Flogging Molly turns Canopy into a devil’s dance floor

Irish folk-punk has not yet retreated their invasion of Champaign-Urbana. With two shows from Chicago-based The Tossers last week, this week brings Dublin’s own Flogging Molly to the Canopy.

Flogging Molly is headlining the OneSideDummy College Tour scheduled to come to town this Sunday. The tour co-headlines include the comedy group The Whitest Kids I Know, and musical acts Zox and Soundclash.

Flogging Molly mixes a traditional Irish sound with punk. Dave King, singer/songwriter/guitarist, is a Dublin native and grew up playing Irish music with his family. He moved to Los Angeles where he formed a seven-piece outfit that plays the music he lives for.

The last Flogging Molly release came out on July 25 and features a full-length DVD and album. Whiskey On a Sunday features 106 minutes of footage and the album with a new Flogging Molly song, five classics and four live tracks.

Besides the new DVD/CD combo, Flogging Molly has three full-length albums -Swagger, Drunken Lullabies and Within a Mile of Home. None of the albums depart much from the last; Flogging Molly’s basic sound is fairly consistent throughout, but that does not mean their albums are repetitive. Each album shows progression of each band member’s musical talents and ability to cohesively intertwine their instruments together.

The band’s latest full-length album, Within a Mile of Home, functions as a living narrative for King, with songs such as “With a Wonder and a Wild Desire,” celebrating the role of music in Irish survival and reflecting the Irish musical tradition. The most noteworthy songs on Within a Mile of Home include the fast, predominantly punk-influenced song “Screaming at a Wailing Wall,” and the more traditionally Irish themed song “The Seven Deadly Sins.” Other Flogging Molly tracks worth listening to include “Drunken Lullabies,” “What’s Left of the Flag,” “Devil’s Dance Floor” and “Selfish Man.” However, a Flogging Molly track alone does not do the band justice; these guys are definitely a live band, and if you like their music, you will love their show.

A strange opener for the Irish-punk piece is The Whitest Kids I Know. White Kids is a five-piece sketch comedy troupe from New York City. The group features five guys in their 20s, with work featured on collegehumor.com.

Musical act Zox hails from Rhode Island and is influenced by such bands as The Cure, Sublime, Jack Johnson, Guster and The Pixies. Their sound spans the gamut, inspired by reggae, fusion, dance, jazz, rock and classical. Some songs are more heavily similar to ska with predominant horns like “Thirsty,” whereas other songs like “Anything But Fine,” are much slower.

Bedouin Soundclash is the slowest of the bands on the tour. The three-piece band describes their sound as street reggae clash soul music. The band is rooted in Toronto and features vocals from Jay Malinowski, bass from Eon Sinclair and drums from Pat Pengelly. Bedouin Soundclash is on Stomp Records in Canada and OneSideDummy worldwide.

Come out to the Canopy Club Sunday, Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. to see Flogging Molly (with The Whitest Kids I Know, Zox and Soundclash) as part of the OneSideDummy College Tour. Tickets are $20.

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