Ireland’s Influence On The American Rock Scene - From An American
Have you ever tried to define that “something” that Ireland has? That “Irish flair”? I was trying to write a description, but any attempt was terrible. It’s very difficult to express it with words, but y’all know what I’m talking about.
So, while famous bands and artists like Thin Lizzy, U2, The Pogues and The Dubliners were taking stance as classic Irish Rockers, their sound and their Irish-being was influencing a new generation of musicians on the other side of the world: (drumroll)… America!
Let me introduce you to… 3 Irish-American artists who brought the Irish flair to the American rock scene!
- Dropkick Murphys
I’m American so naturally the first band I’ll mention are the Dropkick Murphys. They bring Irish flair to St. Patrick’s Day festivals around the world and they kick ass when they’re gigging bars around Boston. They are one of the most famous American Celtic Punk Bands.
Dropkick Murphys just released their new album “11 Stories of Pain and Glory”, but they are slaying the American scene since their foundation in 1996.
The founding member Ken Casey, bass guitarist and singer, took inspiration from The Pogues, The Dubliners and Greenland Whalefishers to fuse the band’s iconic Celtic sound with American Punk angst.
Sorry fans but their Dublin July concert is already sold out! We’ll all need to be faster next time, myself included.
- Flogging Molly
This is the story of Dave, a kid that grew up on the south-side of Dublin. He left his beloved city to move to California (poor Dave) in the mid 1980’s, where about a decade later he started jamming every week with the other members of the band, including his future wife, in Molly Malone’s, an Irish pub in downtown LA. This is where the band’s legendary name hails from, and thus Flogging Molly was born in 1993. From that date, Flogging Molly has been touring and recording, and even took the time to come back to Ireland to record their album “Float” in the mid-2000’s.
The band is currently touring the States, but will be popping across to this side of the Atlantic this summer.
- Gaelic Storm
Stupid question but have you seen Titanic? If you remember something more than a young DiCaprio and a loud, depressing Celine Dion, then you have at least heard of this next band. Gaelic Storm, raining from Santa Monica, California caught its big break in the 1997 when its music and performance was captured in Titanic as Jack took Rose to a real party.
This is also a story of Patrick Murphy, the lead singer of the band. He was born and raised in Cork and then moved to California (again, poor him) during the late 80’s.
Gaelic Storm was influenced by both Irish and Scottish roots, and its sound mixes fiddles, drums and bagpipes creating a mix of bluegrass, country and rock melodies. This 20 year old band is currently touring in the US, so… if you are lucky enough to fly overseas before the end of the year, check to see if they are playing at a city near you.
If you like Irish music and it’s influence on American music as much as Abi don’t forget we offer 10% off online. Book your tour today. We are also brand new to the Dublin Pass!
