Dublin’s The Mighty Stef Hitting Ogden with Flogging Molly
by Tim Wenger
According to the band’s website, the people of Denver will be treated to “Hopefull songs about hopelessness and euphoria” next Tuesday night at the Ogden Theatre, when Dublin, Ireland’s The Mighty Stef share the stage with well-known Celtic punkers Flogging Molly.
In what seems fitting for Dublin bands (according to my personal experiences with Dublin rockers Mike Got Spiked), the band’s sound seeks to create a new dialect of melodic stadium rock and swaying, raucous melodies full of catchy chorus hooks. The occasional epic ballad (check out the song “Jeffrey Lee”) is, of course, thrown in for good taste. Add to it a dose of Irish flare and it is easy to see how these guys landed an opening spot on Flogging Molly’s current tour. The music is a very easy listen for fans across the many varieties of modern rock.
“The songs are stories,” front man Stefan Murphy says. “Some of them are drawn from life experiences. In terms of the music that influences us, we listen to a lot of good rock and roll music from the last sixty years, so it’s a huge range.”
The Mighty Stef has toured America before, and may be familiar to some. As for touring with one of the most celebrated American Celtic-punkers? “It’s going really well,” Murphy says. “We did a whole tour here during the summer, at smaller venues. This is the biggest American tour we’ve done actually.”
Coming out of Dublin, the band has accrued a bit of a cult following in mainland Europe and is rapidly spreading their appeal across the US. Dublin is rather remote as far as a break-out location for a rock band, but Murphy is adamant that if a group works hard enough, it is more than possible to get recognition outside of Ireland. “It’s 100% down to the will of the band,” he says. “(Being) willing to travel. We put a lot of effort into trying to get away.”
The Mighty Stef has hit the northeastern US multiple times now and is beginning to see results. “The northeast has always been good to us,” Murphy says. “We’ve been up into Canada this year. Up there is a place that we’ve been over and over again. We’ve developed a little prestige in the northeast.”
Following the completion of this tour, The Mighty Stef will be officially launching their own record label with the release of their next record scheduled for January. “We’re trying to make a big hurrah early in the year for the record release, and from then on tours, festivals, etc. Just keep on working, basically.”
Catch The Mighty Stef with Flogging Molly on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at the Ogden Theatre. Pick up tickets at axs.com/events/254231/flogging-molly-tickets.
Category: National News
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
 |
 |
