Hey, Westies. Go see this tour!

I had the great pleasure of attending and photographing the Flogging Molly/The Interrupters/Tiger Army/The Skints tour at Asbury Park's Stone Pony Summer Stage this past Sunday and I have to say that it was the best tour billing I've seen in many a year. I'm sure some of you reading this aren't familiar with some of the acts so I will give you a taste of each in words. I will probably post some photos later as they are still being processed. 

The opening act is The Skints from London. I had never heard of this group before so I had no idea what to expect. Their music is that slow rolling ska that is as much traditional reggae as it is the more frantic ska. This was a perfect band to set up the rest of the night. They had myself and the crowd at the venue moving to the music. Special shout out to lead singer/keyboardest/saxaphone/mellodian/percussion player, Marcia Richards. Her poise on stage was solid and got the crowd moving and shaking.

Next up was American Psychobilly band, Tiger Army. For those not familiar with the genre, think a more amped up and harder rocking version of rockabilly. Unlike some bands in that genre, their lyrics were more wholesome than the standard horror movie based lyrics. They are every bit as good as The Cramps but more family friendly. Lead vocalist and guitar slinger, Nick 13, is one of the most underated guitarists out there. He can make those Gretsch guitars sing. Rounded out by bassist Djordje Stijepovic and drummer Mike Fasano who provided a solid rhythm on which the guitar antics of Nick 13 builds on. 

This tour is a co-headling tour with Flogging Molly and The Interrupters switching top spots each night. The Interrupter populated the # 2 slot this night but there is nothing second rate with this band. I was introduced to them 6 years ago when they provide support for the Dropkick Murphys and thought they were pretty good then. The are really GREAT now. Lead singer, Aimee Interrupter is a force to be reckoned with. Strong voice and even stronger stage presence. She had the audience eating out of her hand and I swear she made direct eye contact with every person in the audience. I would recommend anyone goes to see this band. Drummer Jesse Bivona, bassist Justin Bivona, and guitarist Kevin Bivona (yes, brothers) round out the core group with Justin and Kevin are almost as active as Aimee and that's saying something. They have a new album coming out soon and if there is any justice in this world, they will be headlining arenas real soon. I had as much fun with this band as I ever had with any other. 

Sunday night's headline act was Flogging Molly. I guess you could classify them as Celtic Punk but they have many other layers than that. Front man Dave King is as Irish as they come, complete with leprechaun dance moves. Sit back and listen to them live and you will hear some serious musicianship happening. They also know how to interact with a crowd and the crowd erupted with their appreciation. As a special treat, the previous night's Asbury Park firework display was going off mid set and the band dug deep to find another gear to match that. They also have a new album coming out and the new songs were among the best they have done. 

Anyway, I'm sure you can see how much I enjoyed this show. All too often bands on a tour are mismatched. In this case the are not only matched, they are synergistically perfect. It's not often that the bill itself has an arc. This tour has one and it works better than most would believe. 

The tour picks back up in Denver on Sept 9th. Date and locations are at https://www.floggingmolly.com/tour . I don't do this often, usually only with Springsteen but I am offering my money back guarantee on this one. Buy a ticket and tell me it wasn't well worth the money, I will buy that ticket for you.