It’s almost Spring and that’s when all good Irish lads and lasses thoughts turn to…. The Dropkick Murphys. That’s because just prior to the first day of Spring, St. Patrick’s Day falls. Each year the band affectionately known as The Murphys or just simply DKM go on a pre-St. Paddy’s Day tour which ends in their hometown of Boston for a run of 4 shows in 4 days. These shows sell out in a moment’s notice and it’s no wonder why. Their fans are loyal. Many of them purchase or at least attempt to purchase tickets for multiple shows. The band realizes this and they do their best to shake up the set list from show to show. The band hasn’t released a new album since 2017’s 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory but that’s because they don’t like to rush things.
11 Short Stories is a collection of songs with meaning which many people can relate to. It begins with an instrumental that brings the listener to the emerald isle of Ireland with the traditional blend of Irish and punk that the band is known for. With the traditional tin whistle and drum lead in, “The Lonesome Boatman” packs a punch once the standard punk ensemble of guitars and bass along with an inspiring chant kick in. It’s a rollicking song that is sure to get one’s interest in this album right away.
The second track is a rocking song full of social awareness. “Rebels With A Cause” tells of the need to not
judge youth based on appearance or how they seem. Everyone has some good in them if you take the time to listen and lend a needed hand. “So give a kid hand, lift him up and dust him off. Many will stumble others will be lost. For all who failed so many would succeed” is a plead for the listener to help out youth in need and don’t be discouraged if your efforts fail. The next one you help my go on to greatness and follow your lead in the future. To steal an economic phrase, caring for others truly does have a trickle-down effect.
In response to the previous song, “Blood” tells of the aforementioned rebels banding together and taking care of their own. “We don’t care about them, we care about you” tells of the unity in the punk rock subculture. While the song speaks of Boston’s Kenmore Square, the theme can be applied to punk communities and other downtrodden subcultures wherever they are looked down upon.
“Sandlot” is a harkening back to an innocent time in life. “When we were young, we had a ball. When we were young, we had it all.” Sadly, when we were young, we didn’t know how good we had it. The lyrics, “We were rich yeah but no one told us. We didn’t know” says it all. The song is a salute to all the adults who came from a blue-collar background who grew up wanting, but once grown, realized what they wanted was meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
“First Class Loser” is another song with a traditional Irish feel that is a tongue in cheek tale about the guy we all seem to know. Al Bar and Ken Casey trade off vocals lamenting the ills of the guy who parks in handicap spaces and has no redeeming qualities. The song also admits that we all have a bit of this guy in us with “I may be a little difficult but I’m not a total knob.”
“Paying My Way” is part of the recurring theme of songs about the down trodden. It tells of someone who has clawed his way up from being down and out. He doesn’t pity his former self but takes pride in how far he has come. “I’m proud to be a fighter” He pleads to those who may look down upon him to not discount him with “Don’t count me out, I’m a survivor”
Next up is a fun, non-serious, rollicking song titled “I Had A Hat”. It’s a tale of Casey losing his hat at an Irish wake and the trials and tribulations that ensued. Casey caused a ruckus which led to an encounter with the police and ended with meeting between his chin and one-eyed Paddy Flynn’s rolling pin. It’s a fun, light hearted song in the spirit of “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen” from their 2005 release, “Warrior’s Code.
“Kicked To The Curb” is a rocking number that is a familiar story of boy has girl, boy spends all his money on girl, girl leaves boy for another fool. It has a ring of Phil Spector produced Ramones with a buzzing guitar and staccato drums but with the punk vocal harmonies that only DKM can deliver.
The album takes an emotional turn with The Murphys doing a powerful rendition of what was originally a 
Rogers and Hammerstein number from “Carousel”. Many folks have covered “You’ll Never Walk Alone” such as Roy Hamilton (look him up!), Gerry & The Pacemakers, Elvis Presley, and many others. This classic speaks of the belief that no mater how difficult life may be, the Lord is with us and no what gets thrown at us, in the end, we will find glory. Casey, Barr and company deliver this version with a power that is not found in previous versions. The powerful vocals are enhanced but not outdone by the equally powerful instrumentation backing them.
“4-15-13” is about what the folks in Boston had to deal with in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. It took several years for this song to be released and with good reason. “Part of it was too soon, part of it was, like, it has to be perfect,” Ken Casey explained to ABC Radio. “Don’t wanna be too somber to kinda drag people back into what we all went through, but not obviously make it like a heavy rock song. From a musical and a lyrical aspect, [we] just wanted it to…do justice to everybody.” Justice was delivered.
Rounding out the collection of songs is “Until Next Time” which has been the closer for some of their live shows with good reason. It’s a happy go lucky tune about not saying good bye as there will certainly be another meeting in the future which is usually the case with the Murphys and their fans. “We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when. We all had a good time and we’re sad to see it end” is certainly how their fans and the band feel about their live shows. If you’ve never seen a Dropkick Murphys concert, go see them! You will know this song fits their live show experience to a T.
Review and photos by Rich Russo