The Bay area doesn’t have much in the way of homegrown Celtic roots rock, but The Fightin’ Malones [pictured, photo by James Ostrand] are about to change all that when they make their formal debut this St. Patrick’s Day. “We play the music of the people who work hard all week and want to have some serious fun on the weekend, because that’s us,” frontman Tom Cook told me when I met with him and his wife Beth last week to discuss their fledgling sextet. “I think our music speaks to those who work hard and play hard …”
The inspiration for The Fightin’ Malones originated in Tennessee, where the couple spent their second honeymoon soaking up the sounds of the region’s most noteworthy music locales beginning with the blues and rockabilly of Memphis, moving on to the traditional country and underground Western swing of Nashville, and ending with the rural bluegrass and roots music of northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. There, they visited the historic Carter family home and saw a few shows at the Carter Fold, Johnny Cash’s home stage and the place he played his final notes. “It exists to further mountain music, and everyone goes there every weekend, and the only rule is you can’t plug in,” Tom explained. “Except for one person who was allowed to plug in — and that was Johnny.”
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2010.
