- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -

  Artist:      Flogging Molly
  Album:       Float
  Label:       Sideonedummy
  Playtime:    39:35 min
  Genre:       Punk Rock
  URL:
  Rip date:    2007-12-19
  Street date: 2008-03-04
  Size:        67.50 MB
  Type:        Advance
  Quality:     227 kbps / 4410kHz / Joint Stereo

- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -

   New Flogging Molly Enjoy Bitches!

   "Hello, Partland!" Flogging Molly's Dave King howled in his Irish brogue.
   "We're packed up â??ere like a tin of fuckin' sardines!" He wasn't kidding.
   Kell's, styled after an Irish pub, had a stage fit for a quartet at best, but
   was forced to cope with the foot-stomping rush of the Irish folk-punk
   whirlwind packed upon it anyway. At times, eight people crammed onto the tiny
   stage to spew forth a brilliant sound fueled by equal parts Guinness, bile
   and joy. Kicking off with the aptly titled "Swagger," King gave a four count
   that set off an explosion of energy. The band played with such ferocity that
   they twice had to apologize to the wedding reception upstairs (not that they
   turned down any, mind you). Their foot-stomping tunes eventually smoothed
   over any rough feelings, for the happy couple ended up in the front row,
   pints in hand and cheering on this crew of mad bastards.

   King was a slave driver, urging his band mates to ever more furious heights
   as they tore threw most of their two CD's worth of material. The entire band
   blissed out while playing with their eyes closed and leaning into the beat.
   Bassist Nathen Maxwell rocked back and forth, head back and grinning all
   night, while Matt Hensley waltzed lovingly with his accordion. Bob Schmidt
   and Dennis Casey, on mandolin and guitar respectively, spent most of the
   evening crammed into their corner of the stage, stepping forward to scream
   choruses in the general direction of their microphone. I couldn't see drummer
   George Schwindt, but from the sound of things he was definitely living up to
   the band's name (A bit of explanation: the band honed its skills by playing
   constantly at Molly McGuire's in Los Angeles, hence it's somewhat ominous
   moniker). After all, how many folk bands need to stop mid-set to replace a
   snare drum? At the center of this storm stood King, who strummed his acoustic
   guitar and attacked his microphone with such vigor that he told the audience
   that he would most likely knock all of his teeth out by the end of the night.
   The highlight for me was Bridget Regan, who switched between fiddle and a
   penny whistle and provided variation that kept the songs from melding into
   one another. All of the band members were clearly skilled at their craft and
   their constant touring has made them into a gelled, jigging juggernaut.

   Although the playing was loose, the band didn't deviate heavily from the
   recorded versions of their songs. One ecstatic exception was "Black Friday
   Rule," which included a guitar solo by Casey that was so ripping it bordered
   on heavy metal. The band's energy level was so high that even slower material
   like "Laura" kept the crowd's heads nodding. The standout number was the
   ferocious version of "Delilah" which featured an extended, almost Latin
   middle section. By the end, perfect strangers had their arms around each
   other's shoulders as they swayed back and forth while belting out the chorus.
   Since the crowd was a mix of yuppies out for a Friday night and punks there
   only for the band, watching King conduct this motley choir was something to
   behold. After the bellowing crowd convinced the band to play one final song,
   King and crew finished things up with "What Made Milwaukee Famous, Made a
   Loser Out of Me." As the song began, Casey complained that he didn't know how
   the song went, to which King replied, "Come on, man, it's C and E like
   everything else!" This exchange summed up the night perfectly: with songs
   this much fun, who gives a damn whether you know how to play them or not
   since passion and Guinness will make up the difference. Three days later, I
   am still humming bits to myself and smiling. And I'm not even Irish.

- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -

  01. Requiem For A Dying Song                                          ( 3:30)
  02. Paddy's Lament                                                    ( 3:24)
  03. Float                                                             ( 4:53)
  04. You Won't Make A Fool Out Of Me                                   ( 2:43)
  05. Lightning Storm                                                   ( 3:29)
  06. Punch Drunk Grinning Soul                                         ( 4:20)
  07. Us Of Lesser Gods                                                 ( 3:19)
  08. Between A Man And A Woman                                         ( 3:21)
  09. On The Back Of A Broken Dream                                     ( 3:21)
  10. Man With No Country                                               ( 3:04)
  11. The Story So Far                                                  ( 4:11)

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