Float

Another St. Patrick's Day is come and gone. Not being Catholic, there wasn't much for me to ponder about this holiday. Yet, there are some things that I come to expect each St. Patrick's Day. I expect the celebration of everything and everyone Irish. Every Irish person I've ever had the honor to meet has been of great personality and each one an exceptional story-teller. On St. Patrick's Day I expect to see most non-Irish people pretend they are in order to legitimize the Guinness they hold in their hands. I expect green beer, parades, getting pinched despite wearing green, and the bagpipe music that I love (really, I do like the pipes). However, about every other year I expect a new album from one of my favorite bands around St. Patrick's Day.

This year Flogging Molly released their 6th? album: Float. I've been listening to FM for about 7 years and this is their best overall album yet. Many compare FM to the Pogues, but FM is quite a bit more cantankerous and rambunctious. They're sort of a hard sell by just listening to them at first. Yet, like european soccer, you can't fully appreciate them until you see them live. In 2001, those in the know, saw the greatest concert in SLC history and across the states when FM and the Bouncing Souls toured together. People from all over still talk about this concert in disbelief and bewilderment. Each gig, lead man Dave King lathers the crowd into near riot with profain rants between songs and lyrics that lift heart and soul with the super solid musicians that accompany him. You either want to drown your sorrows in alcohol (or in my case Kool-Aid) or march in solidarity on behalf of the working man.

Go by Float, go see FM live. It will the at least one of the top 3 concert you will ever see. I promise.