First, we saw Flogging Molly (http://www.floggingmolly.com/) at the House of Blues and were totally blown away by the greatness of the band. Flogging Molly is an Irish folk/punk/rock band that has been around for a long time. I don't think they get played on most mainstream radio stations, but you may have heard them on your local rock or alt. rock station around St. Patty's day. The themes of their songs include Ireland, drinking, pirates, and love - all with a mixture of guitar, accordian, fiddle, penny whistle, bass, drum, and more. I've liked them for a long time, but seeing them live was an incredible experience. They are all fantastic musicians and their music seems like a wild celebration of the craziness of life. If you ever get a chance to go see them, do it, but be prepared for a pretty rowdy crowd.
The second show was The Swell Season (http://www.theswellseason.com/), with Iron and Wine(http://www.ironandwine.com/) opening. Iron and Wine was an unexpected surprise as they hadn't listed an opening band, but I was pretty excited to see them as I've enjoyed their music for the last few years. Turns out Iron and Wine is one guy - Samuel Beam , and he brought along a pianist/slide guitar guy to play with him. They were great, although I wished I had seats to listen to them as the music was pretty mellow and it had been a long day, too long to stand at a concert of mellow music. I really enjoyed Sam Beam's voice and his guitar playing - his music is perfect for a rainy day's dreaming. The Swell Season is a band from Ireland with the two musicians from the movie "Once" (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) as leaders. They are both incredible musicians and they play so well together - beautifully perfect harmonies and haunting lyrics and interesting musical lines. It turns out that they are also pretty funny and have a great stage presence - they not only played their own music but covered some hilarious songs like "cry me a river" (yes, the justin timberlake cry me a river). They were so responsive to the crowd that you felt like it was a really intimate show, despite probably several hundred if not a thousand people crowding into the venue. Their violinist also played a piece that he'd written, and it was fantastic. We got his cd - the Hare's Corner - and I have had it playing nonstop for the last couple weeks. It was an awesome show and I would definitely see them again and, just like flogging molly (but maybe even more so because the Swell Season's music probably appeals to a wider range), if they are ever in your city, go see them! The tickets are well worth the price.
Here's a video of Colm Mac Con Iomaire (violinist for the Swell Season):
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