I feel obligated to make the “Mandolin Hero” joke this week, since I got the chance to interview a real one — Bob Schmidt, mando & banjo player for LA-based Celtic rockers Flogging Molly. You may recall a recent DLC pack timed right around a big Irish holiday — and of course, it’s understandable that the band would be a little busy during that week. (A reminder that the band is busy tonight, too — you can play Guitar Hero 5 with the band on Xbox Live tonight as part of the Game With Fame program.) But he took time between gigs to answer some of my questions about the the DLC pack, the new live album, and…skateboarding!
Your gateway to Celtic punk! (Well, mine anyway.)
DAN: I first heard about Flogging Molly through the soundtrack of another Activision game — “Drunken Lullabies” was on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4. How often do you hear from new fans who cite games as their first exposure?
BOB: I think with younger fans it happens quite often. The Tony Hawk game definitely gave us a ton of exposure at a time when the band was still trying to break into people’s conciousness.
DAN: Does the band get to determine which tracks are used as DLC? If so, how do you choose?
BOB: The folks at Activision requested what songs they would like (they have to do all the programming, so I guess they know which ones will work best), and we get to approve the choices.
DAN: Your new 3-disc set was recorded live at the Greek Theater. What made it the right venue for a live album and DVD?
BOB: It’s a world class venue, and it’s kind of a career landmark to get to the point where you get to play there. With the band having started in L.A., it only made it all the more of a milestone for us. It’s a beautiful place in a great setting and it takes advantage of the perfect summer evening weather in Southern California, so you really couldn’t ask for anything more.
DAN: It’s a live album; are you concerned at all about comparisons to Alive Behind the Green Door?
BOB: I’m not too worried really. Alive was recorded with two mics in a pub that held about 80 loud drunk folks. It is sonically not our finest record, whereas the Greek record was 24+ tracks digitally recorded and mixed by a Grammy-award winning engineer/mixer. The other thing is that, hopefully after a decade, we’ve gotten a little better at it as well.
It's "Celtic" with a hard C, as in Kells, not a soft C as in telephones or NBA teams
DAN: Do you ever fear that people see Celtic punk as a “novelty” genre, only to be played on St. Patrick’s Day, like Christmas carols in December?
BOB: I think there are some Celtic bands that would have that problem, certainly, I feel like for us, though, our influences and songwriting are diverse enough that we kind of escape that trap. I think we got to the point on Float where there isn’t a traditional riff lifted from something on the entire album.
DAN: Tracks by Dropkick Murphys appear in Guitar Hero II, III, and World Tour – but the question is, if Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys suddenly found themselves in an online game of Guitar Hero, who would win?
BOB: I am pretty in the dark about the Dropkick guys’ gaming prowess, but in my experience whenever we get together with those guys for anything, it’s the fans that win.
The Flogging Molly Track Pack is now available on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and the Wii Shop Channel, and it contains Guitar Hero and Band Hero versions of three FM tracks: “(No More) Paddy’s Lament,” ”Requiem for a Dying Song,” and ”The Seven Deadly Sins.” If you’re looking for a Celtic punk sampler, this is a good one.
(No More) Paddy’s Lament:
Requiem for a Dying Song:
The Seven Deadly Sins:
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