Dood! Don’t Bag On Them Bagpipes!

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year.

St. Patrick’s Day means another winter season is about to die, green things are about to live, and it’s a day where people EXPECT you to get really, really drunk, even though you won’t have the day off work. St. Patrick’s Day also means that The Dropkick Murphys could likely be dropping a new elpee. This year, they’ve given us Going Out In Style which sounds like a farewell, but it’s not. Don’t panic.

Take the Celtic folk of The Cheiftains, the whiskey aesthetics of The Pogues, add some slam-dancing in workboots and what you get are The Dropkick Murphys. They are proud of their working-class roots and they support unions. Most folks don’t know, but they’ve given workers a new list of rally songs with Going Out In Style. “Take ‘Em Down” is a folk floorboard shaker that’s also a direct call for workers to organize. They implore listeners to “Come join the fight so we can change the way that we’re living” on the quick and pretty “Memorial Day.” “Deeds Not Words” rages with a small division of bagpipes, calling out liars and traitors.

All of this, and the timing of it, make me think that The Dropkick Murphys are more politically astute than anyone ever gave them credit for, myself included.