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06 JANUARY 2017
MUSIC NEWS
continued
DROPKICK
MURPHYS
Beloved Boston six-piece Dropkick Murphys have
just released their excellent new album 11 Short
Stories Of Pain & Glory; we spoke to Matt Kelly
(drums, bodhran, backing vocals) about how the
Celtic punk boys' project came together, as well
as the motivations behind the band's extensive
charity endeavours. Words Zoë Radas
Was the decision to record in Texas
an effort to make a psychological
break from everyday life, like a reach
for focus?
Four out of the six of us are married
with kids, so there’s always a lot going
on at home. I was apprehensive about
leaving to record at first, but the amount
of work we got done is pretty amazing.
We cut basic tracks for 19 songs in about
three weeks’ time. We worked about
13 to 14 hours a day at Sonic Ranch in
Tornillo, TX… There was really nothing
else to do except work, and the creativity
was really flowing… so we really got
a lot done and it was an incredibly
enjoyable experience.
The line “You’ve got heart” in Rebels
With A Cause is one of the most
moving things I’ve heard all year.
What is the ‘heart’ that these left-
behind kids possess, what does it
mean to y’all?
Nice, thanks a lot! The “heart” we’re
talking about is the will to succeed, to
climb out of the hole of addiction and
despair. It’s a compliment to the tenacity
some of these kids have and their
willpower to overcome the odds.
When it comes to your charity work,
do you think having a lectern means
you’re obligated to use it for good,
or was it never a debated decision
– does it just happen that socio-
political issues are important to your
own personal belief systems?
We were lucky enough to be in
the position to do that sort of thing,
community-wise and around the country.
After a while it was hard to say 'no' to
people, but we were overwhelmed and
didn’t want to say no. Also, and I hate to
have to say this, it was hard to be sure
that some charities and benefits were
100% above-board and legit… so we
started our own, the Claddagh Fund. We
know we’re able to direct moneys to the
areas it’s most needed. Check it out at
.
As far as a belief system goes, I think
doing charitable acts cuts across political
lines and all that malarkey. It’s nice to be
able to make a difference in your own
community and set an example for others
to hopefully do the same in their neck of
the woods.
Ken [Barr, vocals] has said of the
track 4-15-13 that not writing about
such a momentously tragic event in
Boston's history [Boston Marathon
Bombings of 2013] would have been
“the coward’s way out.” Did that
feeling begin with wanting to make
the victim’s stories known, or was
it a cathartic pull to express your
anguish in a more personal way?
I think it was a bit of both. The song
is about that tragedy, but we deliberately
tried to make sure that it wasn’t in a
hackneyed way. It’s a very touchy subject
and we wanted to treat it with the dignity
and respect the victims and their families
deserved. I hope we succeeded. In our
minds we did. Not trying to blow smoke
up my own backside, but I think it came
out beautifully.
Where does the photo
from the album’s cover
art come from? It’s such a
striking image.
Yeah, that’s a really cool
photo. The reason we used
it is just that: it’s a striking
image! It's just a photo of a
group of 1920s London street
urchins.
In the video you guys
made about your decision
to cover You’ll Never Walk
Alone, Ken said he’s been
to 30 wakes in the last couple of
years, all for people who’ve suffered
opiate overdoses. That’s a staggering
number. Are these people you have
met during your efforts to help the
addicted, or are these friends from
way back? Why do you think this
situation has become so dire?
It’s a combination of both. Some of
our guys are more directly connected to
and involved in that aspect of things than
others. Sometimes it’s just kids that we
run into, sometimes it’s friends or family.
Just last week, one of the guys I met
when I first joined the band 19 years ago
overdosed and passed away.
It’s so dire because of the availability
of opiates and opioids. The stuff is
prescribed like candy, and people are
getting hooked overnight. You see more
and more normal people who have some
sort of injury prescribed oxy-this-or-that,
and when the prescription runs out
they realise they’re hooked. It’s not just
the archetypal “junkies” anymore – it’s
people who’d never dream of using hard
drugs who find themselves addicts.
Now I may sound hypocritical, because
I haven’t used a drug in my life aside from
alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco – but it
seems like cannaboid-based medication
would be the obvious way forward for
pain relief – but maybe Big
Pharma can’t control it as
much now that marijuana is
being legalised in so many
states.
Congratulations on a
magnificent record –
Australia can't wait to see
you guys again.
Hey, thanks so very much!
We’re really proud of it and
I’m glad that you enjoy it.
I can’t wait to play these
songs live!
11 Short
Stories Of
Pain & Glory
by Dropkick
Murphys is out
January 6 via
Warner.