DROPKICK MURPHYS

Dropkick Murphys formed in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1996. The band has carried its own tagline ever since: "For The People Since 1996 • Boston, Mass."

"Tessie" is an original 1902 song by the Royal Rooters, the Boston baseball team's fan club. Dropkick Murphys revived it in 2004, the same year the Red Sox won the World Series, ending an 86-year title drought. The song still plays at Fenway Park after wins, alongside "Dirty Water" — a link that anchors the band in Boston's sports and civic identity.

"I'm Shipping Up to Boston," included on The Warrior's Code (2005), is the band's only platinum-certified single. Its use in Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006) — the Best Picture Oscar winner — and on the film's official soundtrack album made it Dropkick Murphys' best-known song outside of Boston.

Ken Casey founded the Claddagh Fund in 2009, a registered 501(c)(3) organization supporting children's causes, veterans, and addiction and recovery services. In 2026, its fourth annual family event (March 14) included a reported $60,000 donation to Franciscan Children's Hospital.

This Machine Still Kills Fascists (2022) and Okemah Rising (2023) form a diptych built around unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics. Okemah Rising is classified as a studio album in the band's official discography, despite being a concept record devoted entirely to Guthrie.

For the People (2025) is the band's thirteenth studio album. 2026 marks their 30th anniversary: the "For The People...In The Pit" tour (February–March 2026) culminated in a five-show Boston-area residency (March 13–17), split between the MGM Music Hall at Fenway and the Citizens House of Blues, with a benefit matinee for the Claddagh Fund. The band also released "Dropped On My Head" (official music video, July 2026), the theme song for MGM+'s series "The Westies," and continues touring internationally at least through November 2026.

The current lineup is Ken Casey (vocals since 1998, bass 1996–98), Matt Kelly (drums since 1997), James Lynch (guitar since 2000), and Tim Brennan and Jeff DaRosa (guitar, accordion, banjo, mandolin, and bouzouki, both since 2008). Kevin Rheault (bass) and Campbell Webster (bagpipes, since 2022) perform with the band as touring members, since sources disagree on whether they hold full-member status.

Al Barr, the band's historic co-lead vocalist, has been on official hiatus since 2022 to care for his mother. He appeared as a guest on one track from the 2025 album and, on March 17, 2026, made a surprise onstage appearance during the encore of the band's St. Patrick's Day show in Boston — his first live appearance with Dropkick Murphys in roughly four years — with no formal return to the lineup confirmed.