Flogging Molly
Event on 2012-05-25 18:30:00

Supporting Acts: Brothers of Brazil

Flogging Molly

What makes a band truly remarkable? Insightful lyrics? Memorable melodies? Blow-your-mind live performances? The truth is that it takes all of those things along with a boundless enthusiasm, an infectious energy and a supreme devotion to the fans. With this rare combination, a band may ascend past "good," – or even the record industry's Holy Grail, "marketable" – and reach sublime. Drawing on the hardships and joys of their own lives and a musical history ranging from old world Celtic to modern day punk rock, the seven members of Flogging Molly do just that, and they do it with a charm and an ease that makes them one of the most accessible bands performing today. "We're not a traditional band," explains Dublin born singer/songwriter, Dave King. "We are influenced by traditional music and inspired by it, and we put our own little twist on it." Founded in Los Angeles in 1997 by the expatriate King, Flogging Molly got its start and its name from a local bar called Molly Malone's where the band played and grew and laid down the blueprint for its eventual success. As every member of Flogging Molly will emphatically explain, there were no predetermined expectations for the band's sound. From night to night playing to a packed house at Molly Malone's, the sound evolved organically. Traditional Celtic instruments like violin, mandolin and accordion blended seamlessly with grinding guitars and pounding drums. Without consciously attempting it, Flogging Molly merged the music of King's childhood in Dublin with the music of his adulthood in L.A. "If it didn't have mandolin, accordion, fiddle and whistle, it would be punk rock, and if it didn't have guitar, bass and drums, it would be traditional Irish music," King admits, adding, "You can't be bothered being labeled." With a sound anchored in such diverse influences and with band members ranging in age from their 20s to their 40s – a decidedly non-MTV-friendly demographical mix, Flogging Molly was not embraced by the mainstream music industry. The band simply didn't fit any preconceived notions of what a "successful" band was. Not deterred in the least, Flogging Molly embraced a DIY philosophy (that's "do-it-yourself" for those of you not in the know). Their amazing work ethic and rapidly growing fan base led them to DIY-style record label, Side One Dummy, and the two fit hand in glove. In 2000, their Side One Dummy debut, Swagger, featuring the anthemic "The Likes of You Again" and "Black Friday Rule" along with the best ode to a hangover yet, "The Worst Day Since Yesterday" (which later found its way into the Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), obliterated initial expectations and sold over 50,000 copies before Flogging Molly headed back into the studio to record their 2002 follow up, Drunken Lullabies, which included instant classics like the rousing "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" and the doleful "The Son Never Shines (on Closed Doors)." 2004's Within a Mile of Home once more showcased the band's ability to play driving rock and roll on one track then slide effortlessly into lilting, pastoral harmonies on the next and contained a beautiful duet between King and Lucinda Williams on "Factory Girls." Flogging Molly's latest album, Float, recorded in King's native Ireland, delivers still another iteration of the band's sonic evolution. More mature yet retaining the immediacy that marks all of their work, Float may find the widest audience acceptance of any Flogging Molly album. Hard charging tunes "Paddy's Lament" and "You Won't Make a Fool Out of Me" give way, as listeners have come to expect, to more sober ruminations on tracks like "Float." The overall effect is a symphonic layering of sound that possesses a unique rhythmic flow from boisterous to bereaved and back again. Long time fans and new discoverers will be equally astounded. First, last and always a live band, Flogging Molly tours quite a bit more than the average group. On the road seemingly at all times, the band is a regular on the Warped Tour. Even still, their fans can't get enough. People traveled from all over the country to catch them playing with another Celtic-rock powerhouse, Dropkick Murphys, in Philadelphia in September 2007. Flogging Molly's annual Green 17 Tour begins 2008's St. Patrick's Day celebration on February 1st – because you can never get an early enough start on St. Patrick's Day – and will take the band to 30 cities for a total of 34 shows before it's over. For Flogging Molly, a bar band at heart, the contact with their fans is essential. "I feel as good about meeting [the fans] as they feel about meeting me," says bassist Nathen Maxwell, "because they're just as happy as I am. They're just people like everybody else, and that's how I look at myself." Spend 10 minutes in a room with the members of Flogging Molly, and you will have no doubt about their passion for their music. As mandolin and banjo player Bob Schmidt describes it, "We're deadly serious about what we do. As much as it's a good time and a fun thing, it's no joke to us." Guitarist Dennis Casey echoes that sentiment, saying, "I just give it all I've got because I just believe in it that much." Flogging Molly isn't a mere band, they're a seven member nuclear family. They are as devoted to one another as they are to the music they create. It's no wonder their extended family – the legion of loyal Flogging Molly fans – keeps growing every day.

at Main Street Armory
900 East Main Street
Rochester, United States

Walk The Moon
Event on 2012-06-04 20:00:00

Supporting Acts: Morning Parade

Walk The Moon

Nicholas Petricca (vocals, keyboards) / Kevin Ray (bass, vocals) / Eli Maiman (guitar, vocals) / Sean Waugaman (drums, vocals) This past June, Seattle news and culture blog Seattlest.com posted a review of a show by Walk The Moon. It read like this: "Walk The Moon hit the stage with so much energy that the crowd immediately pushed forward and started dancing. It's refreshing to see a band that's having as much, or more, fun than the people there to see them. They took us back to the days of basement dance parties on hot summer nights, where everyone's just happy to be alive and among friends." That review pretty much sums up this young Cincinnati band's mission statement: "We want our music to be the most fun thing you've ever listened to in your entire life," says bassist Kevin Ray. "We want it to not just affect you emotionally, but also physically in that it makes you want to dance." Everything Walk The Moon does is infused with a playful spirit, from their radiant live shows, where the crowd often coalesces into one joyful, pogo-ing mass, to the songs the band are currently recording for their debut album. The music brims with sparkling synth-heavy pop hooks, chanted melodies, sunny harmonies, and agile polyrhythmic grooves – a sound influenced by the New Wave stylings of their favorite artists Talking Heads, David Bowie, and The Police. "We started describing it as an 'indie-pop fiesta' and that kind of stuck," says singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Nicholas Petricca. Launched in 2008 by Petricca, Walk The Moon has steadily made a name for itself as an unsigned band over the last few years, attracting a broad mix of fans who have happily submitted to a pre-show face-painting ritual conducted by band members to get everyone into the communal spirit of the event. "Sometimes it's like, 'Dude, what are you doing here? How have you heard of us?'" marvels guitarist Eli Maiman. "But they're there, they've got face paint on, and they're playing air guitar. It's awesome. We just create the music we love and hope that other people love it, too." Walk the Moon's appeal has also extended to such press outlets as Spin.com, The New York Post, Esquire.com, MTV.com, as well as Nylonmag.com, who called them "pure, unadulterated fun" and NME.com, who raved about their "bold, broadly beaming" sound. They were also handpicked to be featured during SXSW on Last Call With Carson Daly. So who is Walk The Moon? Petricca, Ray, Maiman, and drummer Sean Waugaman are all Ohio natives in their early 20's who became acquainted in various ways. Petricca and Ray knew each other as toddlers (their mothers were close friends), Ray and Waugaman had played in bands together, and Petricca met Maiman through the local scene in Cincinnati. "Being a musician has always been a career dream for me," says Petricca, a golden-throated crooner who began playing piano as a child and singing in high school. "So I needed to find people who wanted to do this as badly as I did, which these guys all did." Their first gig together was at Cincinnati watering hole the Northside Tavern. "We thought, 'If we could just get 50 people in, the room would look fine," Ray recalls. "Then 350 people showed up." Walk the Moon's shows, including jubilant sets at this year's SXSW, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza festivals, boasted a similar vibe. "Bonnaroo was everything we could want from a Walk The Moon show," Waugaman says. "Everybody was sweaty and muddy. There were people standing on tables and on each other." Walk The Moon are currently in the studio, and are looking forward to finishing up their album, which is being produced by Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective). The album will feature a host of new songs as well as new versions of songs from their independently released 2010 album I Want, I Want, including the viral sensation "Anna Sun." The eye-catching video for "Anna Sun" sparked major buzz when it was posted on tastemaker blog "All Things Go" and tweeted about by indie label Neon Gold Records. "We wanted the video to get people interested and then for the live show to kick their asses," Petricca says. The clip for "Anna Sun" – a happy-sad sing-along affair that claims "this house is falling apart" before declaring "We're gonna rattle this ghost town!" – features Petricca cavorting with colorfully dressed young Cincinnatians sporting leotards, headbands, and face paint. The video neatly captures the creative heart of Walk The Moon's music. "I like to write about this idea of feeling young throughout your life," Petricca says. "'Anna Sun' is about eternal youth, and it recalls a lot of my memories from college, but it also addresses the fear of losing that innocence and falling into a routine. I feel like the things we do to escape, like going out and partying, are to recapture the imagination you had a child, which is something that speaks to me personally as a songwriter. All of my favorite songs have always set my imagination running. In that sense, I love the idea that we could be a band that gets people into Neverland, and lets them make their own movie in their head while they're listening."

at Troubadour
9081 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, United States

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