I first discovered Dropkick Murphys years ago when my children were too young to go to shows alone. As the grandson of Irish immigrants, their themes resonated with me and I appreciated the Celtic element. In turn, Dropkick Murphys holds a special place in my heart as the first band my kids introduced me to.
Last week I had the opportunity to interview Al Barr, lead singer of The Dropkick Murphys. Fans of the band are familiar with Barr’s brash punk vocals, which he often trades off with bassist and other lead vocalist Ken Casey. Together they are an important part of the band’s trademark sound.
In this interview, Barr talks about the band’s excellent new album, “Going Out in Style” and what it was like to work with Bruce Springsteen. He also shares some funny stories about songs like “Tessie” and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
THOM: First, I want to thank you for this opportunity, my family and I are longtime fans and see the band whenever you come to the area. We are looking forward to your upcoming show in Niagara Falls.
Al: Well thanks, we are looking forward to it too, I don’t think we have ever played Niagara Falls proper, we have been in the area.
THOM: It is a great venue (The Rapids Theater) and I am sure you guys will love playing there. Anyhow, I would like to start by talking about your latest release “Going Out in Style.” I reviewed it for the website and it is a great album. Can you tell me about the process of writing and recording the album and the development of the Cornelius Larkin character?
Al: We started writing at the end of last summer and one of the first songs we wrote was “Going Out in Style.” This is our seventh record and in some ways it becomes more challenging, but the more we wrote, we thought it would be cool to have a storyline through the record. We had many ideas coming out through the songwriting process and Cornelius is a product of that.
Thom: How much of the Cornelius Larkin character is based on personal experiences by the band members or their families?
Al: A lot of it comes from our personal experiences and from our families experiences as well. We have always written from that perspective anyway.
THO
M: I also noticed that sonically, “Going Out in Style” sounds amazing. I heard a streaming version and was still amazed at the sound quality and the production.
Al: This is the first time we have worked with an outside producer in a very long time, like eleven years. Ken (Casey-Dropkick Murphys bassist/vocalist) has been sitting in the producers chair for the last four albums. One thing Ted (Hutt-producer of “Going Out in Style.”) does is layer things as part of the building process. I think that is why it is such a big sounding record. We always give it our all on our records. We had to place a lot of faith in Ted on this one, and it paid off.
THOM: It’s an interesting decision going with an outside producer, you guys have your own label and call your own shots now, did you feel like you gave up some of that going with an outside producer?
Al: Even when we were with Hellcat Records, we didn’t have to answer to anyone. When we decided to look at outside producers, one of the important things was finding someone the band could trust and that the essence of the band wouldn’t be lost. Through meeting Ted and working with him a little bit before we decided he would produce the record, we all felt like he gets it. We didn’t feel like we were giving up anything. It felt like he became the eight member of the band for awhile.
THOM: It sounds like it was a positive experience.
Al: Very much so, it was arduous at times but that’s a good thing. It was like a birthing process, very labor intensive from the womb to the birth of the record. We’ll see what happens when it hits the public. I will say that we are all happy with it and proud of what we’ve done on this record.
THOM: Bruce Springsteen appears on “Peg O’ My Heart,” and it isn’t one of those overblown guest spots, he fits right into the mix. One thing I know about Dropkick Murphys is that your music appeals to many generations of fans. I am in my mid forties and my kids are in their late teens and early twenties and we all love your work. Is that multi-generational appeal what prompted an artist like Bruce Springsteen to appear on your record and what was it like to work with him?
Al: We met Bruce Springsteen back in 2007 and it was his son that got him into us, which is kind of interesting. There is definitely a value system we have in common with Bruce Springsteen, but it was crazy being able to work with him. We joked about having him on the album when we began the writing process because we knew he was a fan. He’s been to see us and we have been to see him and we have been backstage at each other’s shows, so we have developed a friendship there. We figured we would ask but we never thought he would do it. When we asked and he said yes, we were shocked. Bruce is such an American icon, like Our Country’s Joe Strummer, not in the punk sense, but the human side of him, the things he cares about, the things he speaks out about, and we got a chance to get to know Joe before he passed. They both treat everybody the same. Even though Bruce is this huge superstar, he is this down to earth guy. That took me aback the first time we met him.
THOM: One other thing Dropkick Murphys is known for is in spite of the fact you have played a lot of clubs, your shows are always all-ages shows. Why was that important to you?
Al: That is where we were born, the whole punk, all-ages thing. As we get older and have our own kids, it hasn’t toned down our ferocity. That element is still important to us and we want the kids to be able to be a part of our shows.
THOM: Song wise, the song “Tessie” seemed to catapult you guys to a new level didn’t it?
Al: “Tessie?” No! I think it was “Shipping” that catapulted us. “Tessie” was more of a Boston thing. It got us out on Fenway Park. The first time we played “Tessie” at Fenway, we got rolled out on a stage with wheels and the announcer says, “and now the world traveling Dropkick Murphys are going to do ‘Tessie,'” and you could hear a fart. You could literally hear people saying “who the f**k is this,” and they just wanted to see baseball. We were like “oh my God!” The more we did it, the more people caught on, but it was always more of a Boston thing and a New England thing. Even though it was in that movie “Fever Pitch,” it still never became what “Shipping” did because of “The Departed.” I think “Tessie” did put us on the radar for some people that had never heard us before, but once we hit it with “Shipping,” it blew the doors off of everything.
THOM: Did you ever play “Tessie” in New York when the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry was really hot?
Al: We always play it when, as Ken puts it, “we are in the belly of the beast.” It’s funny because the last time we played Roseland (Roseland Ballroom near Times Square), there was this “Yankees suck” chant going on. New York is full of Mets fans too, so they have a rivalry there and it’s amazing to find that there are Yankee haters all over the world. I will say this though, we were playing Irving Plaza right after the Sox won the first time in 2004, and we brought a film screen down behind us and played highlights of the Yanks-Boston series and literally we went from the crowd eating out of our hands to full beers sailing across our heads.
THOM: With “I’m Shipping up to Boston” did you ever anticipate it would be such a big hit if it were included in a Scorsese film?
Al: I didn’t even anticipate it being in the film. I remember reading an email from our manager that said that Martin Scorsese is doing a film about Irish mobsters and is considering one of our songs. , I thought to myself , “that’s cool but it will never happen.” So when it made it into the movie, I still didn’t have any idea how prominently it was going to be featured. I remember missing the premiere because my wife and I have young children and we didn’t have a babysitter, so we wound up catching a matinee a week later, and we saw it and thought “this is crazy.” It’s funny because we did play the song live one time before the movie came out and it didn’t go over well. I remember coming offstage and someone in the band saying, “let’s never play that song live again, it just sucked.” Then three to six months after the movie came out and we started playing it live again, the crowds went wild. We had built a big fan base through touring and sometimes when something like that happens, there is a backlash. We never had that with our fans. They were just happy for us. They weren’t like “you sellout” or anything like that, and that is the kind of relationship we have with our fans. We are the same band. We never change our spots. Just like on this record, we didn’t go and try to write another “Shipping.” For that matter, we didn’t write “Shipping” for “The Departed.” It had come out the year before.
THOM: I think that is the difference between you and some other bands that took an intentional turn towards a commercialized sound, you grow musically but your sound remains constant. Anyhow, you are going to start your tour in Niagara Falls in a couple weeks, what songs will you be performing from the new album and what songs might be dropped from the set?
Al: We have such a vast catalogue and we are a touring band, so that can get complicated. We are music fans so we know people don’t want to hear all new stuff. As a touring band, we are excited to have new songs to play. We haven’t done anything live in a while, although we did play some dates in New Zealand in December. We don’t necessarily look at things to drop from our set. We literally come in to town and one of us might be walking around and somebody will come up to us and tell us somebody got married, or a relative passed, or my brother’s in Afghanistan, and they will ask if we will play a song for them. We will literally add it to the set and learn it in sound check. We never really leave New England with a set. I think we will start to play more new songs as the songs become more familiar to the fans. We’ll probably start with five or six new songs spattered in with twenty or so of the standards.
THOM: Which ones will become staples in the set list, the ones you play for years to come?
AL: I don’t know. That will be up to the fans to decide. I think “Hang ‘Em High” will be one of them. We opened shows in Australia and New Zealand with it and it got a good response. Of course, it’s up to the fans, but I think “Going Out in Style” will be a great closer.
THOM: It seems to be the perfect closer. I put that in my review.
AL: Yeah, I could see it replacing “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced” some day.
THOM: You still would have the fans get onstage though, wouldn’t you?
AL: Of course! There are some things about our shows that are important, especially the audience participation element. I mean, I can’t imagine us being up there and the fans being out there. It would change the whole dynamic. Wouldn’t it?
THOM: I know my kids would be upset. They look forward to getting up onstage, even though we still haven’t managed to get a good picture of it! I would like to finish by saying how much I am looking forward to the show, you guys really do a great job and treat your fans to a great night of music. I also want to mention Sean Flores, your merch guy, he is a great guy, and your management has been great to deal with as well.
AL: Thanks, we consider all the people that work for us to be part of our family and I’m glad to hear that they treated you well.
We would like to thank Kristine Ashton-Magnuson for setting up the interview with Al. for more information on Al and the Dropkick Murphys, please go to: http://www.dropkickmurphys.com.
