Following in the footsteps of major musical acts such as Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam, American punk rock band Dropkick Murphys have created their own music festival, touring throughout the northeast and midwest of the United States. The Shamrock-N-Roll Festival kicked off in early September, selling out its first two shows at Fenway Park in Boston. The band will continue their tour along with openers Stiff Little Fingers, Street Dogs, Chuck Ragan, The Mahones and Parkington Sisters until the end of the month.
Dropkick Murphys were formed in 1996 in Quincy, Massachusetts when they first started playing in the basement of a friend's barbershop. After gaining a local fan base, the band started to tour and record. They received their first big break when The Mighty Mighty Bosstones selected them as the openers for their 1997 tour in support of Let's Face It. After putting out a series of EPs, the celtic punk band was signed to Hellcat Records. In 1998, they released their first full-length album, Do or Die, which was produced by Rancid's Lars Frederiksen.
The band's follow up album, The Gang's All Here, was released in 1999. It featured a more hardcore-street punk sound than their first album, which had more of an Irish influence. Dropkick Murphys gained their first mainstream exposure when the video for their single "10 Years of Service" received airplay on the MTV show 120 Minutes. 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 four-piece punk rock outfit, and included collaborations with Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan and Cock Sparrer's Colin McFaull.
Dropkick Murphys' next album, Blackout, was released in 2003. The album included the radio hit "Walk Away," as well as the fan favorite song "Fields of Athenry." For the 2004 baseball season the released a re-working of an old Boston Red Sox song, "Tessie." The song was used in the major motion picture Fever Pitch and was included on the EA Sports MVP Baseball 2005 soundtrack. The band's fifth studio album, The Warrior's Code on Hellcat Records, was released in June 2005. It debuted at number 49 on the album charts, which was the highest debut for a Dropkick Murphys album at the time. The album features the singles "Sunshine Highway" and "The Warrior's Code" as well as the bonus track "Tessie."
In 2007, the band issued their sixth album, The Meanest of Times. The album was their first since leaving Hellcat Records and was released on Dropkick Murphys' own label, Born & Bred Records. It debuted on the album charts at number 20 in the U.S., again giving the band their highest chart debut so far. The first single released from the album, "The State of Massachusetts," became an instant hit. The song is featured as the opening theme to the MTV show Nitro Circus and ranked number 83 on the Rolling Stone top 100 songs of 2007 list. By January 2008, the single became one of the 60-most played alternative songs in the United States.
The most recent release from Dropkick Murphys was released in March 2011. Going Out In Style, the band's seventh studio album, is the highest chart position ever for Dropkick Murphys - debuting at #6 and selling 43, 259 in the U.S. in its first week. The album was produced by Ted Hutt, and features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Fat Mike, Chris Cheney, and Lenny Clarke.
Although frequently referred to as a celtic punk band, some of Dropkick Murphys earlier material has also been classified under other punk rock sub-genres like hardcore punk and Oi! The band's early influences include 1970s British punk bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols as well as the Irish rock band The Pogues and Scottish rock band ACDC. "We've always said we're like The Ramones or ACDC with what we do; if it ain't broke, don't fix it," said lead vocalist Al Barr. "But at the same time, we have to keep challenging ourselves. And if we find that tunes we're putting together for a record are boring us, we're not going to record them."
Dropkick Murphys will be performing live at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in Columbus on Tuesday, September 13th as a part of the Shamrock-N-Roll Festival. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased for $29.50 both before the show and at the door. The concert will be held outdoors rain or shine and gates open for admission at 4:30 pm.
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