Flogging Molly Benefit From Loyal Fans

10/26/09 2:09pm

by Trevor Morelli (CHARTattack)

Flogging Molly are finally embarking on their own.

The Los Angeles band are headlining their first Canadian tour. Sure, they've been north of the border for sporadic Warped Tour dates and such, but this jaunt will mark the first time the Celtic punk outfit will travel across Canada on their own terms.

For Flogging Molly, gaining notoriety in North America has been a slow and steady endeavor. Their 2002 Drunken Lullabies album recently went Gold and the band hope to keep the momentum going thorough relentless touring in support of last year's Float.

CHARTattack recently had a chance to talk to multi-instrumentalist Bridget Regan about their most recent album, their Canadian excursion and their ongoing growth as a band.

CHARTAttack: How is Float different from any of the other records you've done?
Bridget Regan: I can honestly say for us as band that we genuinely had the most fun making Float and that comes across in the music. If the sentiment comes across to the listener half as much as it does to us, then we've done good.

So you'd say that this disc is a step up from your last one (2004's Within A Mile From Home)?
Big time. The engineer that co-produced this record was really on the same page as us. From the writing down to recording the last track, it was an awesome time.

Our last record was rushed because we had to go on the Warped Tour. At the end of the day, that album could've been a lot better. If we could go back in time to fix it, we most certainly would.

Did it surprise you at all that Drunken Lullabies sold half a million copies without much radio or TV support?
It didn't surprise us because we're an indie band at the end of the day. We have a really loyal fan base. People freak out about downloading music for free, but the true fans want the album and the artwork, so buying albums is what loyal fans do.

It was a slow climb and it took a long time. The album has grown as the band has. We worked hard to get there and we can only thank the people that went out and picked it up for that. It's kind of frustrating that Britney and those shite boy bands go gold in a week and it takes us eight years, but oh well.

Nathen Maxwell (bass) recently released his solo White Rabbit album under the moniker Nathen Maxwell And The Original Bunny Gang. Would you ever consider releasing an album outside of Flogging Molly?
Dave and I have a lot of songs that don't suit Flogging Molly. It's certainly something we'd consider doing in the future.

You guys are bringing along Gallows [who've since switched up to the AFI tour] and Inward Eye for your cross-Canada tour. Who are your favorite bands to play with?
Gallows are friends of ours, so that's what we try to shoot for on the road. It's obviously a lot more fun when you're playing with bands you know. We also like to bring over bands like The Mighty Stuff from Ireland and unsigned bands as well.

Are there any other new bands out there that inspire you?
There are tons of new bands that we love, but our inspiration still comes from the old school stuff like The Pogues and The Clash. There are seven of us, so it would probably be seven of the most completely different iPods you'd ever seen.

Some bands love to write on the road and some despise it. Which category does Flogging Molly fall into?
We never write on the road. It's almost two different sides of the brain you're using. You have to be in a completely different mode to write. Some bands can do it, but we never have.

What can people expect to hear on this tour? More Drunken Lullabies stuff or more Float stuff?
In the places we've played since Float came out, we've tried to mix it up. Instead of just playing the songs people want to hear, we throw in some slow ballads as well as some of the hard stuff. We enjoy playing that stuff just as much as the fan favorites. We're looking forward to seeing everyone at the shows.