Flogging Molly

Somewhere between the beer-soaked wisdom of the Pogues and the streetwise anthems of Dropkick Murphys lies the Irish punk aesthetic of Flogging Molly. The Los Angeles band — featuring Dublin native Dave King on lead vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, bodhran and spoons — formed in 1997 and quickly established itself on the scene with a live album, Alive Behind the Green Door. Flogging Molly’s 2002 sophomore effort, Drunken Lullabies, spawned the fiddletastic title-track hit, and 2004’s Within a Mile of Home proved to be an even luckier four-leaf clover for the group. Debuting at an impressive No. 20 on Billboard’s album chart, Home rocks the band’s trademark pint-hoisting atmospheres (the shamrock stomp “Light of a Fading Star”), fierce punk riffing (“Queen Anne’s Revenge”) and even a tin whistle-laced jig featuring Lucinda Williams (“Factory Girls”).