FLOGGING MOLLY play Irvine Meadows Mar. 17
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just about Guinness-drenched mosh pits at a celtic punk show — it’s about a Guinness-drenched on-stage pub, too. Flogging Molly, the perfect seven-piece group of Celtic pride, is hitting Irvine Meadows on Mar. 17 before heading off to their Salty Dog Cruise immediately after.
With Dave King, Dennis Casey, Matthew Hensley, Nathen Maxwell, Bridget Regan, Robert Schmidt and Michael Alonso, Flogging Molly uses a mix of classical folk instruments, such as the mandolin and Uilleann Pipes, to contrast the hardcore, metal roots of the electric instruments. The band is the perfect balance of the 90’s punk scene held together by the heart of the Irish-American.
Punk parties and liquor aside, Flogging Molly has continued to craft lyrical masterpieces that follow the political current events and the hardships of the working class. Speed of Darkness, released in 2011, followed the job market crash that impacted the everyday person while appeasing the “bloodsucking leech CEO.”
The group’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration isn’t only going to be filled with classic hits from Speed of Darkness, Swagger, and other fan-favorite albums, but will also include some new songs that they are currently writing and rehearsing as a pre-release to their highly-anticipated, upcoming album.
“We’ve been in pre-production now for a while, we’ve written many songs,” Maxwell said. “We just need to set the date and pick the studio that we’re going to lay down the final track, but that hasn’t happened, yet. Until that happens, I don’t feel comfortable talking about release dates because we’re kind of at the point in our career where we don’t feel the need to put something out immediately. We’d just rather take our time with the music and do it right.”
Although the new album isn’t set for release yet, Flogging Molly will be performing a new single on the Jimmy Kimmel show prior to their Mar. 17 concert.
“I’m excited for our fans to hear (the single),” Maxwell said. “For me, what inspired the song is it was an ode to our guitar player’s father who passed away and there’s a little nice mention of him in the lyrics. It’s kind of like that hopeful idea ‘life is tough but you do your best.’ That’s what it means to me.”
Even with a new album in the works alongside their touring schedule, Flogging Molly is continuing a now annual tradition, their second Salty Dog Cruise.
“As soon as we get off stage from the Irvine Meadows show, we’re going to have to go straight to the airport and get on a private plane to Miami to get on the cruise the next morning. It’s going to be a pretty action-packed day for us. Last year we did it for the first time, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I heard a lot of amazing, and almost life-changing feedback. The fact that it’s sold out this year, I couldn’t be happier. I just look forward to doing that until the day I die!”