Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys are a punk rock band from Quincy, Massachusetts, formed in 1996 and active to the present. Their music sits across punk rock, celtic punk, folk punk, folk rock and hardcore punk, and their songs often draw on Celtic themes and the working-class background of the members. The group first plays together in the basement of a friend’s barbershop and builds a following through extensive touring and annual St. Patrick’s Day weekend shows in Boston.

Early releases and lineup changes

The band releases a series of EPs before signing to Hellcat Records, the label run by Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong. Its first full-length album, Do Or Die, appears in 1998, followed by The Gang’s All Here in 1999. Lead singer Mike McColgan leaves later in 1998 and is replaced by Al Barr, formerly of The Bruisers.

Sing Loud, Sing Proud follows in 2001 and marks a further change in the band’s lineup. The album includes collaborations with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues and Colin McFaull of Cock Sparrer. Around this period, original guitarist Rick Barton is replaced by James Lynch and Marc Orrell, both previously of The Ducky Boys. Ryan Foltz and Spicy McHaggis also join to add instruments to the group’s sound.

Notable songs and albums

Blackout is released in 2003 and includes “Walk Away”, “Fields of Athenry” and “The Dirty Glass”, the last of which features vocals by Stephanie Dougherty of Deadly Sins. Around the same time, the band releases a new version of “Tessie”, which becomes associated with the Boston Red Sox’s 2004 World Series run and is also used in the film Fever Pitch and on the MVP Baseball 2005 soundtrack.

In 2005, the band releases Singles Collection Volume 2, a collection of covers, B-sides and other non-album material, and contributes “We Got the Power” to Rock Against Bush, Volume 2. Later that year, The Warrior’s Code appears, featuring “Sunshine Highway”, “The Walking Dead”, “The Warrior’s Code” and the bonus track “Tessie”. It also contains “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”, a song based on a Woody Guthrie poem that is used in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.

Later work and current lineup

The Meanest of Times is released in 2007 and is the band’s first album on Born & Bred rather than Hellcat. In early 2008, Marc Orrell leaves and Tim Brennan, who has played mandolin, accordion, banjo, tin whistle and guitar with the band since 2004, moves to lead guitar. Jeff DaRosa, formerly of The Vigilante and Pinkerton Thugs, takes over Brennan’s earlier instrumental duties. The band’s later studio albums include Going Out in Style (2011), Signed and Sealed in Blood (2013), 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (2017), Turn Up That Dial (2021), This Machine Still Kills Fascists (2022) and Okemah Rising (2023).

This Machine Still Kills Fascists is an acoustic album built from unused lyrics written by Woody Guthrie and selected for the band by his daughter Nora. It does not feature Al Barr, who is on hiatus for family reasons. Okemah Rising is recorded in the same sessions and also uses Guthrie lyrics. The 2023 album is preceded by “I Know How it Feels” and “Gotta Get to Peekskill”, the latter featuring Violent Femmes.

The band’s membership includes Mike McColgan, Rick Barton, Tim Brennan, Ken Casey, Scruffy Wallace, Matt Kelly, Al Barr, Marc Orrell, James Lynch and Jeff DaRosa.