All you need for a good time is some bagpipes, kilts, and a handful of guys that are jacked up on Jameson – and that's exactly what Dropkick Murphys provides.
Dropkick Murphys have returned from the abyss with their new album, Going Out in Style. The band toned down the folk and turned up the punk in its latest effort, which many fans might consider its best effort thus far.
"I think it's our best record. I think everyone in the band feels that way. It's a bigger-sounding record. It's the first time we worked with a producer in about 10 years," said Al Barr, the main singer of Dropkick Murphys. "It was an exciting writing process. It's kind of a team record; we are just excited to have new tunes."
Dropkick have made a name for themselves by fusing punk with Irish folk music. The band put in the time performing in small venues for tiny crowds.
This custom of playing for a small crowd is engrained into the culture of punk music, so it should come as no shock that Dropkick comes from humble beginnings.
"The band started playing in small clubs. We rehearsed in the basement of a barbershop," Barr said. "The band started out playing in small venues, and. even if the venue was big, there was a small audience. That's punk rock. I come from that world of early '80s punk rock, and punk rock was always meant to be kind of kept secret," Barr said.
Punk is one of the most rigid scenes in music. If the formula is changed just a little bit, bands may be rejected and viewed as "sellouts."
Because of this, many bands do not stray too far from the norm when they try to enter the scene. But Dropkick sees things a little bit differently.
"It's one of those things, the struggle and the plight of the immigrant, whether they be from Ireland, Scotland, England, or wherever, there are all songs in there people can relate to. When it comes to Irish folk, American folk music, it has a lot of the same ethos as punk rock. That's why it kind of made it the natural influence," Barr said.
One thing Dropkick does more than almost any other band is tour. From coast to coast to across the pond, Dropkick has spent plenty of time spreading their name through their high-energy live shows.
With such a heavy influence of Irish folk apparent in their music, Dropkick has a much broader fan base than most bands. However, when going to perform in the U.K., the reviews often come back mixed.
"The U.K is funny; the kids that come out to see us love the band. The press is kind of lukewarm about us. They can be very fickle, the press. They love us one minute and hate us the next minute; its kind of funny. The fans are great there, though," Barr said.
Since 2004, Dropkick has been synonymous with Boston sports. From "Tessie" being the anthem of the Red Sox to their song "Time to Go," which supports the Bruins, Dropkick is very up-front about who they support. This does not stop the band from traveling into a Boston rival's city and performing.
"We play Toronto, we play New York City. As a matter of fact, when the [Red] Sox won the World Series, the first time, we went down there to the belly of the beast, to New York," Barr said.
Barr explained that there was a movie screen on which the band showcased highlights of the historic Yankees-Red Sox series in which the Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit in the series to secure their spot in the World Series.
"It was amazing because we did half the set and the crowd was eating out of our hands. Then we unfurled the beast, and it went from love to disdain. It was like suicide. People were throwing full beers at us. Now, New York isn't cheap. There's got to be a lot of hatred if they took sip off of one beer and they are chucking it at you," Barr said.
One of the most notable experiences at a Dropkick show is when the band brings up people during certain songs, particularly "Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced." This has been a staple in the bands' repertoire since the band released it on the album, Blackout.
"We bring the guys up for ‘Skinhead on the MBTA' and then bring girls for ‘Kiss Me [I'm Shitfaced].' What's really funny is we have never broken any stages with the guys. We always break the stages with the girls, so I don't know what that says. It doesn't happen all the time, but when stages have broken, generally it's during ‘Kiss Me' and never during ‘Skinhead,'" Barr said. "I don't know if it's just the rhythmic thumping and jumping of the girls or what. I'm not saying that there are elephants on stage, there are some lovely ladies getting up there. I'm proud to say we have a pretty attractive fan base."
This has not always been the case. Before the band became massive, its fan base was far more acute than its current hardcore fans.
"I can tell you a time when we got all dudes," Barr said. "In 2000, we were on tour with the Bouncing Souls, and the Bouncing Souls get chicks. Their tour manager is off to the side of the stage and I'm watching them because the [Bouncing] Souls are one of my favorite bands. And their tour manager would come up and give me a wink and go ‘Hey Al, almost time for the penis show,' because what he meant was all the chicks would disappear and it would be all dudes."
The Dropkick Murphys are a beacon of hope in a punk scene where there are more duds produced than studs. With a new album a mere week away, Dropkick returns just in time to kick the Irish in everyone up a few notches.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
