Murphys Enjoy Sweetest of Times
We here at "Sound Effects" just want to take a moment and tip our caps to the Dropkick Murphys who provided the soundtrack to yesterday's Red Sox rolling rally and for much of the championship season.
The Dropkick Murphys own season is rolling merrily along as well. The group has had plenty to jig about in the last month. Their latest album "The Meanest of Times" debuted in the top 20 and has garnered rave reviews. They got a backstage visit from Bruce Springsteen. They became the house band for Jonathan Papelbon's wacky antics and were recently nominated for a Boston Music Award. And anyone who watched the games knows that "Shipping Up to Boston" is also the background music for a new Reebok ad starring former New Kid Donnie Wahlberg.
For now the band is headed west for a few weeks of dates and then overseas for the winter, but they are looking ahead as they search for a new home for the St. Patrick's Day shows in March '08 after closing down Avalon last month.
When we last spoke with bassist-singer Ken Casey he wasn't sure where the band would go. (They had played Avalon, in his estimation, close to thirty times.) "It won't be open in time so we're exploring our possibilities," he said. If they do play the Agganis Arena again, Casey says he hopes it is in a mix with other smaller venues like last time. "We will probably diversify once again and play a multitude of different places."
As for the picture of the band with Bruuuuuce above, Casey said it was amazing meeting the Boss, who turned up at the Murphys recent New York show on the advice of his teenage son.
"He walked into the dressing room five minutes before we went on, introduced himself, said he was a fan of the band," said Casey. "I told our tour manager, 'from now on if anyone like a Bruce Springsteen is ever coming to the show again I need to not find out until after we're done playing because that was the most nerve-wracking night of my life playing knowing Bruce was there.' It's cool, he's playing Boston the night after our tour ends so we'll all be there"
