Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.. First playing together in the basement of a friend's barbershop, they blended traditional folk rock and punk rock known as Celtic punk. Their influences include Stiff Little Fingers, The Pogues, The Clash, Thin Lizzy, The Dubliners, and the Swingin' Utters.
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Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.. First playing together in the basement of a friend's barbershop, they blended traditional folk rock and punk rock known as Celtic punk. Their influences include Stiff Little Fingers, The Pogues, The Clash, Thin Lizzy, The Dubliners, and the Swingin' Utters.
The band has made a name for itself and built a following as a result of their non-stop touring all over the world and their famous St. Patrick's Day weekend shows, which are held in and around Boston. Dropkick Murphys is known for supporting trade unions and the working class. The group is also well-known for their patronage of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics.
Name
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.Original frontman Mike McColgan and co-founder Ken Casey said the following:
The band's name was stolen from an old rehab where they used to take skid row bums in Boston... We always heard of old-timers in our neighborhood telling war stories about being locked up at Dropkick Murphy's, so we decided that if we ever started a band, that would be the name.
Career
Dropkick Murphys was originally formed in 1996 in Quincy, Massachusetts. The band first started playing in the basement of a friend's barbershop and soon found that people liked their music, and as a result began to tour and record.
The band put out a series of EPs and were signed by Hellcat Records. In 1998 they released their first full length album, Do or Die. Lead singer Mike McColgan left the band later that year with his life long dream of becoming a Boston firefighter, and was replaced by The Bruisers lead singer Al Barr, who was referred to Ken Casey by Derek TC NYSR producer/founder of the groundbreaking 90's Oi!/Skampilation series at the Middle East Club in Boston. In 1999, they released their follow-up album, The Gang's All Here. 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 4-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. Shortly after, both Foltz and McHaggis left the band, being replaced by mandolin/guitar player Tim Brennan and bagpipes player Scruffy Wallace.
