Whenever they step onto the bandstand, Flogging Molly can have the power to roar like a lion caught in a hurricane or melodically wilt like a shamrock drifting in an autumn breeze. Their hybrid of traditional Irish folk music and punk rock has exploded from a cult-like following on the West Coast to a national fan base that lives for every opening note and dies a little on the way home.
No small part of their appeal can be attributed to lead singer-acoustic guitarist Dave King, a native Dubliner who has made his integration into American popular music effortlessly while keeping his own identity intact. Those fortunate enough to attend their sold out concert Feb. 28 at the 9:30 club will not be disappointed.
On stage, King is a proverbial juggernaut. Whether it be through serenading a slow Irish ballad or launching into a rollicking and hard-driving selection, he helps every performance feel like an Irish family gathering that stepped into a soccer riot. Over the phone however, King is quiet and thoughtful, never shying away from self-reflection while remaining lighthearted enough to be inviting and talkative.
Flogging Molly's current Green 17 tour is being sponsored by Guinness, a subject near and dear to King's heart.
"We've been offered sponsorship by a lot of alcohol companies and we've turned them all down," King said resolutely. "But I've spent the best part of my youth and the best years of my life drinking Guinness. Whether we get a free pint out of this deal or not it'll be worth it."
King's fondness of drink, especially onstage, has become mythical and ritualistic to fans at shows.
In response to an inquiry of how much he actually drank per nightly performance, he said.
"I don't know if I should answer that in a college paper."
Moments later he candidly talked about his favorite pastime.
"I drink about six pints a night. Lately I've been drinking a lot of hot toddies, the hot whisky helps my voice a lot."
He later reflected on the cultural ramifications of drinking.
"It's a social thing for us, not a way of life ... you sit down with a pint and a friend and talk about your work and your life," he said. "Here, if you drink two beers you're an alcoholic. Give me a fuckin' break."
Turning to his professional livelihood, King went into the songwriting process for Flogging Molly. He explained why each of the seven members is listed with a song writing credit on the band's latest album "Within A Mile From Home."
"We wrote songs for this album the same way as for the others. I'll come in with an idea for a song and we'll start rehearsing," King said. "When I start I'm writing about what affects me but it's still Flogging Molly, it's a special thing that takes on a life of its own once the band gets it. It's like nothing I've ever been a part of."
King went on to admit that the sound of Flogging Molly is changing and incorporating new styles into the fold.
"No matter what level your band is on, you have to explore and take chances," he said. "There are seven members of this band and we all bring different influences to it ... from Johnny Cash to Thin Lizzy, to David Bowie, The Sex Pistols and even Beethoven," he said.
The band's diversity in styles is also prevalent during their listening habits on the tour.
"We all have our iPods," said King. "Before we go to bed we'll hook them up to the speakers in the tour bus and play DJ while we dance around the bus. It's something fun we do while we're all together before we go to bed."
The last track of "Within A Mile From Home" contains a tribute to Johnny Cash, a somber piece entitled "Don't Let me Die Still Wondering." King began writing it on the day Cash passed away, having an emotional tie to the man who was on the first LP he listened to at the age of five with his father.
"That man on his death bed," King said. "I wondered what was going through his mind about other paths and choices. All I could think of the way I want to go, without being the sorry about the way I made mine."
D.C. crowds have been receptive to Flogging Molly from the first time they swung through, opening for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
"It was fucking great," King said. "While the place wasn't sold out you could feel the energy rise until it finally, sort of, exploded when we were on stage."
No doubt the same explosion will rock V Street with the ferocity of a St. Patrick's Day parade strapped to a nuclear missile. Flogging Molly originally got its name because of the way the band "flogged" Molly Maguire's, the Los Angeles club where the band played its first gigs. The 9:30 club can expected the treatment tonight, with its patrons loving every minute of it.
