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Flogging Molly

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Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly is a seven-piece Irish American celtic punk band that formed in Los Angeles, California and is currently signed to SideOneDummy Records.

History

Early years

Prior to forming Flogging Molly, Dave King was the vocalist for Fastway, a late 1980s – early 1990s heavy metal band, featuring guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motörhead, and later an experimental metal band called Katmandu (1991), featuring Mandy Meyer of Krokus on guitars. Afterwards, Dave 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 the late nineties, King met former guitarist Ted Hutt, former bassist Jeff Peters, and fiddle player Bridget Regan. They wrote songs together such as Devils Dance Floor and Black Friday Rule, which was the beginning of Flogging Molly's unique sound. Ted and Jeff left Flogging Molly because a prior band of theirs, Reach Around, received a record deal. Dave and Bridget then began to meet the new members one way or another, and band was slowly reformed, one by one.

They soon established a routine of playing every Monday night at an LA pub called Molly Malone's. According to an interview with SuicideGirls.com[1], then 17-year old Nathan Maxwell snuck into a show as a fan, and was later asked to join the band. They soon 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 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 four studio albums, Swagger, Drunken Lullabies, Within a Mile of Home, Float, and an acoustic/live DVD/cd combo Whiskey on a Sunday. 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.[2]

On March 13, 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. On December 3, 2007 the band announced through an e-mail to their subscribers that their upcoming album would be called Float.

On March 4, 2008 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 #4 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. This release marks the highest chart position for SideOneDummy and the Celtic Punk genre in general. While touring to support Float in 2008, Dave King married Bridget Regan in Tokyo.

Musical style

Flogging Molly's music is influenced by bands such as The Pogues, The Dubliners, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Clash. Dave King says the Pogues were a huge influence. The album Within a Mile of Home is dedicated to Joe Strummer and Johnny Cash.

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 sombre songs like "Far Away Boys", "The Son Never Shines (On Closed Doors)", and "Float." Lyrics typically touch on subjects such as Ireland and its history, drinking, politics, love, and include several references to the Roman Catholic Church.

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Live/compilation albums

Singles

  • 2000: "Salty Dog"(7")
    • B-side is "Juan El Sentimental", previously released on some international copies of Swagger
  • 2008: "Float" (7")
    • B-side is "Man with No Country"
  • 2008: "Requiem For a Dying Song" (#35 US Mod Rock)

In film, stage and television

  • The song "The Worst Day Since Yesterday" is featured in the 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith and in the title of a Season 3 episode of One Tree Hill.
  • The song "Selfish Man" plays during the end credits of episode four, season one of the Showtime series Brotherhood. The song "May The Living Be Dead (In Our Wake)" also plays during the wedding reception in the show's season one finale.
  • The song "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" (studio version) is featured in Episode 8 "Scar Tissue" of Season 2 of The Shield, and was used in the first season of Showtime's Weeds as well. The song is also featured in the ending credits of the movie P.S. I Love You, starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, released in December 2007.
  • Six of their songs are featured in the film Red Roses and Petrol, set for theatrical release in the USA and the UK early 2008.
  • The song "Whistles the Wind" is played in the 18th episode of Bones, when Hodgins is speaking with McGinnis about treasure.
  • "The Kings of the Kilburn High" was inspired by the stage play "The Kings of the Kilburn High Rd" after David King read a copy of the play given to him by an actor who was dating Bridget Regan at the time and in the cast of the production.
  • The song "Drunken Lullabies" was played for a wake-up song for the USA Big Brother 9 Houseguests on Monday, March 17, 2008 to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
  • "The Ol' Beggars Bush" is featured on Gilmore Girls, in season 4 in the episode "Last Week Fights, This Week Tights"
  • The song "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" is featured in the 2008 film P.S. I Love You

In compilations

In video games

In advertisements

References

  1. ^ Broadley, Erin (2008-03-07). "Flogging Molly". Suicide Girls. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  2. ^ Kick Music A/S
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