Flogging Molly takes punk rock and marries it to elements of traditional Irish music, fronted by Dave King’s thick brogue and a group of six musicians with wildly diverse influences. A quote from King says it all: "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. Flogging Molly has both."Since 2000, they’ve released four CDs on SideOneDummy Records, including Swagger, Drunken Lullabies, Within a Mile of Home, and their latest, Whiskey on a Sunday, a CD/DVD release with the CD including new songs, acoustic versions of earlier releases, and live performances.
The DVD includes a two-hour documentary about the band, one of the better ones I've seen about living life as a musician, tracing each players path to playing music and joining the band, and life on the road for seven distinct personalities.
The film also gives viewers a new perspective about the band members, their life traveling through time and space, the balancing act they walk between making music they love for an independent record label, and building a loyal audience around the world.
Filmmaker Jim Dziura shot the film over two years time in seven countries and it's an enlightening document of a band making a living and building a following without selling their souls to make a dream come true. I was taken by how open and revealing the band members are and, as a result, it ends up being a far more intimate and sweet film.
