (released in 1986 and was an American Heavy Metal Horror Film). The movie was considered a flop, and would eventually go on to be a cult classic, but the soundtrack was popular and stayed on the Billboard 200 for 11 months and re-established Fastway as a hard charging metal outfit. Eventually, the lack of money caused in-fighting which led to Dave King leaving the band.

Dave would go on to form a band called Katmandu with Mandy Meyer (formerly of Krokus) and Mike Alonso (from Detroit band Speedball). One album was released and although there were a few flashes of success, nothing materialized. For a time, Dave landed a deal with Epic Records, but the label wanted him to sing for Jeff Beck. Dave opted to following his own way and began piecing together Flogging Molly.

In 1993 Dave King met guitarist and British Grammy Award winner Ted Hutt, bassist Jeff Peters, drummer Paul Crowder, and violin player Bridget Regan. The result was a perfect blend of rock and Celtic infusion. The band got to work and routinely played a pub in Los Angeles called Molly Malone’s every Monday night. The act attracted a small but loyal following, while the band continued on the grind. The legend behind their name Flogging Molly was reportedly inspired by the amount of performances they gave at Molly Malone’s, which Dave commented on in an interview:

“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.”

-Dave King

Kerrang! Magazine

In 1997, Flogging Molly recorded a live album at Molly Malone’s called “Alive Behind the Green Door” and clocked in at 46 minutes and 20 seconds. It was released with ten songs, with some of the material later turning up on future releases. Flogging Molly has released numerous studio albums and by 2006 had managed to sell over a million records. Perhaps my favorite of the studio album releases, “Drunken Lullabies” which dropped in 2002 eventually went on to become a certified gold record (RIAA). Music from the album was also featured on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 video game.

As many of you know, I am proud of my Irish-American Heritage. My ancestors came to America from Cork County (Contae Chorcai, Eire) in the 1880’s, hung around New York City for two decades before settling in Kansas. Eventually the General Motors offer of a living would drive my grand father to Flint Michigan and the rest is history as they say. My family has always embraced and been proud of the Irish Heritage and it is something that I’ve instilled in my own children. If you forget where you come from, you’ll never know where your going, doomed to walk the earth forever blind.

Because of my Irish Roots, I’ve always gravitated and enjoyed Celtic/Irish influenced music in any shape or form I have come across. When I listen to bands like Flogging Molly, The Dubliners, The Pogues and on and on, I feel a source of pride for those that have come before and those yet to arrive. The Irish people have a strong sense of rooting for the underdog and the mistreated (especially at the hands of foreign governments). History bares this out and although we are almost out of time, I have written articles touching the subject in the past. They can be found under “kidvicious810” on the main page of the ROX-TV website (just click the name and start digging).

For over twenty years I have been celebrating Flogging Molly and their amazing sound. I can’t wait for the show to kick off on June 18th and plan to bring the very best coverage back to the ROX-TV readers following the show. Please keep checking back for coverage as the date approaches. In closing, I’d like to shout out Monica again and thank her for the invite and press credentials. They will be put to good use! Until next time gang…

Tiocfaidh ár lá

 

Signing Off,

Mike Shepard

ROX-TV Head Writer

shepard2909@hotmail.com