If I Ever Leave This World Alive

Every once and awhile, a band comes along that just feels good. No matter how long you go without listening to any of their music, the second you turn it back on and hear the first few chords, you can't help but smile.

I'm experiencing that this very minute, and it's every bit as refreshing as a breath of spring air.

I first heard Flogging Molly my junior year of high school, I think. They played at Warped Tour in 2004, and it was there that I had the great pleasure to see them. Senior year of high school and freshman year of college saw them quickly becoming an obsession, and I still count them among my absolute favorites.

I also credit them, just a bit, for helping to get Jeff and me together (after the little Destiny bit - thanks for that, Kristina). In the summer of 2006, they released a CD/DVD called Whiskey on a Sunday, which Jeff and I went to see together. The documentary increased my appreciation for them tenfold. There was a period after its release that I listened to almost nothing else.

The word that comes to the front of my mind when thinking of FM is unique. There's not much about them that is duplicated throughout the music industry. They are a seven member band fronted by a 45 year old Irishman. Their sound is somewhere in the middle of traditional Irish music and punk rock, even though all they ever really set out to do was make great music, free of any label. They consistently use instruments people don't associate with punk - a tin whistle, a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, an accordion - but they still rock harder than the majority of their peers (don't believe me, try a concert). They began in 1997, playing every Monday night at Molly Malone's in Los Angeles for a number of years, and they still managed to break out of the bar band stigma.

They've released a live album, 3 studio albums, and the CD/DVD. The live album, Alive Behind the Green Door, was recorded at Molly Malone's in 1997. Their studio albums are Swagger (200o), Drunken Lullabies (2002), and Within a Mile of Home (2004). The documentary is completely worth it - it chronicles the amazing history of an amazing band.

I can't really say enough about them, because the music speaks for itself. Do yourself a favor and go listen.




Left to right: Bob Schmidt, Nathan Maxwell, Dennis Casey, Dave King, Bridget Regan, Matt Hensley (sadly, no longer with the band), George Schwindt