Ready to blast the volume
Dropkick Murphys chart onward, upward and upbeat course
Dropkick Murphys last album, 2017’s “11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory,” looked squarely at the national opioid crisis with tracks such as “Paying My Way.” It paid tribute to the Boston Marathon Bombing victims with “4-15-13.” It even traded in a few stories of broken hearts.
But while living through the madness of 2020, the Dropkicks needed to take a hard turn.
“There was a lot about the opioid epidemic and all the friends we had lost,” bandleader Ken Casey said. “The album came from a darker place and with the new album we wanted to bounce back. Inspiration automatically kicked us in the opposite direction.”
“When the pandemic hit and things were so down, more than ever, we thought, ‘Nobody wants to hear an album about how bad 2020 was in 2021,’” Casey added.
The band’s 10th full-length studio album, “Turn Up That Dial,” out April 30, celebrates life and punk rock and happy nostalgia and the glory of bagpipes — you can get a preview of a few of the tracks at the Dropkicks’ St. Patrick’s Day livestream, Still Locked Down. Casey and fellow-frontman Al Barr make Clash references, shout obscenities and generally have a good time shouting on top of overdriven guitars, pounding drums and instruments you’d find in an Irish grandad’s attic. In short: It’s quintessential Dropkick Murphys.
“For the most part, it’s onward and upward and let’s get out of this thing and have some anthems,” Casey said.
“Turn Up That Dial” isn’t all party. “Chosen Few” champions the idea of finding common ground while it lands a wellplaced jab at former President Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic. “I Wish You Were Here,” a touching ballad about the passing of Barr’s father, closes the record on a somber note.
“I could write 37 (expletive) albums about how much I hate (Trump), but he dominated the news for four years, he wasn’t going to dominate our record,” Casey said. “And the song about Al’s dad, well, it’s an 11-song album and we thought, ‘Here are the 10 songs to put a smile on your face. … Then we stop and take a moment to acknowledge Al’s dad and acknowledge 500,000 plus people lost.”
While Casey and crew aren’t celebrating the release or the St. Pat’s holiday the way they want to, the band’s live streams have become surprising sensations and enjoyable affairs. Dropkick Murphys’ Streaming Up From Boston from St. Patrick’s Day 2020 has been watched more than 13 million times across platforms and raised more than $60,000 through the band’s charitable organization, The Claddagh Fund. The band’s May 2020 Streaming Outta Fenway was the first music performance directly on the infield at Fenway, featured a virtual Jumbotron guest spot from Bruce Springsteen and raised $700,000plus for Boston and national charities.
This St. Pat’s online concert, with no in-person audience, will be simulcast on www.DKMstream.com and will feature the Dropkicks on an arena-sized stage with a full LED screen and brandnew video show.
“When we did that first stream, we had to give ourselves a major pep talk because we were on stage and staring out at just cameras, we had to realize that people were on the other side of those cameras,” Casey said. “We had no idea how many people would watch or, frankly, how it gave people a unique opportunity to have their kids see us. Right after. we saw videos that people shared with us of their toddlers doing little circle pits.”
Casey saw how the streams allowed the first generation of Dropkick fans to share their love with the next generation. He still wants to get back on the road, but he now sees how streams will remain part of the band’s output.