Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys
	Dropkick Murphys playing at The National Shamrock Fest in Washington, D.C. in 2011
Background information
Origin	Quincy, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Celtic punk, Hardcore punk, Oi! (early)
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Born & Bred, Hellcat, Taang! Records
Associated acts	Street Dogs, The Bruisers, The Ducky Boys, The Exit, Everybody Out!, The Outlets, Bruce Springsteen
Website	www.dropkickmurphys.com
Members	Ken Casey; Matt Kelly; Al Barr; James Lynch; Tim Brennan; Josh "Scruffy" Wallace; Jeff DaRosa
Past members	Rick Barton; Mike McColgan; Jeff Erna; Joe Delaney; Marc Orrell; Spicy McHaggis; Ryan Foltz

Dropkick Murphys is an American Celtic punk band from Quincy, Massachusetts. The band has currently has seven members. The members are Ken Casey, Matt Kelly, Al Barr, James Lynch, Tim Brennan, Josh "Scruffy" Wallace, and Jeff DaRosa. The band made a name for themselves locally after frequent touring and yearly St. Patrick's Day week shows that were held in and around Boston.

The band released their later album Signed and Sealed in Blood on January 8, 2013.^[1]

History

The band started in 1996 in Quincy, Massachusetts and was made up of lead vocalist Mike McColgan, bassist/vocalist Ken Casey, guitarist Rick Barton, and drummer Jeff Erna. Erna was later replaced the next year by Matt Kelly.^[2] The band is named after professional wrestler Dr. John "Dropkick" Murphy.^[3] The band first started playing in the basement of a friend's barbershop and soon began to tour and record music. The band's first big break was when the were selected by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones to be the opening act for their 1997 tour in support of Let's Face It. ^[4]

The band released a series of EPs before they were signed to Hellcat Records. They released their debut studio album Do or Die on January 27, 1998. The album was produced by Lars Frederiksen of Rancid.^[5] Lead singer Mike McColgan would leave the band later in the year to become a Boston firefighter (He returned to the punk scene later as the singer of the Street Dogs).^[6]

Band members

Current

Ken Casey – Bass guitar, lead vocals (1996–present)
Matt Kelly – Drums, bodhran, vocals (1997–present)
Al Barr – lead vocals (1998–present)
James Lynch – Guitar, vocals (2000–present)
Josh "Scruffy" Wallace – Bagpipes, tin whistle (2003–present)
Tim Brennan – Lead guitar (2008–present), guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, accordion, keyboard, piano, vocals (2003–present)
Jeff DaRosa – Banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, keyboard, piano, harmonica, whistle, vocals (2008–present)

Former

Rick Barton – Guitar (1996–2000)
Mike McColgan – Lead vocals (1996–1998)
Jeff Erna – Drums (1996–1997)
Joe Delaney – Bagpipes (1998–2003)
Marc Orrell – Guitar, accordion, piano (2000–2008)
Spicy McHaggis (Robbie Mederios) – Bagpipes (2000–2003)
Ryan Foltz – Mandolin, tin whistle (2000–2003)

Discography

Albums

Do or Die (1998)
The Gang's All Here (1999)
Sing Loud, Sing Proud! (2001)
Blackout (2003)
The Warrior's Code (2005)
The Meanest of Times (2007)
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)

Dropkick Murphys Media

Ken Casey in front of the crowd, 2007
James Lynch playing guitar in 2007
During the band's 2010 tour, a special pirate-themed backdrop was unfurled during the encore performance of "I'm Shipping Up to Boston".