On May 24, Flogging Molly will release their fifth studio album entitled “Speed of Darkness.” The first single from the album, “Don’t Shut’Em Down” is available on the bands official website and iTunes. Just before the band was about to embark on their annual “Green 17” tour, guitarist Dennis Casey talked to Backstage Axxess about the new album, and the band’s approach to making music.
Dennis and I have met a few times but this was my first opportunity to talk with him at length about Flogging Molly, and it was an excellent experience.
THOM: Let’s start with the new album. You recorded “Float” in Ireland, where did you record your upcoming album?
DENNIS: We recorded this one in Asheville, North Carolina. We finished eleven songs December 22. We took the month of January off and Dave wrote a couple of songs he is really excited about. So we booked some studio time in El Paso, Texas because the Green 17 Tour is going to start in Dallas, so we decided to get together earlier and record some more songs.
Thom:I read that when you recorded “Float” in Ireland, it was a great experience for the band. Why didn’t you go back to Ireland to record your new album?
DENNIS: This record is completely different. “Float” was written, rehearsed and recorded in Ireland. We usually do the writing and rehearsing at Dave’s house, and he and Bridget have a house in Detroit now so we went there to write and rehearse. When it came time to record, we wanted a studio in the U.S. We wanted a different experience, plus when you are recording at a place in the middle of nowhere you have to bring all of your own stuff. Ryan Hewitt recommended a studio in Asheville where he had recently recorded an album with the Avett Brothers. We checked it out online and its really cool, it’s an old church converted into a recording studio. Much to our surprise none of us had ever been there before and it’s a really cool town, there was a great musical vibe there. I thought it was going to be in the mountains somewhere. It was a great studio, a great vibe, a great experience and in the end I am glad we picked it.
THOM: I’ve heard the new single “Don’t Shut ‘Em Down” (available at the band’s website and iTunes) and it almost doesn’t sound like Dave King. It is Dave King isn’t it?
DENNIS: Yeah, I’ve heard that a lot and I’m really surprised by that because to me it sounds like Dave. A number of my friends and family have said that, I don’t know if it’s because it is a different style or what but it is Dave singing. But keep in mind Dave is an amazing singer. I have seen him sing Queen and AC/DC to a tee, he can do some incredible things with his voice. It is definitely a different song and we have heard what you said.
Thom:Many people don’t realize that Dave King used to be lead vocalist for a band from my generation, Fastway. This vocal style almost reminded me more of that singing style.
DENNIS: Well he was listening to a lot of Johnny Cash and his phrasing reminds me more of that than Fastway. I mean I’ve listened to the old Fastway records and his vocals were way up there, almost shrieking.
Thom:Yeah, I guess I should have said that the vocal has less of the trademark accents and not that it was that shrill he did with Fastway.
DENNIS: Well the song is definitely different but that wasn’t planned, I mean we didn’t put that kind of thought into it. Some fans might be disappointed but we are really looking forward to playing it live; it is the type of song I am sure will play well to a live audience. It has a lot of energy.
Thom: “Float” was a very successful album, did that have an impact on how you approached the making of this album or are you doing things pretty much the same as you always have?
DENNIS: The latter, we get in a room and the songs take on a life of their own. It is a very organic experience. We don’t have to steer the ship, things just develop. The chemistry of the band comes into play, we have seven different members and what happens depends on where we all are at the time. “Hang ‘Em High” may be different vocally, but lyrically, it holds true to a lot of the themes we write about and is very relevant to what is going on in the world today, working people getting the shaft. The lyrics are important and they were inspired by Dave living in Detroit and what is going on there.
Thom: Speaking of rough economic times, the concert business took a big hit last year. Flogging Molly has certainly established themselves as one of the greatest live bands out there and developed quite a devoted following. Have you intentionally shied away from putting together those expensive meet and greet packages that can run as high as $3,000 for some acts?
DENNIS: I have never heard of such a thing!
Thom:
I’m talking about the fake fan club memberships people buy to get premium seats, or packages where they give you a laminate or let you keep the chair and expensive meet and greets for acts like Bon Jovi; of course I am not trying to compare you musically to Bon Jovi!
DENNIS: (Laughs) I hope not. We do our meet and greets for free.
Thom:Very few bands are doing that anymore so I am wondering if you have even been approached to put together that type of package.
DENNIS: I can’t see us ever doing that. I mean we will give away meet and greats for radio promotions or something like that. We may even have our own contest where fans have a chance to meet us but we won’t charge money so people can come backstage and smell our bad breath! To me that is really sad that any band would do that. We keep our ticket prices reasonable, thankfully we do very well, and I think that is due to the fact that we pride ourselves on putting on a great live show. You’ve seen us and met some of us so you know we always go out there and just give it our all for our fans. That is what a band is supposed to do.
Thom:You guys started out in L.A but I know you live in Rochester, NY and Dave and Bridget are in Michigan, at what point did you guys feel comfortable enough to move to different parts of the country?
DENNIS: I think Bridget was the first one to do it. We figured as a band we were going to be touring two hundred days a year so it didn’t really matter where we lived, we picked spots where we could rehearse and write and just fly in there. We figured that we didn’t all have to live in L.A, and some of us, like me, have families we wanted to be close to. I think it has been five years since Bridget moved. I mean L.A is still our home base in a sense, our label is there, management and our equipment is all still there and it’s where the band got its start. It is still an important place for us, but it’s also very expensive to live there and I think that may have been another reason some of us moved.
THOM: I interviewed Reverend Peyton and his wife Breezy (from Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band) and they both spoke about how grateful they were that Flogging Molly helped them land a label and gave them an opening spot on the “Float” tour. Was there a band like that for you early on?
DENNIS: Yeah, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I’ve never heard that before.
DENNIS: We had just put a record out and were doing an east coast tour and they came out and saw us and took us out on our first U.S tour. The opener was Sum 41, we were the middle act right before the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. That was a great tour.
Thom: Speaking of shows, I’m really looking forward to your stop in Rochester. Will you guys be playing anything from the new album, what is it called and will it be available at shows?
DENNIS: It’s called “Speed of Darkness” and you will definitely hear some songs from it. It comes out May 24, but you should be able to pre-order it at the show with some kind of bonus for ordering early.
We would like to thank Jess Rice from All Eyes Media for setting up the interview with Dennis. For more information on the upcoming album or tour, please go to: http://floggingmolly.com.
