Dropkick Murphys

The hardcore punk/Celtic folk outfit Dropkick Murphys formed in South Boston in 1995; vocalist Mike McColgan, guitarist Rick Barton, and bassist Ken Casey comprised the original nucleus of the group, with a series of drummers passing through the lineup before the addition of Matt Kelly in 1997. After a series of EPs including Fire and Brimstone, Tattoos and Scally Caps, and Boys on the Docks, the Dropkick Murphys signed to Hellcat Records to issue their 1998 full-length Do or Die, produced by Rancid's Lars Frederiksen; McColgan exited the group soon after (he later went on to form the like-minded Street Dogs) and was replaced by vocalist Al Barr for the follow-up, 1999's The Gang's All Here.

Mob Mentality, a split release with the Business, appeared in mid-2000, but at the same time the band was going through an extensive redesign. Their five-piece arrangement expanded into a septet, for Marc Orrell stepped in after original guitarist Rick Barton left the band to get married. James Lynch (guitar), Spicy McHaggis (bagpipes), and Ryan Foltz (mandolin) were also added to the lineup to enhance the band's growling sound. Frederiksen, who produced the band's first two albums, left the Dropkicks to venture out on their own for their third studio effort, Sing Loud, Sing Proud. Bassist Ken Casey took over, and the album, which featured collaborations with ex-Pogue Shane MacGowan and Cock Sparrer's Colin McFaull, was issued in early 2001.

Their Irish pride shone through the next year, when Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA was released in the summer. Recorded at the biggest Irish-American celebration of the year in a town known for its widespread Irish heritage, the set was a blistering example of their intense and lively gigs. As the band prepped for the annual Vans Warped Tour in summer 2003, they released Blackout in June; the album featured new bagpipe player Scruffy Wallace and accordionist Tim Brennan (who further took over mandolin and tin whistle after Foltz left following some touring). The Murphys reworked the Boston Red Sox anthem "Tessie" on their mid-2004 EP Tessie, which subsequently became the theme song to the Sox's World Series run that year. Warrior's Code followed in 2005, and one of its songs, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," was later used in the 2006 Martin Scorsese film The Departed. Soon after, the band recorded The Meanest of Times, a collection of songs about family loyalty, featuring guest appearances by Spider Stacy of the Pogues and Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners, released in mid-September 2007. In January 2008, however, Orrell announced his decision to leave the band in order to pursue other projects. Live on Lansdowne, Boston MA, a CD/DVD of tracks culled from 2009's week of St. Patrick's Day shows in Boston, was released in 2010. For their next studio album, the band looked inward to create a concept album, combining their own experiences to create the fictional character Cornelius Larkin. The result was their seventh album, Going Out in Style, which was released in 2011 on their Born & Bred label.

from Wikipedia:

Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant touring and yearly St. Patrick's Day week shows, held in and around Boston. The band's final Hellcat release, 2005's The Warrior's Code, features two charting singles, Tessie, which was recorded for the Boston Red Sox to be played after home game wins, and I'm Shipping Up to Boston, which was featured in the Academy Award-winning movie The Departed.

In 2007 the band signed with Warner Bros. Records, and have seen each of their subsequent albums, The Meanest of Times and Going Out In Style, chart in the Billboard top 20 with The Meanest of Times debuting at #20 while Going Out In Style made its debut at #6, the band's highest ever charting album.

Name origin

There are differing stories as to the origin of the band's name. Former band member Marc Orrell has said:

The Dropkick Murphy will come and get you if you don't go to sleep tonight. It's a rehab center, I think it's in Connecticut. I think it was the guy who used to come around late at night for all the drunks, like if you were too drunk to drive home, he would come and get you and put you in this hole that you couldn't get out until you were sober enough, I don't know. There's a bunch a stories, it's also a boxer, a bunch of things, a rehab center in Connecticut, grandparents used to scare kids with it.

History

Mike McColgan era: 1996–1998

Dropkick Murphys was originally formed in 1996 in Quincy, Massachusetts, initially consisting of lead vocalist Mike McColgan, bassist/vocalist Ken Casey, guitarist Rick Barton, and drummer Jeff Erna (who would be replaced in the next year by Matt Kelly). The band first started playing in the basement of a friend's barbershop and soon found that people loved their music, and as a result began to tour and record. They received their first big break when The Mighty Mighty Bosstones selected them as the openers for their 1997 tour in support of Let's Face It.

After putting out a series of EPs, they were signed by Hellcat Records. In 1998 they released their first full-length album, Do or Die, which was produced by Rancid's Lars Frederiksen. Lead singer Mike McColgan left the band later that year to pursue his life-long dream of becoming a Boston firefighter (but later returned to the punk scene with the Street Dogs).

Hellcat years: 1998–2007

McColgan was replaced by The Bruisers lead singer Al Barr, who was referred to Ken Casey by Derek TC NYSR producer–founder of the groundbreaking 1990s Oi!–Skampilation series at the Middle East Club in Cambridge.

In 1999, they released their follow-up album, The Gang's All Here, the first to feature new singer Al Barr and the last album to feature founding guitarist Rick Barton. The album featured more of a hardcore–street punk sound closer to that of Barr's former band, The Bruisers, and more of an Irish influence than on their debut album. The band gained their first mainstream exposure when the video for their single "10 Years Of Service" received airplay on the MTV show 120 Minutes.

Under the name McBusiness, the band along with English Oi!–punk rock band The Business, released a split single titled "Mob Mentality" in 1999. A year later they released a full-length album of the same name featuring the two bands covering each other's songs along with songs from other artists. Dropkick Murphys even re-recorded their own song "Boys On The Docks" with Al on vocals.

In 2001, they released their third album, Sing Loud, Sing Proud!. The album showcased their developing sound as the band widely progressed from being a four-piece punk rock outfit, and included collaborations with Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan and Cock Sparrer's Colin McFaull. It also marked a significant lineup change for the band. Original guitarist Rick Barton was replaced by former The Ducky Boys guitarist James Lynch and Marc Orrell, and additional instruments were added and played by new members Ryan Foltz and Robbie "Spicy McHaggis" Mederios, whose name was inspired by a McDonald's menu item while the band was on a 1999 tour in Scotland. Mederios became the full-time piper after original Dropkicks touring piper Joe Delaney could not commit full time to the band. Shortly after in 2003, both Foltz and McHaggis left the band, being replaced by mandolin–guitar player Tim Brennan and bagpiper Scruffy Wallace.

Their next album, Blackout, was released in 2003. The album included the radio hit "Walk Away", as well as the fan favorite song "Fields of Athenry". "The Dirty Glass" with female vocals from Stephanie Dougherty (Deadly Sins) is a song about a bar in Quincy, Massachusetts called Darcy's. Dougherty became an unofficial member of the band and would also join them on tour working their merchandise table. The song "Time To Go" was written about the Boston Bruins, and the band performed the song live at the TD Garden during at a Bruins game during intermission at a November 2003 game.

For the 2004 baseball season the band released a re-working of an old Boston Red Sox song, "Tessie". "Tessie" was used in the major motion picture Fever Pitch and was included on the EA Sports MVP Baseball 2005 soundtrack. The band was invited to the Fever Pitch premiere of the movie which was held at Fenway Park where the video was also shot. The song continues to be played at Red Sox games along with Dirty Water after games the team wins.

In 2005, Dropkick Murphys released Singles Collection Volume 2, featuring covers, B-sides, and other material that didn't make it onto previous albums, and the band contributed a recording of "We Got the Power" to Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2.

Their fifth studio album, The Warrior's Code on Hellcat Records, was released on June 21, 2005 and made its debut at number 49 on the album charts, which at the time was the highest debut for a Dropkick Murphys album. The album features the singles "Sunshine Highway" and "The Warrior's Code" as well as the bonus track "Tessie".

The song, "Last Letter Home", contains excerpts from personal letters between Sgt. Andrew Farrar, his mother and his wife. The following is taken from the album notes:

We had already finished this song that was based on general correspondences to & from the soldiers serving in Iraq, when we were contacted by the family of Sgt. Andrew Farrar who had recently died while serving there. The family wanted to tell us he was a big supporter of the Dropkick Murphys. They also passed on a letter that he had written to his mother shortly before his death in which he thanks her for sending him a Dropkick Murphys CD & said that if anything should happen to him while in Iraq, he would like one of our songs played at his funeral. He also left behind a wife, Melissa and two young boys Tyler & Liam. His tour of duty in Iraq was coming to an end & he was due to come home & renew his wedding vows with Melissa to another song of ours, "Forever". Sgt Farrar died on January 28th, on his 31st birthday. We were present at his funeral to grant his wish and played "Fields of Athenry" as his casket entered the church. This song was re-written to include excerpts from that letter.

The band released a single, with the family's permission, including the Andrew Farrar-dedicated "Fields Of Athenry" and "The Last Letter Home". All proceeds went to the Farrar family.

In 2006, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston", a song from The Warrior's Code, with lyrics from a Woody Guthrie poem the band found in his archives was featured in the 2006 Academy Award winning film The Departed, Martin Scorsese's adaptation of the Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs. Two videos, one with and one without footage from The Departed, were made due to overwhelming response to the song, which became one of the band's biggest hits to date and helped introduce Dropkick Murphys to an even bigger mainstream audience thanks to the film and soundtrack. The song was also featured in The Simpsons episode "The Debarted". "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" became the walk-up song of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who danced an Irish jig to the song several times throughout the 2007 Boston Red Sox Championship season. During the team's victory parade, Papelbon did the jig while the Murphys played the song on the same float.

Major label success: 2007–present

In 2007, the band issued their sixth album The Meanest of Times. The album was their first since leaving Hellcat Records and was released on Dropkick Murphys' own label, Born & Bred Records. The Meanest Of Times made its debut on the album charts at #20 in the U.S., giving the band their highest chart debut to date. The first single released from the album, "The State of Massachusetts," became an instant hit. The song is featured as the opening theme to the MTV show Nitro Circus and ranked #83 on the Rolling Stone top 100 songs of 2007 list. By January 2008, the single became one of the 60-most played alternative rock songs in the United States for the previous year.

On October 21, 2007, the band played on a small stage in Fenway Park prior to Game 7 of the 2007 American League Championship Series and on October 30, 2007, the band performed on a flatbed truck during the Boston Red Sox rolling rally to celebrate their 2007 World Series Championship, playing "I'm Shipping Up to Boston", "Dirty Water", "Tessie", "The State of Massachusetts", "For Boston", and "Sunshine Highway", to celebrate. Red Sox relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon performed his trademark dance on the flatbed with them. Fellow Red Sox relief pitchers Hideki Okajima and Mike Timlin also rode on the band's flatbed.

In 2008 Marc Orrell announced he was leaving the band and that Tim Brennan would replace him as a full-time guitarist. Brennan's duties will be taken over by Jeff DaRosa.

To tie in with St. Patrick's Day, a free Dropkick Murphys track pack for Guitar Hero III on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network was released on March 15, 2008 containing: "Famous For Nothing"; "(F)lannigan's Ball" and "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya" from their latest album, The Meanest of Times. Also, the song "The State Of Massachusetts" is available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360. In July 2009, the song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" was released as a downloadable track for Guitar Hero World Tour, and was also released in the video game Rock Band the following month.

In 2008 frontman Ken Casey re-opened McGreevys Pub. The bar has drawn good reviews for both its food and atmosphere. The Murphys have also continued touring, including a number of dates in July set to feature The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. At their July 10, 2008 concert date at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts, they announced that the show was being recorded and would be released as their next live album. They made similar announcements during shows in Portland, Maine and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The band also stated at the Pawtucket show that the sellout crowd of 10,060 was the largest in the band's history.

"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" has also become an anthem in the Australian Football League (AFL) in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, featuring in the official 2009 League ad for the AFL, as well as the 2010 ad for the Brisbane Lions, one of the clubs in the league. It is also the Boston Celtics' warmup song.

On April 22, 2009, the Dropkick Murphys joined Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band on stage in Boston for his Working on a Dream Tour, playing "Glory Days" and "American Land". During the show, guitarist Tim Brennan proposed to his girlfriend Diana onstage which was followed by a performance of the Springsteen song, "So Young And In Love."

On June 16, 2009, the band opened up for Aerosmith at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, in a "Hometown Heroes" concert; they later joined Aerosmith onstage to perform "Dirty Water".

On January 1, 2010, the band performed "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" before the Boston Bruins–Philadelphia Flyers 2010 NHL Winter Classic held in Boston's Fenway Park baseball stadium.

On March 16, 2010, the band released their second live album, Live on Lansdowne, Boston MA. The album also featured the band's first full-length live DVD. The album made its debut at #25 in the U.S. charts making it their second highest charting album to date.

In a March 2010 interview with alt porn website Burning Angel, Ken Casey announced that the band would be hitting the studio in the summer or early Fall of 2010 to record their next album.

In December 2010, a live version of "The Warrior's Code," the title track from the 2005 album of the same name was briefly featured in the Academy Award nominated film, The Fighter. The film followed the life and career of Micky Ward, the boxer on the cover of The Warrior's Code album, and starred Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. The Warrior's Code is also featured in the trailer for the 2011 comedy, Your Highness.

In 2011, the band's song, "Barroom Hero" was featured in the Academy Award nominated documentary, Restrepo making it the band's third song to be featured in a Academy Award nominated film.

The band released their seventh studio album, Going Out In Style on March 1, 2011. The album is the highest chart position ever for Dropkick Murphys – debuting at #6 and selling 43,259 in the U.S. in its first week. The album was produced by Ted Hutt, and features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Fat Mike, Chris Cheney, and Lenny Clarke. The title track will be the first single and the music video was also released on March 1, 2011

On March 17, 2011, the band released the music video for "Memorial Day."

Musical style and influences

The bands early influences were 1970s British punk bands like , The Clash, and Sex Pistols, as well as Irish rock band The Pogues

When they wrote their first song, Barroom Hero, they were surprised to hear how much the vocal melody sounded like those from old Irish music they heard as children, something the bandmembers at one time tried to reject. "It dawned on us that Irish music was a bigger influence on all of us than we'd realized," said Ken Casey. "Growing up in Boston, every time you went to a wedding or a wake or your grandparents' house, you heard that music. I went through a phase of hating it just because it's what my (folks) listened to."

While frequently referred to as a Celtic punk band, some of their earlier material has also been classified under other punk rock subgenres like Hardcore punk and Oi!.

They frequently cite AC/DC as an influence to their formula of maintaining a specific style, with Casey once saying "I think our goal is to be the AC/DC of Celtic punk rock. The worst thing we can do to the local fans who have stuck with us is to all of a sudden try to be Fall Out Boy with bagpipes." Al Barr commented "We've always said we're like The Ramones or AC/DC with what we do; if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But at the same time, we have to keep challenging ourselves. And if we find that tunes we're putting together for a record are boring us, we're not going to record them."

Political causes

Dropkick Murphys have been known for supporting working class and union causes, and have a strong relationship with the AFL-CIO. The band has said that they are all Democrats, and during the 2004 United States presidential election were part of Punkvoter, a political activist group dedicated to defeating George W. Bush. That year they also appeared on the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 compilation contributing the song "We Got the Power".

On February 22, 2011, in support of Wisconsin workers' rights, the band released their song "Take 'Em Down" from the album "Going Out In Style" on their website along with creating a limited edition "Take 'Em Down" t-shirt which will benefit the Workers’ Rights Emergency Response Fund. Two days later on the MSNBC news show, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, "Take 'Em Down" was used as a intro song to a news story on the Wisconsin workers protest.

On Saturday August 13, 2011, Dropkick Murphys issued a statement of solidarity with the 45,000 Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) on strike from Verizon Communications, Inc.

Footnotes