PAUL: “Flogging Molly have been described as “Agro-Celt,” “jig-punk,” and “Celtic core” amongst many others. Which do you think fits the FM sound best?”
DENNIS: “Describe it how you like. I think we are a band that plays traditional Irish music, rock-n roll, punk, etc, all mixed in.”
PAUL: “Is it true that the band was actually founded after you all met in a pub in LA called Molly Malone’s?”
DENNIS: “Yeah we did one by one. Dave was playing there and Bridget went to a show, turned out he needed a fiddle player, she joined; George went down one night, they needed a drummer, he joined and so on.”
PAUL: “You must have some real good stories about that place, any you want to share?”
DENNIS: “We got our name from playing there every Monday. We were doing that for so long, the place is tiny, people would be going nuts. We thought we were flogging the place to death.
We thought, “hey that’s a good name for the band.””
PAUL: “There have been several rumours flying around that you are scheduled to play he European Deconstruction festival in May. Can you clear this up for us, once and for all…are FM actually playing? Do you know what other bands have been confirmed to play on the tour?”
DENNIS: “Yes, we are playing the Deconstruction festival. It will be our first time touring Europe. We can’t wait – everyone in the band
is really excited about it. I know the Turbo AC’s, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and I think No Use For A Name are some of the bands playing it as well.”
PAUL: “Does this mean you will be able to hop over to Ireland and soak up a bit of the, ahem, atmosphere?”
DENNIS: “I don’t know if the tour goes to Ireland. I know we have to get back home right after because we are doing the Warped Tour over here. After that we will be back in Europe. I’d love to soak up some Guinness and some Irish whiskey and some Irish atmosphere.”
PAUL: “The new record, ‘Drunken Lullabies’ is released on March 19. How did the recording process go?”
DENNIS: “Well we recorded it in Chicago with Steve Albini. The only problem was we were scheduled to record on September 15 and because
of the attacks on September 11, Steve was stuck in Germany until September 20. So we lost 4 to 5 days and couldn’t make them up. We ended up mixing the album here in Los Angeles. In the end I think it all turned out good.”
PAUL: “Having not yet had the chance to hear anything from the new record, what can fans expect from it? Is it a radical departure from ‘Swagger’?”
DENNIS: “It’s not a radical departure from ‘Swagger’. There are some songs that go in sort of a new direction. Nathen our bass player sang a song he wrote, Bridget played the uilleann pipes, Bob played a bouzouki, but over all it is Flogging Molly all the way.”
PAUL: “Aside from the album release, what else do FM have planned for 2002?”
DENNIS: “Pretty much like I said earlier: tour, tour, tour, tour, tour.”
PAUL: “Your live shows have been heralded as being amongst the best around, especially following 2001’s Warped Tour. What do you think it is that you do that makes people enjoy your set so much?”
DENNIS: “Well I’d like to thank whomever said that. I guess it may be because we have so much fun doing it. The music is all about having fun, sort of a celebration. We try to play every show
as if it is our last.”
PAUL: “Speaking of touring, you shared a bill with the Bouncing Souls just before Christmas. How did that go and which band have been the best
to tour with?”
DENNIS: “It’s hard to pick a best. I did have a hell of a good time with the Bouncing Souls, they’re a great bunch of guys. That tour was so good as well because One Man Army and Madcap were also on the whole tour.”
PAUL: “In another interview Dave described The Pogues as “pure genius.” Aside from
Shane and his motley crew, what other bands have influenced the band?”
DENNIS: “The Dubliners, AC/DC, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Queen, to name a few. There are so many more.”
PAUL: “Finally, if you won $10 million on the lottery what would you do and what aspects of your life would stay the same?”
DENNIS: “I would buy a house, every guitar and amp I ever wanted. Then give the rest away to my family. I would still play in the band and everything else. I believe would stay the same.”