By Ric Sperrazza/Live photos courtesy of Ric Sperrazza and Dropkick Murphys
Towards the end of 2022, I had the opportunity to see The Dropkick Murphys do an all-acoustic set in Atlantic City of songs crafted from the unproduced lyrics and unrealized songs of Woody Guthrie. Dropkick fans were familiar with a few of the band’s earlier Guthrie-covered songs, “Shipping Up to Boston” and “Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight”, but the passionate Union Rally cries of Guthrie’s work fit seamlessly along with Dropkick’s Hooligan-Chorus anthems on the plight of the working men and women of Boston.
Anyone that has seen a Dropkick Murphys concert, can attest the crowd is just a mele of plaid clothing, scally hats and bodies jumping with moshing, swaying and screaming as far as the eye can see. However, during this showcase of Guthrie’s work, the audience was seated, relishing in every note and every story. 
The familiar omnipresent energy of a Dropkick show was still palpable, but there was a different reception of that energy. I left fully intending on, not merely downloading the album of these songs, “This machine Still Kills Fascists”, but buying the vinyl record to hear those songs in the format as they should be heard…vintage.
The band recently did a press release letting the world know that they aren’t finished with the Guthrie estate and the venerable vault of material therein just yet. May 12, Dropkick will release a follow up to “This Machine Still Kills Fascists” with another album featuring lyrics of Guthrie’s called, “Okemah Rising”. The first single on the LP is out now called, “I Know How It Feels”. The single, continuing to galvanize the American experience in showing the parallels and common denominators of Irish Folk and Americana.
Dropkick Murphys’ Saint Patricks Day Tour is happening now. They will be making a stop on the tour in our backyard March 14. The preeminent holiday concert comes to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at the Mohegan Sun Arena with special guests, The Rumjacks and Jesse Ahern. Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com
Dropkick Murphys’ world-famous St. Patrick’s Day show will also be live streamed via Veeps on March 17 at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT. Tickets are available at DropkickMurphys.veeps.com
You can pre-order the new album “Okemah Rising” on the Dropkick Murphys Official Store site, https://dropkickmurphys.store.
Check out the video of the first single off of “Okemah Rising”, “I Know How It Feels” here https://youtu.be/skX9x0dPdkI
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