SONG OF THE WEEK: 3/20/22

SONG:  "I And I"

ARTIST:  Bayside

ALBUM:  "Live At The Bayside Social Club"

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  New York City, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2000 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"I And I" appears to be a song about overcoming the feeling of being alone or feeling that you are less adequate. The vocalist appears to be taking control of his life in a positive way and he's showing those who were once like him that they too can feel a sense of purpose and a sense of community. And they can do this together. I chose the live version of "I And I" taken from Bayside's 2008 live album, "Live At The Bayside Social Club". The original version of the song can be found on the band's 2007 album "The Walking Wounded". 

BAYSIDE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2004 - Sirens And Condolences (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - Bayside (Victory Records)

* peaked at #153 on the Billboard 200 on 9-10-05

2006 - Acoustic (Victory Records)

* peaked at #200 on the Billboard 200 on 3-18-06

2007 - The Walking Wounded (Victory Records)

* peaked at #75 on the Billboard 200 on 2-24-07

2008 - Live At The Bayside Social Club (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - Shudder (Victory Records)

* peaked at #54 on the Billboard 200 on 10-18-08

2011 - Killing Time (Wind-Up Records)

* peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200 on 3-12-11

2014 - Cult (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200 on 3-8-14

2016 - Vacancy (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #69 on the Billboard 200 on 9-10-16

2019 - Interrobang (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #109 on the Billboard 200 on 10-19-19

MY THOUGHTS ON BAYSIDE:

Bayside formed as a band back in 2000, hailing from New York City, Queens to be exact. The band's early years resulted in a few EP's and specifically a demo that the band managed to pass on to the band New Found Glory, whose connections helped Bayside get their foot in the door. The band would eventually ink a deal with Victory Records which would last for four studio albums, a live album and an acoustic album. Bayside's debut album would be 2004's "Sirens And Condolences". The band started generating some buzz in pop punk circles with their single "Masterpiece". The began generating more success with their next album, 2005's "Bayside". The band finished out their Victory contract with the albums "The Walking Wounded" (2007) and "Shudder" (2008). In 2011, the band did a one off deal with Wind-Up Records for the release of "Killing Time". This album features the song "Already Gone" which happens to be my favorite track by Bayside. In 2014, Bayside signed a deal with Hopeless Records where they remain to this day. They have released three albums through Hopeless, 2014's "Cult", 2016's "Vacancy" and the last full length album they have released, 2019's "Interrobang". 2014's "Cult" is the band's highest charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at #24. Bayside's most recent release was the EP "Acoustic Vol. 3" which they put out in 2020. Bayside is a pop punk/melodic rock band at it's core. I think the vocal style of Anthony Raneri makes Bayside stick out amongst their peers. His vocal delivery just always made their sound unique to me. I got hooked on Bayside pretty much from their debut album, "Sirens And Condolences" but the lead single on their next album, "Devotion And Desire" really solidified my fandom for Bayside. I really don't think they've released a bad album. If I had to pick a favorite, I'm really fond of 2011's "Killing Time", perhaps it's because as I said earlier it has my favorite track by the band, "Already Gone". The band's first "Acoustic" album is really great as well. All in all, Bayside is a great band and definitely at the top of that melodic rock/pop punk food chain for sure.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Senses Fail

Alkaline Trio

I Am The Avalanche

Taking Back Sunday

Hawthorne Heights

TEN BAYSIDE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Already Gone

2. Winter

3. Devotion And Desire

4. Duality

5. Masterpiece

6. No One Understands

7. I've Been Dead All Day

8. Prayers

9. Time Has Come

10. Monster

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3/13/22

SONG:  "Mother's Day"

ARTIST:  Dave Hause

ALBUM:  "September Haze" EP

YEAR:  2019

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

YEARS ACTIVE:  1995 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Mother's Day" appears to be a song about reflecting on mistakes made and regrets in a relationship and in life. But, what could tear this relationship apart is what is making them overcome and persevere through their problems. "Mother's Day" was written by Dave Hause just as he became sober and a lot of the pain and sorrow is reflected as he looks back at the suffering he caused to himself and more importantly to his family because of his alcoholism. In "Mother's Day", you sense that he can see a light at the end of the tunnel where things can finally get better.

DAVE HAUSE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - Resolutions (Paper + Plastick Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Devour (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - Bury Me In Philly (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Kick (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2021 - Blood Harmony (Blood Harmony Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON DAVE HAUSE:

Dave Hause has been part of the Philadelphia punk rock scene dating back to the mid-90's. He first played in a band called Step Ahead which dissolved and some of the guys in that band formed The Curse, which was Dave's first foray into lead vocals. While in The Curse, Hause also played guitar and performed backup vocals with the band Paint It Black. In 2004, he formed his own band, The Loved Ones. The Loved Ones were Hause's main focus till about 2009 when he began touring solo, doing acoustic sets. In fact, Hause was one of the first people to hitch on with Chuck Ragan's "Revival Tours", which featured punk rock frontmen in more stripped down, acoustic sets. At this point, Hause was all in on doing his solo thing. His debut full length album was 2011's "Resolutions". On the strength of that album, Hause signed a deal with Rise Records. His first album through Rise was 2013's "Devour", which features my favorite song by Hause, "We Could Be Kings". Do yourself a favor and check out the acoustic version of that song. It's incredible. In 2017, Hause released "Bury Me In Philly". At this point, he formed a touring band called The Mermaid to play on his tours. The Mermaid features his brother Tim Hause as well. 2019's "Kick" would be his last album through Rise Records. Hause and his brother Tim formed their own record label, Blood Harmony Records, which they released Dave's most recent album, "Blood Harmony". Dave Hause is a beast! His roots are very much in punk rock and his songwriting is excellent. This dude can really write awesome melodic songs! I love The Loved Ones. I was, and still am, a little bit bummed that they have not released anything since 2009. I guess they aren't broken up as they still perform the odd show every now and again, but Dave Hause is clearly focused on his solo career. Though, he also performed in the band The All Brights in 2015 and the punk rock supergroup The Falcon, which also features Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms and Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio. I first learned of Dave's music from The Loved One's debut album back in 2006. "100K" is still one of my favorite songs. As for his solo stuff, as I said earlier, Hause is an incredible songwriter. I think "Devour" and "Bury Me In Philly" are phenomenal albums but all his stuff is aces. When I listen to how good his songs are and the crap that they play on the radio now, I wonder often what the Christ is wrong with people!!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Brian Fallon

Chuck Ragan

The Gaslight Anthem

Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room

Sundowner

TEN DAVE HAUSE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. We Could Be Kings (acoustic version)

2. My Mistake

3. The Great Depression

4. Resolutions

5. Dirty Fucker

6. C'mon Kid

7. Gary

8. Saboteurs

9. Surfboard

10. Mother's Day

SONG OF THE WEEK: 3/6/22

SONG:  "Homesick And Stable"

ARTIST:  Fort Street

ALBUM:  "Homesick And Stable"

YEAR:  2013

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Kingston, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2013 - 2015 ???

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Homesick And Stable" appears to be about a relationship between two people that go together like oil and water. It seems the two people have totally seperate visions of what their relationship actually is. Perhaps their only reason for being together is convienience. I don't have the lyrics to this song so i'm just trying to piece them together by listening so I could be totally wrong. Who knows?!!

FORT STREET DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

Fort Street has no full length releases.

MY THOUGHTS ON FORT STREET:

Fort Street formed as a band sometime around 2013. The band is from Kingston, NY. The band was signed to Broken English records who distributed the only release I know by them, 2013's "Homesick And Stable" EP. There's really not a whole lot to say about this band. They seemed to leave the scene as quick as they got in. The last that I found out about them is that they played a live show back in January of 2015 according to their Twitter and Facebook. Their bandcamp page only has their EP on it and there is not a whole lot of information out there about them. I assume they broke up in 2015. I found out about this band through the Dying Scene webpage which has been down for a few years but I'm psyched to hear that they may be back up this spring. I found out about a shitload of great bands through that site. As for Fort Street's sound? They're a melodic punk rock band. I dug their EP. I thought the band showed some promise and I was looking forward for more from them but like I said earlier, they've done nothing since early 2015.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Nightmares For A Week

Banquets

The Holy Mess

Blacklist Royals

Flirting With Disaster

TEN FORT STREET SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Sorry, they only have 5 songs that I know of!!

1. Pardon Me

2. Gasoline

3. Homesick And Stable

4. Heaven Sent

5. Forty Days

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/27/22

SONG:  "Scorpios"

ARTIST:  Scorpios

ALBUM:  "Scorpios"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Francisco, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  2011 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Scorpios" appears to be a song about, well, the Scorpios! As in, the lyrics describe the guys in the band and how they all come together from various parts of the country to make music and go on tours together. It's kinda like the Scorpios introduction to their band. It is their, "Hey Hey We're The Monkees"!

SCORPIOS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - Scorpios (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - One Week Record (One Week Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON SCORPIOS:

Scorpios is a band that formed back in 2011 featuring Brian Wahlstrom (Bandaid Brigade), Joey Cape (Lagwagon), Jon Snodgrass (Drag The River) and Tony Sly (No Use For A Name). This is an acoustic side project for all these guys who find the time between their main gigs to get together and make music together and tour. In fact, most of these guys toured together as separate solo acoustic acts before they decided to collaborate together. Their debut album, "Scorpios", came out in 2011. Unfortunately, Tony Sly passed away tragically on July 31, 2012. From the time of Tony Sly's passing and 2017, the other guys pretty much worked on their other projects. Scorpios enlisted Chris Cresswell of The Flatliners to replace Tony Sly and in 2017 they released "One Week Record". As is the case with side projects, these guys are often working on other projects and eventually get back together to either record new music or just go on tour. I have no news as to whether Scorpios will be releasing anything new anytime soon. This of course can change in an instant. I got into Scorpios right off the bat being that I'm a huge No Use For A Name and Lagwagon fan. Pretty much anything from those bands or solo stuff from Tony Sly and Joey Cape I scooped up rather quickly. I also love when Snodgrass harmonizes on background vocals. If you like to hear your punk rock heroes over stripped down acoustic guitars then you should definitely give Scorpios a listen. R.I.P. Mr. Sly. Can't believe it's almost been 10 years.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Russ Rankin

Yotam Ben Horin

Joey Cape

Tony Sly

Joe McMahon

TEN SCORPIOS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Moonshiner

2. Lonely Parade

3. Prost Amigos

4. Lifer

5. Scorpios

6. The Doorman's Final Call

7. Happy Anniversary

8. When We Cave In

9. We Won't Speak Of This Again

10. Slicked-Back Wig Hair

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/20/22

SONG:  "Suffer"

ARTIST:  Bad Religion

ALBUM:  "Suffer"

YEAR:  1988

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Los Angeles, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1980 - present

WHAT DO I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Suffer" appears to be a song about the suffering that the masses of humanity have to endure each and every day. The world is basically split between the haves and the have nots and the haves wield the power and wealth to keep the have nots suffering. Funny how in 1988, Bad Religion was speaking almost of the very same class war that is rampant in our country here in 2022. 

BAD RELIGION DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1982 - How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1983 - Into The Unknown (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1988 - Suffer (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1989 - No Control (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1990 - Against The Grain (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1992 - Generator (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1993 - Recipe For Hate (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1994 - Stranger Than Fiction (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #87 on the Billboard 200 on 9-24-94

* certified gold

1996 - The Gray Race (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #56 on the Billboard 200 on 3-16-96

1996 - Tested (Dragnet Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1998 - No Substance (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at # 78 on the Billboard 200 on 5-23-98

2000 - The New America (Atlantic Records)

* peaked at #88 on the Billboard 200 on 5-27-00

2002 - The Process Of Belief (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #49 on the Billboard 200 on 2-9-02

2004 - The Empire Strikes First (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #40 on the Billboard 200 on 6-26-04

2007 - New Maps Of Hell (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200 on 7-28-07

2010 - The Dissent Of Man (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200 on 10-16-10

2010 - 30 Years Live (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - True North (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200 on 2-9-13

2013 - Christmas Songs (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #101 on the Billboard 200 on 11-16-13

2019 - Age Of Unreason (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #73 on the Billboard 200 on 5-18-19

MY THOUGHTS ON BAD RELIGION:

Bad Religion formed as a band back in 1980, hailing from Los Angeles, California. The band's debut album would be 1982's "How Could Hell Be Any Worse?". While that debut showed major promise for this up and coming hardcore punk band, they followed the album up with a prog-rock album called "Into The Unknown". Not only did this change of sound alienate their fans, it eventually caused the band to break up. Vocalist Greg Graffin began to reassemble the band in 1986 however and in 1988, Bad Religion released "Suffer". This is one of the most important albums in punk rock history and a foreshadow of the hardcore/skate punk sound that would permeate throughout southern California in the 90's. The band would drop four more albums in a 5 year span, 1989's "No Control", 1990's "Against The Grain", 1992's "Generator" and 1993's "Recipe For Hate". All of their releases up to this point were on Epitaph Records which is a label that Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz formed in the early 80's. Epitaph is now synonomous with punk rock music. The major success of grunge music in the early 90's cleared way for a punk rock revival movement of the mid-90's which featured smash success albums by bands like Green Day, Rancid and The Offspring. Bad Religion would also ride that wave and get signed by major label Atlantic Records to release their 1994 album "Stranger Than Fiction". This album would be certified gold. The downside is that Gurewitz decided to leave the band to focus more of his time on Epitaph which was having major success at the time. Bad Religion released 3 more albums through Atlantic Records, 1996's "The Gray Race", 1998's "No Substance" and 2000's "The New America". 2002 saw the band go back to Epitaph and also saw the return of Gurewitz on guitar for the release of "The Process Of Belief". This album was part of a string of 5 top 50 albums, including 2004's "The Empire Strikes First", 2007's "New Maps Of Hell", 2010's "The Dissent Of Man" and 2012's "True North", the band's highest charting album reaching #19. The band would release a Christmas album in 2013 that is actually phenomenal! In the longest period between releases, it would take 6 years before Bad Religion would release their most recent album, 2019's "Age Of Unreason". In January of 2021, the band released the song "Emancipation Of The Mind" and there has been word that they are working on new material for a brand new album with no tentative date yet. Bad Religion is one of the most important bands in punk rock history. In my mind, one of the most important bands in rock and roll period! These guys laid the groundwork for what would become the punk rock revival in the mid 90's. They set the blueprint with fast, melodic songs. They were also not afraid to speak out about ills of society, religion, government and the environment. They were like punk rock scholars and their songs not only made you rock out, they also made you think. These guys are just at the top of the mountain when it comes to punk. I got into Bad Religion around 1993's "Recipe For Hate". Yeah, I was late to the party! I believe when I saw the "American Jesus" video I was hooked. At that time, I was all over the Seattle sound, but Bad Religion really introduced me to that California skate punk style that I totally fell in love with. It was Bad Religion that led me to love bands like No Use For A Name, Pennywise, Lagwagon, Good Riddance and Pulley. The 90's is still my favorite decade of music.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Pennywise

Lagwagon

No Use For A Name

Millencolin

Good Riddance

TEN BAD RELIGION SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Sorrow

2. American Jesus

3. Generator

4. The Devil In Stitches

5. 21st Century Digital Boy

6. Do What You Want

7. Punk Rock Song

8. Los Angeles Is Burning

9. Honest Goodbye

10. Infected

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/13/22

SONG:  "Mandy" (Barry Manilow cover)

ARTIST:  Me First And The Gimme Gimmes

ALBUM:  "Have A Ball"

YEAR:  1997

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Francisco, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1995 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Mandy" is a song that appears to be about letting go of someone and then going through life regretting it. The vocalist now realizes that this person was his rock. She supported him unconditionally through the ups and the downs and he failed to see it then. Now that she is gone, he knows he needs her more than ever but he knows it will never happen. "Mandy" was originally called "Brandy" and written by Scott English in 1971. It catapulted to fame when the song was changed to "Mandy" and released as a single by Barry Manilow in 1974. Me First gives it a little punk rock overhaul!!

ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1997 - Have A Ball (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - Are A Drag (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Blow In The Wind (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Take A Break (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #131 on the Billboard 200 on 7-19-03

2004 - Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #197 on the Billboard 200 on 11-6-04

2006 - Love Their Country (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #169 on the Billboard 200 on 11-4-06

2008 - Have Another Ball (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #163 on the Billboard 200 on 7-26-08

2014 - Are We Not Men? We Are Diva (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #102 on the Billboard 200 on 5-31-14

MY THOUGHTS ON ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES:

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes are a punk rock supergroup that formed in San Francisco, California in 1995. The band consists of Spike Slawson (Swingin' Utters) on vocals, Fat Mike (NOFX) on bass, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) on guitar and Joey Cape and Dave Raun of Lagwagon on guitar and drums respectively. The band's first release was a 2 song single called "Denver" in 1995 which featured John Denver covers. The band's first full length album would be 1997's "Have A Ball" which featured covers of singer/songwriters of the 60's, 70's and 80's. The 1999 release, "Are A Drag", featured covers of showtunes. 2001's "Blow In The Wind" featured covers of 60's classics. 2003's "Take A Break" featured Me First's takes on R&B tracks. The band recorded a live album in 2004 at an actual bar mitzvah titled "Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah". In 2006, the band tackled country and western songs on "Love Their Country". 2008 the band released the compilation "Have Another Ball" which featured b-sides and outtakes from their "Have A Ball" sessions. 2014 saw the band cover popular divas with their release "Are We Not Men? We Are Diva". The band's most recent release was a stand alone cover of the Eartha Kitt song "Santa Baby". Chris Shiflett hasn't been in the band for a few years now but his spot has been filled by his brother Scott Shiflett more often than not. As I said earlier, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes are a true punk rock supergroup. The band only plays covers and has no original material but their versions of the songs are amped up with a punk rock energy and vibe. The band is pretty active even though all the members have their main projects to focus on. Though, the material hasn't been coming out as often lately. The band played a livestream concert in May of 2021 so they still make plans to get together every now and then. These guys are just fun. I've never seen them live but I would imagine it would be a great time. The first time I heard these guys was on an old Fat compilation when I heard "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" and I just fell in love with the band. Me First are the balls son!!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Lagwagon

NOFX

No Use For A Name

The Bouncing Souls

MxPx

TEN ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Paul Simon cover)

2. Sloop John B (The Beach Boys cover)

3. Goodbye Earl (Dixie Chicks cover)

4. Danny's Song (Loggins and Messina cover)

5. Believe (Cher cover)

6. Only The Good Die Young (Billy Joel cover)

7. Wild World (Cat Stevens cover)

8. Come Sail Away (Styx cover)

9. Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince cover)

10. The Rainbow Connection (Jim Henson cover)

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/6/22

SONG:  "Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced"

ARTIST:  Dropkick Murphys

ALBUM:  "Live At Fenway"

YEAR:  2012

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Quincy, Massachusetts

YEARS ACTIVE:  1996 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced" is a tongue in cheek type of song where the vocalist often goes to the local watering hole to get smashed and brag about everything that he is not. It's funny how you grow a set while looking through drunken eyes! In a moment of clarity, however, he admits that he's none of those things he was bragging about but deep down, he's an all around nice guy and has a heart of gold so he deserves a shot to leave the bar with a fine lady! For my song of the week I chose the live version of "Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced" from the Dropkick's 2012 album "Live At Fenway". The original version can be found on the band's 2003 album "Blackout". 

DROPKICK MURPHYS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1998 - Do Or Die (Hellcat Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - The Gang's All Here (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at # 184 on the Billboard 200 on 4-3-99

2000 - The Singles Collection, Vol. 1 (Hellcat Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Sing Loud, Sing Proud (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #144 on the Billboard 200 on 2-24-01

2002 - Live On St. Patrick's Day (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #155 on the Billboard 200 on 9-28-02

2003 - Blackout (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #83 on the Billboard 200 on 6-28-03

2005 - The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 (Hellcat Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - The Warrior's Code (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #48 on the Billboard 200 on 7-9-05

* certified gold

2007 - The Meanest Of Times (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 on 10-6-07

2010 - Live On Landsdowne, Boston MA (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200 on 4-3-10

2011 - Going Out In Style (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 on 3-19-11

2012 - Live At Fenway (Born & Bred Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Signed And Sealed In Blood (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 on 1-26-13

2017 - 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 on 1-28-17

2021 - Turn Up That Dial (Born & Bred Records

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON DROPKICK MURPHYS

Much love to my Boston homies Dropkick Murphys! Well, ok they are actually from Quincy, MA but close enough. The Dropkick's got their start back in 1996, a nice little Celtic punk/street punk band formed by Ken Casey (bass/vocals) and Mike McColgan (vocals). Early on, the band received huge support by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who took them on their very first tour. They also received huge support from Rancid who signed the Murphy's to their Hellcat label and Lars Frederiksen even produced their first album, 1998's "Do Or Die". Not long after "Do Or Die" was released, McColgan decided to leave the band. The Dropkick's recruited The Bruisers frontman Al Barr to take his place. As the band entered the 2000's, they began to see all their albums charting on the Billboard 200. Their 2003 album "Blackout" started getting some radio support with their single "Walk Away". In 2004, the band re-recorded an old song about the Boston Red Sox called "Tessie" that turned out to be a battle cry for the team en route to their first World Series victory since 1918. 2005 saw the release of their most successful record, "The Warrior's Code". This is the band's only album to be certified (gold) thanks in part to the song "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" which was featured prominently in the Martin Scorcese film "The Departed". This helped the single become platinum selling! At this point in the band's career, they decided to put their albums out on their own label, Born & Bred Records. 2007's "The Meanest Of Times" reached #20 on the Billboard 200 charts. Their next three studio albums peaked in the top 10. Their 2011 album, "Going Out In Style" would be the band's highest charting album, peaking at #6. If you're a Bostonian, you'd love the video for the title track of that album as it features several prominent Boston sports figures and more. Plus a lot of it was filmed at the now closed local pub McGreevy's, which was owned by Ken Casey. The band released "11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory" in 2017 and their latest release would be the 2021 album "Turn Up That Dial". The Dropkick Murphys, in my mind, are at the top of the mountain when it comes to Celtic punk. Am I biased being from Boston? Sure. But the Dropkick's resume speaks for itself. These guys wear their Boston roots on their sleeves, whether they're playing their annual St. Patrick's Day shows in the city or just lending their support to local causes, most notably their charitable support for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. I knew of the Dropkick's pretty much since they came out but I really got into them when they released "Blackout" in 2003. The songs "Walk Away"and "The Dirty Glass" really made me fall in love with the band and I've been a big fan ever since. This band has always been very active both releasing new music and relentlessly touring. They have been playing live shows with fellow punk stalwarts Rancid most recently.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Flogging Molly

The Real McKenzies

The Rumjacks

Flatfoot 56

Street Dogs

TEN DROPKICK MURPHYS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Warrior's Code

2. Barroom Hero

3. The Dirty Glass

4. Going Out In Style

5. Walk Away

6. Rose Tattoo

7. The State Of Massachusetts

8. The Gauntlet

9. Blood

10. Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding