By Mike Milazzo
Making the transition from performing in a British hard rock band to leading a seven-piece Celtic punk group may sound like a difficult task, but Flogging Molly frontman Dave King seems to have done so with ease. After leaving his duties leading British hard rock act Fastway, King retained a record deal with Epic Records and was even asked to sing for Jeff Beck (he declined). However, once realizing that the label would not know what to do with the music he was creating for what would eventually become Flogging Molly, King was asked to be let go from the label. At first playing weekly gigs at a local pub before building a small but loyal following, King eventually filled out the lineup with fiddle player Bridget Regan and Dennis Casey alongside Nathen Maxwell taking over guitar and bass, respectively. Five albums and many a drunken night later, Flogging Molly is due to drop their newest album Life Is Good — which should help remind us that, if it isn’t already, life will indeed be good at least for the moment.