2008 Woodie Awards
Irish punkers voice opinion on nearby tourstop
By Sean Lohrer
Issue date: 4/15/05 Section: Entertainment
Instead of going to sunny, sandy Cancun for spring break, I decided to leave my native Pittsburgh on a road trip to an equally dead-of-winter city, Cleveland, Ohio, to see Irish punk rockers Flogging Molly. The tour, which was sponsored by Guinness and dubbed "The Green 17" tour, was in support of Flogging Molly's September release "Within a Mile of Home".
For those of you not familiar with Flogging Molly's sound, pay close attention because they're hard to explain. Picture a seven-piece band that features traditional instruments along with a mandolin, accordion, violin and banjo; a sound that could be played in both an Irish pub and CBGB's; and lead singer Dave King's lyrics about the struggles of life such as death and lost loves. That, my friends, is Flogging Molly.
The crowd, growing restless, began chanting "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole," practically begging the band to make its entrance and start the show. When the curtain opened and the band began to take the stage, to the tune of Johnny Cash's "Sam Hall" (their most recent album was dedicated to Cash's passing), the crowd erupted. The anti-Bush track "Screaming at the Wailing Wall" started the show, the mosh pit, and what everyone in Cleveland knew was going to be an incredible show.
The band rifled through such high-tempo songs as "Drunken Lullabies," "The Kilburn High Road," "Every Dog Has It's Day," "Selfish Man" and "Rebels of the Sacred Heart," always making sure to keep the crowd lively and energetic. Dave King, the band's lead singer, then began to start his ranting and raving that is a trademark to every Flogging Molly show.
"Does anyone here know who Oliver Cromwell is?" King asked to a few boos and jeers. "That rat bastard tried to eradicate the Irish race. To think, if that bastard would have had his way, a lot of us fine Irishmen wouldn't be here tonight. Anyone want to dance on his grave with me?" With a roaring cheer, the band launched into "Tobacco Island," a song about the enslavement of the Irish in the 1700s.
For those of you not familiar with Flogging Molly's sound, pay close attention because they're hard to explain. Picture a seven-piece band that features traditional instruments along with a mandolin, accordion, violin and banjo; a sound that could be played in both an Irish pub and CBGB's; and lead singer Dave King's lyrics about the struggles of life such as death and lost loves. That, my friends, is Flogging Molly.
The crowd, growing restless, began chanting "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole," practically begging the band to make its entrance and start the show. When the curtain opened and the band began to take the stage, to the tune of Johnny Cash's "Sam Hall" (their most recent album was dedicated to Cash's passing), the crowd erupted. The anti-Bush track "Screaming at the Wailing Wall" started the show, the mosh pit, and what everyone in Cleveland knew was going to be an incredible show.
The band rifled through such high-tempo songs as "Drunken Lullabies," "The Kilburn High Road," "Every Dog Has It's Day," "Selfish Man" and "Rebels of the Sacred Heart," always making sure to keep the crowd lively and energetic. Dave King, the band's lead singer, then began to start his ranting and raving that is a trademark to every Flogging Molly show.
"Does anyone here know who Oliver Cromwell is?" King asked to a few boos and jeers. "That rat bastard tried to eradicate the Irish race. To think, if that bastard would have had his way, a lot of us fine Irishmen wouldn't be here tonight. Anyone want to dance on his grave with me?" With a roaring cheer, the band launched into "Tobacco Island," a song about the enslavement of the Irish in the 1700s.
