Flogging Molly

Whiskey on a Sunday [DVD] (2006)

William_David

As humble of a band as we are, in the sense of our heritage and where we come from…I would not be sitting here if I didn't think we were the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world…On our day, nobody could touch us. Nobody…When Flogging Molly is on its game -- I'm sorry, but -- there's not too many things that could touch that.

-- Dave King, Flogging Molly, Whiskey on a Sunday

In a sense, I have just spoiled the end of this movie, as this quote comes right before the credits, but what's important about this DVD is not how it ends, but the story of the band, which comes in the hour and 45 minutes preceding this. At one point in this quote, Dave King even concedes that this may sound arrogant, but considering those watching the DVD are likely to be fans, it becomes more of a rallying statement for this band. It's a fitting end, as the whole DVD is really a service to the fans. It was made just for them.

Too many bands nowadays release their debut album and follow it up with remixes, acoustic versions, re-releases and live DVDs. They finally release another album and do it all again. (I'm looking in your direction, Linkin Park). The DVDs they finally do release are chalk full of sub-par live shots, intertwined with footage of bands acting like assholes backstage, music videos, and whatever else can be scrapped up to buy time between albums. Needless to say, many band DVDs are a huge disappointment.

In complete contrast to this, Whiskey on a Sunday was billed as a feature-length documentary on the band, and that's exactly what it is. It comes off as very well planned and tells the story of a great Irish punk band and how they came to be.

The opening scared me just a little bit, as Flogging Molly's members are talking to the cameras about the festival show that's going to happen that night. Then some kick-ass live footage comes in, but it's still looking like its treading on fairly standard grounds. As it turns out, this is just a quick opening, followed by the Whiskey on a Sunday title sequence. This is followed by fans attesting to why Flogging Molly is so great, and what makes them something special to the music scene.

Throughout the rest of the DVD, live show sequences are intertwined, but it's between the stories of Flogging Molly's members. There is a section dedicated to each member, where they are helped in telling their own stories by other members commenting upon them as well. From silly and embarrassing moments, like King admitting his worst on-stage moment included something "brown" to dead serious interview portions that tell the stories behind the songs, you'll definitely learn a lot about the band, with the guys behind SideOneDummy even stepping in to explain what they saw in Flogging Molly from the beginning. The DVD also documents the recording of Within a Mile of Home.

A load of auxiliary footage accompanies the interviews, and live show sequences are shot well, and do a lot to help pace the DVD. All in all, if you're a fan of the band, you'll enjoy this DVD as much any of the albums you've come to love. The extra features further the experience, helping introduce fans to some of the behind the scenes people and just providing more footage of the band taken throughout the recording of this DVD. Almost all of it is as high quality as the main feature of the DVD; it's basically just what had to be taken out to keep the main feature from being two and a half hours.

The DVD is accompanied by a ten-track audio CD, which includes a new track called "Laura." The new track is also featured on the Warped Tour 2006 comp and stands toe-to-toe with the best Flogging Molly has to offer. It also features a number of formidable acoustic recordings, and live tracks that are featured on the DVD.

I made the mistake of listening to the CD before watching the DVD. In this context, I realized how brief it really is, and judging it as a CD release, it would be disappointing. However, considering it another extra to the main DVD feature, the CD does have quite a bit to offer. As previously stated, the new track is pure Flogging Molly gold. The acoustic tracks are all great recordings, and the live tracks are live tracks, but if you're a big fan of Flogging Molly, they all add to the collection.

In the end, I doubt many Flogging Molly fans really questioned the quality of this release, but if you were on the fence, it's a safe buy. This is how bands should make their DVDs.