This Machine Rising - Dropkick Murphys and the Songs of Woody Guthrie

The aim of this particular post is not an examination of the lyrical content of the Woody Guthrie songs that the Dropkick Murphys have written the music for but a rather a bringing together in one place of the albums, the new documentary and a recent live show from Hellfest 2024 to enjoy, play loud, dance, sing-a-long and marvel that songs written so long ago have the ability to speak into our lives decades after Guthrie first put pen to paper. Because we have no idea how Woody Guthrie himself would have created the music for these songs, we are left in the hands of a band from Boston who are largely known for their Celtic Punk sound to do it for us. The fact that they have created two excellent albums from their sessions and barely lost sight of their own unique sound is a testament to the quality of the songs and their own desire to show musically that Guthrie still has something to say.

A couple of days ago the Dropkick Murphys relased their documentary 'This Machine Rising' that spotlights the making of their albums 'This Machine Still Kills Facists' (2022) and 'Okemah Rising' (2023) that feature the lyrics of Woody Guthrie.

 "This Machine Rising tells the story of the acoustic songs we wrote around a pile of Woody Guthrie’s unpublished lyrics. These songs get to the core of what the band believes in — and what we’ve always stood for...Acoustic folk and protest music has always been one huge chunk of the puzzle that makes up Dropkick Murphys. We were trying to find lyrics to hit the same areas that were important to us – social and economic injustice, organizing the working class, standing up to fascism or conservative values that we don’t agree with, fighting for the working class people…There are a lot of similarities in the band’s mindset. To read these lyrics that were written in the ‘30s or ‘40s that are so apropos to today, it’s kind of scary and powerful at the same time because it’s so relevant now."  Ken Casey (Lead Vocalist)

Listen and Watch Videos from the album

 

Listen and Watch Videos from the album

The lyrics of Woody Guthrie were not new to the Dropkick Murphys, they had first used them on the 'Blackout' album in 2003 with the song Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight:

Also on 'The Warriors Code' album (2005) with I'm Shipping Up To Boston: 

One of the things I love about the Dropkicks is that they have a bond with their community and a love for the working man and any injustice done to workers. When they were last in the UK they took the song All You Fonies and rewrote parts of it in support of the Union workers:

"In support of all our Union friends in the UK fighting the good fight against the elitist Tory political party we made this music video in association with the RMT (The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers). On our recent UK shows we changed the words to the song All You Fonies (Bound To Lose) to All You Tories in support of the striking railroad and transit workers, nurses , fire fighters, teachers, postal workers, ambulance staff and health workers . The song is recorded Live at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff Wales and the live video footage is from Cardiff and the Wembley Arena show in London. Animation provided courtesy of the RMT. Best of luck in your struggle friends. Yours in Solidarity, Dropkick Murphys"

 The band will be out touring the UK in 2025, here's the dates:

Feb 04: Birmingham O2 Academy
Feb 05: Glasgow O2 Academy
Feb 06: Manchester Academy
Feb 07: Cardiff Utilita Arena
Feb 08: London Alexandra Palace

If you have never seen them live then their recent set at Hellfest 2022 will be a good introduction (the 2024 show I can't embed but you can watch it here)

 

Soundtrack4Life: The Best Albums of 2017 - #17 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory - Dropkick Murphys

#17 on the list of The Best Albums of 2017 for Soundtrack4Life is the ninth Studio Album from Boston's Dropkick Murphys.

The album, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, was recorded in Texas in 2016, the first time they had left home to make an album! It was released in the opening week of January on their own Born & Bred label.

The album was influenced by the band's work with The Claddagh Fund, a charity the band established in 2009 to help support addiction recovery as well as children's and veterans' organizations. "Rebels with a Cause" was written about kids who are given up on, and left behind by a system that has written them off as hopeless. "Paying My Way" is about the way up and out of addiction and the dream of bigger and better things in life. "4-15-13" pays homage to the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing, most of whom the band grew to know personally after visits to their hospital rooms in the aftermath. "Since that day, we felt like not taking the challenge to write a song about what we all went through would be taking the coward’s way out. We put more importance on writing that piece of music than anything we’ve ever done, because if you're going to touch that day, it has to be done right. We went through so many emotions with that whole experience, as did everyone in Boston. It changed the city forever," Casey said. Tim Brennan said of the album, "we've stayed true to what the band is and has always been. And we're still expanding on our sound and lyrical content."

Whilst dealing with some difficult themes the band maintain that classic Celtic Folk Punk sound with lots of gang vocals that give it a real sing-a-long vibe.

It was a great follow up to the 2013 release Signed and Sealed In Blood.

Listen to Ken and Matt talking about You'll Never Walk Alone that is included on the album and you'll see just a glimpse of care and concern that they have for their city and those caught up in addiction.

 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory  - Dropkick Murphys
Born & Bred Records
Produced by Tedd Hutt
Released 6th January 2017

US Chart #8

UK Chart #68

German Chart #3

Listen to the Album Here:

Dropkick Murphys

Live

8th July 2017

11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory - Dropkick Murphys (January 2017)

11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory  - Dropkick Murphys 

Born & Bred Records

Produced by Tedd Hutt 

Released 6th January 2017

A1 The Lonesome Boatman    
A2 Rebels With A Cause    
A3 Blood    
A4 Sandlot    
A5 First Class Loser    
B1 Paying My Way    
B2 I Had A Hat    
B3 Kicked To The Curb    
B4 You'll Never Walk Alone    
B5 4-15-13    
B6 Until The Next Time

Blood

Official Video

Paying My Way

Official Video

Dropkick Murphys Talk About Recording You'll Never Walk Alone.

You'll Never Walk Alone.

***************

It's been four years since the last Studio Album from Boston's Dropkick Murphys (Signed and Sealed In Blood) and the wait has surely been worth it with the release on Friday of 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory.

11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory was recorded in El Paso, Texas - a long way from home in Boston!

The album was influenced by the band's work with The Claddagh Fund, a charity the band established in 2009 to help support addiction recovery as well as children's and veterans' organizations. "Rebels with a Cause" was written about kids who are given up on, and left behind by a system that has written them off as hopeless. "Paying My Way" is about the way up and out of addiction and the dream of bigger and better things in life. "4-15-13" pays homage to the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing, most of whom the band grew to know personally after visits to their hospital rooms in the aftermath. "Since that day, we felt like not taking the challenge to write a song about what we all went through would be taking the coward’s way out. We put more importance on writing that piece of music than anything we’ve ever done, because if you're going to touch that day, it has to be done right. We went through so many emotions with that whole experience, as did everyone in Boston. It changed the city forever," Casey said. Tim Brennan said of the album, "we've stayed true to what the band is and has always been. And we're still expanding on our sound and lyrical content."