DROPKICK MURPHYS: The Power of Music That Heals Every Pain

by Ilaria Falcetti

Al Barr (vocals), James Lynch (guitar and backing vocals), Ken Casey (bass and vocals), Matt Kelly (drums, bodhrán, and backing vocals), Tim Brennan (guitar, accordion, and backing vocals), and Jeff Darosa (mandolin, tin whistle, banjo, bouzouki, acoustic guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals) are the six guys who currently make up the Dropkick Murphys, a Celtic punk band formed in 1996 in Quincy, United States. Over the years, the band's lineup has changed several times. Their music is influenced by groups like the Pogues and AC/DC. In 1996, they signed a contract with Hellcat Records and in 1998 released their first album of unreleased tracks, “Do or Die”.

The following year, then-singer Mike McColgan left the band and was replaced by Al Barr. In 1999, they released their next album, “The Gang's All Here”, followed two years later by “Sing Loud, Sing Proud!”: this latter album includes important collaborations, such as one with Shane MacGowan of the Pogues and another with Colin McFaull of the Cock Sparrer. It is precisely in this new work that the band undergoes many changes and reinvents itself once again. “Blackout” is the name of their new album released in 2003, which features the songs “Walk Away”, “Fields of Athenry”, and “The Dirty Glass” sung together with Stephanie Dougherty of the Deadly Sins.

In 2005, the Dropkick Murphys released “Singles Collection Volume 2”, containing covers, and they also contributed to the recording of “We Got the Power to Rock Against Bush, Volume 2”. “The Warrior's Code” came out in 2005 and includes the singles “Sunshine Highway”, “The Walking Dead”, “The Warrior's Code”, and the bonus track “Tessie”. It also includes a song inspired by a Woody Guthrie poem titled “I'm Shipping Up to Boston”.

Sound and Evolution

It is a bit reductive to label the Dropkick Murphys simply with the "punk" genre; in fact, they are one of the few groups that bring innovation to the punk sound, thanks to the emotions stirred by their song rhythms and their original, never banal lyrics. With the album “The Warrior’s Code”, the Boston band returned to a successful blend of Celtic music and punk rock, featuring extraordinary arrangements.

The record opens with “Your Spirit's Alive”, with memorable choruses and folk arrangements accompanied by fantastic bagpipes. Notable are the 1960s rock and roll influences in the guitars, alongside the duets between the two main vocalists (Al Barr and Ken Casey) accompanied by backing vocals that add a touch of cheer. The songs engage listeners emotionally, drawing them in on tracks like “The Warrior's Code”, an anthem to a Bostonian boxer; “Captain Kelly's Kitchen”, a reworking of a traditional piece; “Sunshine Highway”; the immensely powerful “Citizen CIA”; and the beautiful rendition of “The Green Fields Of France”, the only fully folk piece on the album, slow and with a melancholy voice where Al Barr is accompanied by the tin whistle and piano. It is an album recommended not only for punk lovers, but for anyone who loves high-energy music.

Two years later, they released their sixth work, “The Meanest of Times”, released via Born & Bred Records in various editions, all sharing 15 identical tracks but with different bonus tracks. Following sales of over 600,000 copies of “The Warrior's Code” in 2005, the Boston band returned with a new work once again bearing an Irish folk and punk rock flavor.

The album opens with “Famous for Nothing”, followed by the bagpipes of the beautiful “God Willing”, but the true standout track is the first single released, namely “The State of Massachusetts”. In this track, the accordion and banjo catapult us into the working-class world of Boston, where the stories of the victims of injustice turn into ballads. The energy restarts with “Tomorrow's Industry”, a classic song with a punk rock melody. Following this are catchy tunes like “Echoes on A Street”, “Vices and Virtues”, and “Surrender”. Worthy of note is the gritty “(F)lanningan's Ball”, followed by a softer track, “Fairmount Hill”, a very melancholy Celtic ballad. Recharging us is “Loyal to No One” with its strong chorus. Finally, demanding careful listening is “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya”, an Irish punk melody dealing with the Civil War, and the Thin Lizzy cover “Jailbreak”, a pure hard rock tribute. The record is recommended for genre lovers, yet it could serve as an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to venture into listening to the band for the first time.

Milestones and Later Years

That same year, the group performed for the first time in a stadium, at the Agganis Arena in Boston. On March 11, 2008, a Limited Edition was released comprising 15 tracks, including those featured on the European version, iTunes tracks, and a DVD. In 2010, “Live on Lansdowne” was released, recorded live where fans shout "Let's go Murphy's" at the start of every concert, somewhat reminiscent of the "Let's go Celtics" chant heard before basketball games in Boston.

The Dropkick Murphys are a mix of punk and folk with illustrious precedents like the Pogues, but the band managed to make this mix more appealing, also capitalizing on the genre's revival in the 1990s driven by groups like Green Day. In March 2011, with the album “Going Out In Style”, the band of Irish origins returned to the scene after a four-year absence, doing so with a work that strengthens their rock sound. Guitars take center stage in this work, featuring numerous riffs that give a new turning point to the group's sound. Among many collaborations, the track “Peg O’ My Heart”, sung together with rock "Boss" Bruce Springsteen, stands out. Aside from fun and fast-paced tracks such as “The Hardest Mile”, “Climbing A Chair To Bed”, “Sunday Hardcore Matinee”, and the reworking of the Irish classic “The Irish Rover”, there are also three folk ballads, including “1953”—where sweetness and nostalgia are the most prominent emotions—as well as the single “Memorial Day” and the deeply engaging “Take ’em Down”.

In 2012, the band publicly announced the release of a new album, “Signed and Sealed in Blood”, for January 2013. “Signed and Sealed in Blood” is intentionally a different album; as they themselves stated, it is a record "conceived to intoxicate and make the masses dance." It is an outlet seeking the consensus of a broad listening audience, arriving directly and powerfully to people. A powerful track is “Prisoner’s Song”, an Irish ballad introduced by a rhythmic banjo and accordion set to handclaps and punctuated by the choral shouts of the entire band. The same feeling is introduced by “The Boys Are Back”, whose chorus is custom-made to be sung together by thousands of people. Very nice is “The Season’s Upon Us”, just as “Rose Tattoo” (also featured on the album cover) and “Out of Our Heads” are worth listening to. Absolutely out there is “Out on the Town”, an Irish-flavored rock & roll sound that seems reminiscent of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by the Fabulous Foursome.

The year 2017 marked the release of the album “11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory”, the first record without bagpipe player Scruffy Wallace, who left the band in 2015 and was replaced by Lee Forshner, who also tours with the band. The record was influenced by the group's collaboration with The Claddagh Fund, an organization aimed at helping veterans and people struggling with addiction. The lyrics of many songs, such as “Rebels with a Cause” or “Paying My Way”, talk about how addictions affect people's lives and how children are left behind. The band also wrote “4-15-13”, a track paying tribute to the tragedy that occurred during the Boston Marathon, which saw members of the band personally visit the survivors in the hospital.

More recently, in 2021, the band released the album “Turn Up That Dial”, which celebrates the power of music to heal and soothe every human pain and thought. “Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding” is a punk rock track playfully dedicated to the Clash guitarist. “Good as Gold”, on the other hand, is a tribute to music as a fundamental tool to keep going through difficult times, such as the one we have been experiencing due to the pandemic. “Chosen Few” is a critique of America's political decline, while “City By The Sea” is an ode to their hometown of Boston. Finally, we find “I Wish You Were Here”, a melancholy and sad song dedicated to singer Al Barr's late father.

Upcoming Tours

This year, the Dropkick Murphys have scheduled the “St. Patrick’s Day American Tour 2022”, which will hit cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland. As for our country, they announced a single stop for the new “Turn Up That Dial Tour”, specifically in Jesolo (Venice) on February 5, 2023, where they will be joined by openers “The Interrupters”. The Celtic punk rock band from Boston will promote their new album, released last April 30 through their own label, Born & Bred Records.