A while back, Rob was bitten; not by a radioactive spider but by an idea to post a weekly article about a few songs that he really likes. There are so many possibilities that the series could go on forever, and so Saturday Jams was born.
This week on Saturday Jams I was inspired by blog buddy Her Broken Nibs‘ recent post “Sassy Jabber“, which mentioned kissing the Blarney Stone. I decided that today I would talk about a few of my favorite Irish groups that play Irish music! If you’re still a little wet behind the ears on this particular class of music, i.e. a little “green”, then why don’t we just jump right in?
When I first moved to Bismarck in 2008 I had my first exposure to modern Irish music through the lady that is now my wife. She introduced me to Flogging Molly, whom I think she discovered while going to school in Seattle. They have a wonderful sound redolent of Irish tradition, powered by not just guitars, but traditional instruments, including a fiddle, frame drum,and accordion.
In the video for the titular track of Drunken Lullabies, we get to see how fun they are via their action cam views from the deck of a skateboard, and the skater dodging all the obstacles life can throw in his way:
In float, we get a more somber look at the passage of time and the often fruitless feelings involved via both stop animation and time-lapse videography:
I had heard of Dropkick Murphys before, but had never looked into the music until I heard it in a Pandora station I’d started based on Flogging Molly. What Flogging Molly does with careful skill, Dropkick Murphys does with serious aggression. The lyrics are hollered and/or bellowed into the mic, the music hits you like a brick in the face, and all you want to do is party. As you see in the following videos, they like to put up a tough sort of image, and they excel. While as more of a Celtic Punk style it’s a shade different from Flogging Molly, this is nonetheless great stuff:
Here’s a band I discovered just an hour ago, via Pandora as I was driving home from donating plasma. According to Wikipedia, the Tossers actually predate both Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys. So why hadn’t I heard of them before? I don’t know, maybe it’s not your average American music genre? That’s why we have to go out and find them, and that’s why I love love love to bring them to you!
I could tell you about a few other bands, but the videos can be hard to find – the Pogues are a great example of this. And a caveat on these bands, as on others who play within a style: they may or may not be Irish, and the band may or may not have been formed in Ireland. Dropkick Murphys started in Massachusetts, the Tossers are from Chicago. It’s not about who or what you are, it’s about the music you play, so if you even thought about nitpicking you can either sit back and enjoy the Jams or cram it up your arse!
Enjoy your weekend!
😀
Related articles
- Next stop for trend-setting band The Young Dubliners: Casper (trib.com)
- Top ten songs for your Mayo vs Dublin All-Ireland party (VIDEOS) (irishcentral.com)
- The Music of the Millenniums – Flogging Molly (thelastofthemillenniums.wordpress.com)
- Top 10 Faux Celtic Punk and Folk Bands (toptenz.net)
- Q&A: Flogging Molly (sramdular.wordpress.com)
- Saturday Jams: East side! (robssurfreport.wordpress.com)
- Saturday Jams: Drivin’ Up a Storm! (robssurfreport.wordpress.com)
Rob's Surf Report 
Reblogged this on an honest day or two and commented:
YES
thanks for the nod – glad it inspired you to get into the Irish/Celtic groove today 🙂
Nothing like the Pogues for an all-out happy/crazy time. And these are “new to me(s) are definitely worth a closer look! thanks 🙂
Thank you! So far Saturday Jams tends to be my lowest draw but I love doing it because it gives me an excuse to watch music videos. I’m glad I got you to look and comment!
🙂
lol … well …. you may not get as many hits as you’d like …. but you should do it if it makes you happy. Besides …. you may be making someone’s day even though you don’t even really know they are there – those silent visitors. Passion is passion … and that’s what counts.
Enjoyed your post. I never heard of The Tossers before. Check out also Damien Dempsey, The Bothy Band and Planxty for more top class Irish sounds. And up Dublin in the All Ireland Football final tomorrow!
Sweet, thanks! Come to think of it I might be able to get more suggestions from blog buddy the Indecisive Eejit too! Go Dublin!
Who me?? lol JMS and I are providing views from the North and the Sount lol ! I’d forgotten all about Planxty, the Raggle Taggle Gypsy is a great wee song. 3 of my favourites, with songs to listen to. The Undertones – My Perfect Cousin, The Horslips – March into Trouble / Trouble with a Capital T and the lovely Enya – Storms in Africa II. And here’s one just for fun you should listen to Farmer Dan – Horse it inta Ya! (Thanks JMS for the reminder about Planxty 🙂 )
My first exposure to the Raggle
Taggle Gypsy was in a Decemberists song. Thanks for the suggestions, I’m off to fill me ears!
Thanks for the link and some great music…..
Thanks for reading and commenting. 🙂
I can’t tell you how much this list truly jams…must be the irish in us eh brother? Check out http://www.raisedontheradio.com…the creators of the 100 word song and twisted mix tape….the are excepting guest posts…Liquid Poet and I did one…I’s love to see your music memories.
I’ll have to do that. I keep wanting to check it out – I’m starting to wish blogging paid because there’s so much I could be doing and writing if I just had the time!
have you looked into adsense? i’ll have to find the link…but it’s residual writing income.
I read on WordPress that outside ads aren’t allowed unless you have your own host.
Yep…I bought mydomain name…it’s 17 bucks but then you can have ads
I bought mine too, but they say you need to have your own host, the place that contains your actual site. If you just bought the domain then you’re still hosted on WordPress. I was thinking about getting a host account but there’s a lot more management involved.
That’s weird when I checked it out It was in may…I guess the rules changed?
[…] Saturday Jams: Shenanigans from the Emerald Isle (robssurfreport.com) […]
[…] Saturday Jams: Shenanigans from the Emerald Isle (robssurfreport.com) […]
[…] Saturday Jams: Shenanigans from the Emerald Isle (robssurfreport.com) […]
[…] on the way out to the movie theater I peeked back through Saturday Jams posts. Oh man. I already did a post on Irish-style world bands. Oh man. I already did a post on Eastern European-style world […]