Dropkick Murphys are back with their 10th album, Turn Up That Dial, a new collection of punk songs that are sure to have fans singing along once the band is able to hit the road again.
The Massachusetts outfit is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, having formed in 1996. Leading up to the new album’s release, founding co-vocalist Ken Casey caught up with Heavy Consequence over Zoom to discuss the Celtic-punk act’s new LP, how he and the band have been affected by the pandemic, and more.
Dropkick Murphys have built their reputation over the years a high-energy live act with a devoted fanbase, and the pandemic has marked the first time the band has truly taken a break in its 25-year history.
“Obviously, it was a dramatic shock, taking away what motivates us, taking away our livelihood,” Casey said of the pandemic. “But at the same time, 25 years of touring, and we have kids and stuff, I’ve never had this much quality time at home with them.”
In addition, Casey dove into the new album, discussing the recent single “Middle Finger” and the topical political anthem “Chosen Few”. He also told the story behind the track “Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding”, an amusing tale about the legendary Clash singer-guitarist.
Looking back at the band’s 25-year history, Casey named a couple of moments that involved the legendary Bruce Springsteen among the band’s biggest highlights. One of those instances was the time Springsteen joined Dropkick onstage at the House of Blues in Boston. The Boss walked out arm in arm with Casey’s grandmother to the stage, and as Casey tells it, “I thought we were gonna need the jaws of life to pry my grandmother’s arm off of Bruce.”
Dropkick Murphys’ new album, Turn Up That Dial, arrives this Friday, April 30th, and is available here. The band is performing a free album-release party livestream concert on Saturday (May 1st), with an RSVP link here.
Watch our full interview with Ken Casey above.
Trouble viewing the interview in the player above? Watch on YouTube.
