Legendary punk band Dropkick Murphy's return with BLACKOUT. This
album is everything good punk stands for, featuring the
Dropkicks' signature Celtic-infused style and balls to the walls
attitude. Check out the Murphys' as they headline the Vans Warped
Tour this summer!
About the Artist
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Al Barr - Lead Vocals Ken Casey - Lead Vocals, Bass
Matt Kelly - Drums, Bodhran, Vocals James Lynch - Guitar, Vocals
Marc Orrell - Guitar, Accordion, Vocals Ryan Foltz - Mandolin,
Tin Whistle, Dulcimer Scruffy Wallace - Bagpipes
The Dropkick Murphys uncompromising spirit and matchless energy
surge through Blackout, the Boston-based, Celtic punk outfits
triumphant new album. From the urgent and irresistible opener
"Walk Away" which takes to task a her who abandons his
family to the superb, bagpipe-doused blue collar homage
"Workers Song," DKM continues to build off of the musical
blueprint it began with back in 1996.
Perhaps the hard charging, chant-along "Gonna Be A Blackout
Tonight" best represents just how far the Dropkick Murphys have
come. When approached a year ago by Woody Guthries daughter Nora
with the prospect of putting some of her legendary hers
unpublished lyrics to music, the net result was the fiery punk
firecracker that became the title track to DKMs fourth studio
set.
Rooted in the sounds of The Clash, The Pogues, AC/DC and Stiff
Little Fingers, the Murphys started with humble but enthusiastic
means, self-releasing early s and touring to support
them. Just two years later, the band's hard work aligned them
with Hellcat Records, Tim Armstrong's new imprint for Brett
Gurewitzs Epitaph label. The resulting Do or Die, produced by
Armstrong's Rancid-mate Lars Fredriksen, lit the musical fuse
that would soon explode inside the punk community. Chronicling
DKM's innovative fusion of blistering rock & roll, melodic Irish
folk, and a deep loyalty to the working class, Do or Die rendered
sales of 150,000 largely due to word of mouth in the underground
and forged a path in punk rock that turned a whole new generation
of kids onto Celtic & traditional folk music although in this
case with a much bigger kick in the ass!
Introducing the vocal exchanges of Al Barr and Ken Casey 2001's
ambitious Sing Loud Sing Proud incorporated more instrumentation
than any previous effort. Defining the Murphys' position as
leaders of a new sub-genre that could only be concocted in the
heart of Boston, the disc's hometown anthems and whiskey-soaked
melodies earned the group even wider accl. Continuously
surprising industry pundits by outdrawing even high profile
mainstream acts as headliners on major tours and festival
participants on four continents, DKM landed high-profile slots on
the Warped and Punk-O-Rama tours, plus achieving personal goals
by performing at the Sex Pistol's infamous Silver Jubilee gig and
on the Boston born Conan O'Brien Show in the wake of Sing Loud.
The Dropkick Murphys incendiary live performances were the
subject of their next release, 2002s Live On St. Patricks Day
From Boston, MA. An exhibition of the groups infamous, annual
homecoming gigs, these events find ale swilling hooligans
standing alongside punk rock supporters of all ages. The concerts
have become so popular, in fact, that 2003 saw the Murphys move
an unprecedented 8,000 tickets for four shows, shattering the
venue sales record previously held by the legendary Ramones.
With Blackout, the Dropkick Murphys deliver their finest record
to date. No mere "punk rock" album, its lack of pretension and
honesty puts it much closer to the works of Bragg and even
Springsteen. As impressively innovative and broad in musical
as ever, Blackout finds DKMs persevering spirit and
heartfelt approach to music omni-potent.