Fueled by a passion for workers’ and civil rights, the Dropkick Murphys have been ongoing for almost 30 years, sharing their music of liberation with the world.
On July 4, the band released their thirteenth studio album “For The People,” and began their Summer of Discontent tour with Bad Religion. They will be making a stop in Salt Lake City at the Union Event Center on Aug. 2.
Who they are
Since 1996, the Dropkick Murphys have been creating music with the intention of building like-minded communities and a good-hearted fanbase. Since their first release, “Do or Die,” the band has been ever-present in workers’ and civil rights activism. Their music, described as Celtic punk-rock, is somewhat patriotic, as the lyrics in a lot of their songs are politically motivated.
Tim Brennan, lead guitarist, said, “Getting to see the steady growth over the past 20-something years has been pretty incredible, especially as a guy who came into the band as a fan before anything else.”
He described that a professor of his in college initially showed him an album by the Dropkick Murphys, and he instantly became a fan. Not only because of the “down-to-earth” nature of the band’s members, but also because of his political views and how the band shares their outlook through their music with audiences.
“It would be hard for a band like us to not write songs about what’s going on currently in the world,” Brennan said.
New music
Their latest album “For The People” is exactly as it’s titled: for the people. Brennan said he’s most proud of this work, even after the multiple albums he’s worked on with the band in the past. Because of the themes of the album, he added that he feels connected with the band’s audience. With the “craziness” that has fallen into people’s lives with the new presidency, Brennan is excited to share their music and has hopes that it will give people a new sense of compassion.
There are highlights within the album that share this message with its listeners, one being “Who’ll Stand With Us?” which is accompanied by a music video. Within the lyrics, Casey sings “The working people fuel the engine,” which is a lyric that has defined the meaning behind what the band stands for. In the video, there are cuts between images showing patrons wearing MAGA hats, as a call to those who try to get a reaction out of the band. Brennan said the band sees a lot of rioters or audience members coming out to shows to get a reaction.
“There’s been people that seem to show up with the sole intention of trying to get a reaction out of us … If we have to deal with it in a show like that, it’s hopefully going to be done very diplomatically and sort of with respect for everybody’s ideas,” he said.
While songs like “Who’ll Stand With Us?” leave a good impression on listeners, Brennan said “Streetlights” has been his favorite to perform because it’s so close and personal to Ken Casey’s life growing up.
“The combination of me being really excited about the music that I came up with, and Ken writing such great lyrics about when he was young, they came together,” he said.
Dropkick Murphys on tour
Dropkick Murphys have been on tour with Bad Religion since July 22, and Brennan described that this is the first time people have heard the new album live, and he’s excited to play in front of large audiences.
“Anybody that’s interested in our music is a Bad Religion fan,” Brennan said. “It’s so awesome to have such a legendary, long-standing band like Bad Religion be out on the road with us.”
Following the band’s latest release, there will be a CD and LP release with bonus tracks on Oct. 10. Dropkick Murphys will be in Salt Lake City on Aug. 2 at the Union Event Center. You can find your tickets here.
