Flogging Molly.

ALTHOUGH ONLY ONE OF 'EM IS IRISH, THE EASIEST COMPARISON to make for Flogging Molly is the Pogues. And there's some truth to it: Punk infused with traditional Irish instrumentation and an Irish singer whose favorite subjects seemingly axe his lack of luck and love for the bottle. Well, what else would you have me compare them to, Michael Flatly? U2? Nope, these guys kick ass and are a seriously good time. What the hell; an accordion, a mandolin, and a fiddle? To top it off, the accordion player is none other than Matt Hensley, and if I have to explain that one you might be lost. The rest of the lineup is: Dennis--electric guitar; Dave--guitar and vocals; George--drums; Bridget--fiddle; Bob--mandolin; and Nathen--bass. The lyrics revolve around the themes of "I wish I was drinking," "I'm drinking now," "I'm drunk," "I'm really drunk," "I'm hungover," "I need a beer," etc. The funniest part is going to an all ages show and seeing a room full of 16-year-olds screaming when Dave asks if they like Guinness. They' ve got one CD out already entitled Swagger, and another on the way to be released on Saint Paddy's Day--both on Side One Dummy.

When did you guys start playing?

Dennis: We started about '97. We all just met at the bar. Dave had a band before this, sorta along the same lines, and everyone who is in the band now was either fans of the earlier band or had seen manifestations of the earlier bands and we all just hung out at Molly Malone's; that's how we all came together.

Is that where the name came from?

D: Yeah, we played there so much it became like flogging a dead horse. The joke stuck.

You just recorded a new record?

D: Yeah, about a month ago, in Chicago with Steve Albini. So far so good--sounds good--we still have to do some mixing, but hopefully get the sucker out by Saint Patrick's Day.

Guinness or Jamieson's?

D: Guinness! And Bushmill's!

Bob: The Protestant drinks Jamieson's and all the Catholics drink Bushmill's. Well, it's the opposite of the convention, but that's how it works in our band.

Matt: All this chicanery about Catholic this and that, they all drink Bushmill's.

Define "Erin go Braugh!"

B: You know, I don't know what the direct translation is.

M: "Erin go Braugh"--I think--means "Ireland Forever."

B: Yeah, it's a fucking rallying call in Gaelic.

M: Ask Dave. He's the Leprechaun, he'll tell you what the story is.

Garlic? Or Gaelic?

B: I prefer garlic myself.

M: Maybe both?

The Blarney Stone. Kiss it?

D: That thing's pretty mangy. A lot of people kiss it; I don't want to get that close to it. It's gotta be festering with bacteria.

Is Stonehenge in Ireland? I'm running out of my cultural markers... Matt, when did you pick up the accordion? I saw you traveling with it in Europe in '96.

M: Yeah, '96. I bought it just before I left for Europe, and I broke my wrist in Northhampton, so I just stood around, drinking and playing the accordion.

Are you still doing EMT stuff?

No. I tried to do it for a while, but...some people have it, some people don't. I was one of the ones that didn't. It bothered me too much. I was too sensitive to people's shit. I saw some rotten things in the emergency room-this guy try to kick the shit out of a pregnant woman, try to kick the baby to death. It's a vision that sticks with me, and that's just one night in the emergency room. I couldn't deal, I had to get loaded.

Do you bring your skateboard on tour?

M: Yesterday was the first day I skated on this tour. We skated in this club, the Glass House in Pomona. All the guys who work there skate and the owner's really cool. He didn't give a fuck, so we set up all this shit inside the club to skate during sound checks.

You guys like playing all ages shows more than bars?

B: Either way. All ages shows are great because the kids are out of control. They give you great energy. Some shows you can't drink on stage and that pisses everybody in the band off, but the adult shows, the booze is flowing and your feeling good.

M: The only thing that matters to me is the barriers, when they keep the kids away from the stage. There seems to be some kind of loss when they're up. When there's no barrier, the kids are right there jumpin' on stage and going nuts. It feel so much more real and energetic.

What do you guys think about punk rock music, bands on MTV, the whole bit?

B: It depends on how you define punk. If you mean what the media calls punk, I don't think I'm behind it. But if Johnny Cash is still out there, punk rock is happening somewhere.

M: There's all kinds of terrible fucking scenes and music in this world, and I figure at least if you're gonna get into something and over-popularize it, it's better for kids to get into this kind of music. I love all kinds of music, but for scenes and stuff this seems to be a pretty sweet deal, like skateboarding. It's the same kind of deal, it's very popular right now.