Flogging Molly
Event on 2012-05-25 18:30:00

Supporting Acts: Brothers of Brazil

Flogging Molly

What makes a band truly remarkable? Insightful lyrics? Memorable melodies? Blow-your-mind live performances? The truth is that it takes all of those things along with a boundless enthusiasm, an infectious energy and a supreme devotion to the fans. With this rare combination, a band may ascend past "good," – or even the record industry's Holy Grail, "marketable" – and reach sublime. Drawing on the hardships and joys of their own lives and a musical history ranging from old world Celtic to modern day punk rock, the seven members of Flogging Molly do just that, and they do it with a charm and an ease that makes them one of the most accessible bands performing today. "We're not a traditional band," explains Dublin born singer/songwriter, Dave King. "We are influenced by traditional music and inspired by it, and we put our own little twist on it." Founded in Los Angeles in 1997 by the expatriate King, Flogging Molly got its start and its name from a local bar called Molly Malone's where the band played and grew and laid down the blueprint for its eventual success. As every member of Flogging Molly will emphatically explain, there were no predetermined expectations for the band's sound. From night to night playing to a packed house at Molly Malone's, the sound evolved organically. Traditional Celtic instruments like violin, mandolin and accordion blended seamlessly with grinding guitars and pounding drums. Without consciously attempting it, Flogging Molly merged the music of King's childhood in Dublin with the music of his adulthood in L.A. "If it didn't have mandolin, accordion, fiddle and whistle, it would be punk rock, and if it didn't have guitar, bass and drums, it would be traditional Irish music," King admits, adding, "You can't be bothered being labeled." With a sound anchored in such diverse influences and with band members ranging in age from their 20s to their 40s – a decidedly non-MTV-friendly demographical mix, Flogging Molly was not embraced by the mainstream music industry. The band simply didn't fit any preconceived notions of what a "successful" band was. Not deterred in the least, Flogging Molly embraced a DIY philosophy (that's "do-it-yourself" for those of you not in the know). Their amazing work ethic and rapidly growing fan base led them to DIY-style record label, Side One Dummy, and the two fit hand in glove. In 2000, their Side One Dummy debut, Swagger, featuring the anthemic "The Likes of You Again" and "Black Friday Rule" along with the best ode to a hangover yet, "The Worst Day Since Yesterday" (which later found its way into the Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), obliterated initial expectations and sold over 50,000 copies before Flogging Molly headed back into the studio to record their 2002 follow up, Drunken Lullabies, which included instant classics like the rousing "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" and the doleful "The Son Never Shines (on Closed Doors)." 2004's Within a Mile of Home once more showcased the band's ability to play driving rock and roll on one track then slide effortlessly into lilting, pastoral harmonies on the next and contained a beautiful duet between King and Lucinda Williams on "Factory Girls." Flogging Molly's latest album, Float, recorded in King's native Ireland, delivers still another iteration of the band's sonic evolution. More mature yet retaining the immediacy that marks all of their work, Float may find the widest audience acceptance of any Flogging Molly album. Hard charging tunes "Paddy's Lament" and "You Won't Make a Fool Out of Me" give way, as listeners have come to expect, to more sober ruminations on tracks like "Float." The overall effect is a symphonic layering of sound that possesses a unique rhythmic flow from boisterous to bereaved and back again. Long time fans and new discoverers will be equally astounded. First, last and always a live band, Flogging Molly tours quite a bit more than the average group. On the road seemingly at all times, the band is a regular on the Warped Tour. Even still, their fans can't get enough. People traveled from all over the country to catch them playing with another Celtic-rock powerhouse, Dropkick Murphys, in Philadelphia in September 2007. Flogging Molly's annual Green 17 Tour begins 2008's St. Patrick's Day celebration on February 1st – because you can never get an early enough start on St. Patrick's Day – and will take the band to 30 cities for a total of 34 shows before it's over. For Flogging Molly, a bar band at heart, the contact with their fans is essential. "I feel as good about meeting [the fans] as they feel about meeting me," says bassist Nathen Maxwell, "because they're just as happy as I am. They're just people like everybody else, and that's how I look at myself." Spend 10 minutes in a room with the members of Flogging Molly, and you will have no doubt about their passion for their music. As mandolin and banjo player Bob Schmidt describes it, "We're deadly serious about what we do. As much as it's a good time and a fun thing, it's no joke to us." Guitarist Dennis Casey echoes that sentiment, saying, "I just give it all I've got because I just believe in it that much." Flogging Molly isn't a mere band, they're a seven member nuclear family. They are as devoted to one another as they are to the music they create. It's no wonder their extended family – the legion of loyal Flogging Molly fans – keeps growing every day.

at Main Street Armory
900 East Main Street
Rochester, United States

Bone Thugs N Harmony, Too Short
Event on 2012-06-09 20:00:00

Supporting Acts: Konnekted

Bone Thugs N Harmony

They sold more than 15 million records. They recorded with The Notorious B.I.G. They recorded with 2Pac. They won a Grammy. They redirected hip-hop's sonic direction. Only one rap group has these impressive feats on its extensive resume: Bone thugs-n-harmony. Simply put, the Cleveland quartet is one of the most important groups in hip-hop history; breaking down doors for other Midwestern rappers; launching their successful Mo Thugs record company and introducing mind-splitting, rapid-fire rapping and angelic harmonies with melodic production to the genre. With their newest and most intense album to date, "Thug World Order," Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone and Bizzy Bone come full circle with an idea they've been cultivating since their formative years in Ohio. "It's basically what we've been trying to organize ever since we came out," Krayzie says of the mission for the group's new album. "We wanted to have a following of a whole lot of thugs and if you listen to what is going on in the industry today, that's all people are talking about and claiming to be, thugs. You haven't heard nothing about gangsters. We were trying to create a Thug World Order that we'd be running. We aren't finished with it yet." The group's latest musical masterpiece, "Get Up & Get It," features R&B sensation 3LW on its heavenly hook. As has been the case with several other Bone singles, "Get Up & Get It" will have listeners striving to get the best out of their lives, regardless of how bleak things may look. "It's going to inspire everybody," Wish says. "If you are looking at yourself in a messed up situation and you want it to be better, if you listen to this song, it will motivate you to want to do something." Adds Krayzie: "It's one of those songs where you wake up, hear it and you want to get up and get outside because you think you're missing something." Throughout the group's tumultuous career, which has been marked by the AIDS-related death of mentor Eazy-E and well-publicized feuds with their recording home, Ruthless Records, Bone has remained strong and focused on its mission to deliver strong, positive messages to its fans, which number in the millions. On the stirring, gorgeous "If I Fall," the group pulls on emotions like no other rap outfit can. Wish, in particular, stresses that giving up is not acceptable, that each of us is blessed in our own way and that God can help with any problem we may encounter. "It's nothing that we plan to do, write a song that's going to touch people to the heart," Wish explains. "We just heard the beat and that's what came out. It's a beautiful song and it's something that people can feel." As the members of Bone know all too well, life sometimes brings stressful situations that cause people to test their faith. They address such trying times on "Home," which features a well-placed sample from Phil Collins' "Take Me Home". Much like Collins' music, Bone hopes people use this song as an escape, something fans can use to ease whatever stressors are causing them strife. "Sometimes things drain you," Krayzie says. "You get tired of the bullshit, of arguing, of being tired of shit that you shouldn't even be fighting for. Sometimes you just want to get away, go home and just chill, disappear." "There was a time when we were back up in Cleveland in our Mo Thugs office," Krayzie recalls. "This was something that Cleveland people weren't used to, young, black dudes our age pulling up in the hood in new Mercedes-Benzes. We had houses and an office in a white neighborhood. Of course the police, by not knowing what business we're in, they're going to get on us. They had Mo Thugs Records up under investigation, but we were all about the music. That's one of the reasons we had to bounce from Cleveland. It was hot. We couldn't trust anybody. People down there tried to set us up. We didn't want to get back into that bullshit no more." But the drama Bone endured wasn't limited to people who wondered about their line of business. Each of the Bone members has endured stressful and painful encounters with women fraudulently claiming a member of the multi-platinum rap group impregnated them. Bone addresses the situation head-on with "Not My Baby," one of "Thug World Order's" most searing selections. "When we were young, everybody wanted a piece of us," Wish says. "They'd never seen it like we did it when we made it in Cleveland. We were some damn fools. You get more and more girls and every girl we ran into was like, "Oh, I'm pregnant. They wanted money but we came to find out they were lying." Even when the truth was known, the women didn't even apologize for putting the rappers through the legal wringer. They were like, "Oh well. Thank you for the money you were paying," Krayzie says. "We had to say something on that because we love the ladies and everything, but there should be something out there to protect the fellas. Once we go into court on that, it's over." Even with all this hometown drama, Bone still has love for its city. With "Cleveland Is The City," the group shows its loyalty and gives its hometown major love. "You can't ever forget where you come from," Wish says. "Sometimes people where you come from believe that you have forgotten. It's just a little reminder that we're appreciative and that we love where we come from. We're never going to forget that." With its heartfelt lyrics and varied subject matter, "Thug World Order" makes bold creative statements. The same can be said for the collection's crushing beats, which were handled by LT Hutton, DJ U-Neek and the Platinum Brothers. The anger nearly palpable on each song's lyrics also comes through on the album's music, which has a menacing, intimidating feel. Once the producers heard the lyrical direction Bone was pursuing, they created dark soundscapes to match the words flowing from each of the Bone's mouths. Although Bone thugs-n-harmony has been releasing albums for nearly a decade, they still sound hungry and driven on "Thug World Order." Whereas other rap crews home in on a signature sound or outlook, Bone has consistently updated and refined its approach since releasing the independent album "Faces Of Death" in the early 1990s. Since then, their albums— 1994's "Creepin' On Ah Come Up" EP, 1995's "E. 1999 Eternal," 1997's "The Art of War" and 2000's "BTNHResurrection"— have earned them critical acclaim, millions of record sales and have inspired a throng of imitators. They also picked up a Grammy for their breakthrough hit, " Tha Crossroads," along the way. Krayzie, Layzie and Bizzy have all released critically acclaimed solo albums and the entire crew will appear in "Ghetto Cowboy," a film named after a song from one of the crew's three successful Mo Thugs compilations. Bizzy and Layzie have established themselves as actors in well-received independent films and upcoming solo albums from each group member, as well as additional Mo Thugs compilations, are also in the works. Now, with "Thug World Order" ready, Bone thugs-n-harmony is set to change the game once again, reminding the world where rap got its "Thug" fascination and delivering some of the most advanced music the genre has to offer. "We're just getting a handle on this whole "Thug" persona going through the game," Wish says. That's us and if you aren't part of our "Thug World Order‚" you shouldn't be screaming "Thug". Watch your mouths…Bone is coming. Again.

Too Short

Born in Los Angeles, but an Oakland resident by the age of 14, Too Short was the first West Coast rap star, recording three albums on his own before he made his major-label debut with 1988's gold album Born to Mack; his next four all went platinum. Anticipating much of the later gangsta phenomenon, he restricted his lyrical themes to tales of sexual prowess and physical violence, with the occasional social message track to mix things up. After the release of Gettin' It (Album Number Ten) in 1996, Too Short decided to retire, his status assured as one of the most successful solo rappers of the 1980s and early '90s, although that decision would prove short-lived. Born Todd Shaw on April 28, 1966, Too Short grew up in L.A.'s South Central; soon after his family moved to Oakland in the early '80s, he began selling tapes out of the back of his car. Signed to the local label 75 Girls, in 1983 he released his first proper album, Don't Stop Rappin'. Three albums followed in the next two years, after which Too Short formed his own Dangerous Music label with friend Freddy B. He recorded Born to Mack in 1986, and sold more than 50,000 copies just by riding around the region. New York's Jive Records picked up on the buzz from across the country, and provided a national deal for the album one year later. With virtually no radio airplay, Born to Mack went gold and its follow-up, Life Is…Too Short, achieved platinum sales by 1989. The immense success of Too Short during 1988-1989 made him much more viable for radio airplay, and "The Ghetto" — from 1990's Short Dog's in the House — made number 12 on the R&B charts, even enjoying a brief stay just outside the pop Top 40. He continued his hit track record with 1992's Shorty the Pimp and 1993's Get in Where You Fit In, both of which went platinum. By the time of 1995's Cocktails, however, Too Short began to be drowned out by a glut of similar-sounding West Coasters, and though Gettin' It (Album Number Ten) became his fifth platinum album, by late 1996 he decided to retire. Just three years later, however, he returned with the aptly titled Can't Stay Away, which debuted in the Top Ten and went gold. A series of follow-ups surfaced subsequently. In 2006 his high-profile album Blow the Whistle arrived with producers Jazze Pha and Lil Jon contributing. John Bush, Rovi

at Ventura Theater
26 South Chestnut Street
Ventura, United States

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