Dropkick Murphys

Drawing inspiration from British Oi!, American hardcore, and longstanding Irish folk traditions, the Boston-based Dropkick Murphys established themselves among the United States' foremost Celtic punk ensembles. The outfit came together in the late 1990s as an intense yet direct punk unit before gradually weaving traditional Irish folk instruments and melodies into its raucous approach. Through lyrics addressing working-class hardships, street-level unity, and the pleasures found at the bottom of a glass, the Murphys attracted both longtime punk listeners and broader audiences, especially once "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" appeared in Martin Scorsese's 2006 Academy Award-winning film The Departed. Later releases such as 2011's Going Out in Style and 2017's 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory rose steadily into the Billboard Top Ten, expanding the band's reach. Committed to philanthropy and political engagement, the group established the Claddagh Fund to back local nonprofits and achieved near-iconic status in its home city. After 2021's Turn Up That Dial, the Murphys issued their initial all-acoustic recordings with 2022's This Machine Still Kills Fascists and 2023's Okemah Rising.

The Murphys originated in South Boston during 1996, with vocalist Mike McColgan, guitarist Rick Barton, and bassist Ken Casey forming the core lineup; multiple drummers rotated through before Matt Kelly joined permanently in 1997. Following EPs including Fire & Brimstone, Tattoos & Scally Caps, and Boys on the Docks, the band signed with Hellcat Records and delivered its 1998 debut full-length Do or Die, produced by Rancid's Lars Frederiksen. McColgan departed shortly afterward to launch Street Dogs and was succeeded by vocalist Al Barr on the 1999 follow-up The Gang's All Here.

Mid-2000 brought the split album Mob Mentality with the Business, coinciding with a major expansion: the five-piece lineup grew to seven members as Marc Orrell replaced departing guitarist Rick Barton, James Lynch entered on guitar, and bagpiper Spicy McHaggis plus mandolinist Ryan Foltz arrived to strengthen the Celtic elements. Bassist Ken Casey assumed production duties for the third studio album, 2001's Sing Loud, Sing Proud, which included guest turns from ex-Pogues vocalist Shane MacGowan and Cock Sparrer's Colin McFaull.

The following year highlighted the band's Irish roots with the summer release of Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA, captured at the city's premier Irish American festival and showcasing its high-energy performances. Ahead of the 2003 Vans Warped Tour, Blackout appeared in June, introducing bagpiper Scruffy Wallace and accordionist Tim Brennan, who also assumed mandolin and tin whistle after Foltz's exit. The mid-2004 EP Tessie reworked the Boston Red Sox anthem "Tessie," which became the team's World Series theme that year and featured in the film Fever Pitch. Warrior's Code arrived in 2005; its track "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" later powered the 2006 Scorsese film The Departed and became the Murphys' signature hit. Soon after, The Meanest of Times emerged in mid-September 2007, exploring family loyalty with contributions from the Pogues' Spider Stacy and the Dubliners' Ronnie Drew. Following lead guitarist Orrell's 2008 departure, multi-instrumentalist Jeff DaRosa joined while Brennan advanced to lead guitar.

A 2010 CD/DVD titled Live on Lansdowne, Boston MA documented a week of 2009 St. Patrick's Day performances in Boston. For the next studio project the band crafted a concept album centered on the invented character Cornelius Larkin, drawing from its own experiences; the resulting seventh album, Going Out in Style, surfaced in 2011 via the Born & Bred imprint. Live at Fenway followed in 2012, and the eighth studio effort, Signed and Sealed in Blood, arrived the next year. Early 2017 brought the ninth studio album, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, recorded for the first time outside Massachusetts at studios in El Paso, Texas. Motivated by the Claddagh Fund's work with recovering addicts and issued again on Born & Bred Records, the set debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200. An extensive world tour ensued, encompassing North American dates alongside Rancid. Tracking for the tenth album began in 2018, with several songs previewed before COVID-19 halted touring and prompted completion of the project. Shifting from prior confrontational themes, the band emphasized uplifting, communal anthems plus a tribute to Barr's father and those lost to the pandemic; Turn Up That Dial emerged at the start of 2021.

In 2022 Barr stepped away temporarily to care for his mother, allowing the group to record its debut all-acoustic collection using unused Woody Guthrie lyrics. "Two 6's Upside Down" served as the initial single from This Machine Still Kills Fascists. A companion album from those sessions, Okemah Rising, followed in 2023 and featured appearances by the Violent Femmes, Jesse Ahern, and Jaime Wyatt.