With seven albums already under their belt, Boston punk rock legends The Dropkick Murphys have just released album number eight, Signed and Sealed in Blood, and so far the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I caught up with co-frontman and bassist Ken Casey who has been with the band since day one, to talk about the new album and the upcoming tour.
R13: So you've got a new album coming out in January entitled Signed and Sealed in Blood. This is album number eight for you guys; did you think you'd make it this far?
KC: Haha no, we keep saying the number back to ourselves cuz we never thought we'd still be going after all this time; it really is amazing how quickly time has flown.
R13: I've read that Signed and Sealed in Blood won't be a continuation of the concept you based Going Out In Style on; did that make the song writing process easier?
KC: Yeah it was definitely a lot easier, there was no pressure to write about one particular thing. We're really proud of the last record but this time we just went in without that pressure and wrote a bunch of upbeat, sing-along party songs.
R13: The gap between The Meanest of Times and Going Out In Style was four years, pretty much double what we've come to expect from Murphys releases. Was this due to the concept around Going Out In Style being more complex than before, or did you just need a break from touring and writing?
KC: Well we never really stopped touring. It wasn't a planned break or anything, and we're never going to rush an album, it just kinda took that long. The worst possible thing you can do as a band is rush an album and give the fans something that sounds unfinished and incomplete.
R13: Are you starting to incorporate the new songs into your live set yet?
KC: Yeah we're playing a few different ones every night. The reaction to the new songs, Rose Tattoo etc. has been overwhelming; we've never seen anything like it before, the reaction has been amazing with the crowds singing along louder than ever.
R13: The new album is sounding fantastic; I really think this is going to be a massive album for you guys, maybe even more so than ever before. Are you happy with the final product and how it's turned out?
KC: Totally happy! We're really pleased with the final product and we hope the fans will like it as much as we do!
R13: Does it make a difference having your own label?
KC: We're very lucky to be in a position to have our own label and yeah, it takes a lot of pressure off things and we can relax and write in our own time.
R13: How's the reaction been to the videos for Rose Tattoo and The Season's Upon Us?
KC: Really great, all the fans have been very positive about the videos and the new material.
R13: It's always been clear that The Murphys care about their fans and are all about friends and about family; was it good to be able to connect with the fans by asking them to contribute footage for the Rose Tattoo video?
KC: It was really great you know, to be able to get so close and personal with our fans and to let them actually be a part of what we do.
R13: It must be quite humbling to see so many fans with Murphys tattoos.
KC: Ah man you have no idea, it really is amazing and very humbling to see how many dedicated and loyal fans we have!
R13: The Boys Are Back is another great sing-along opening anthem, possibly your best ever; have you started coming on stage to that song yet?
KC: Yeah we have, and it's great fun!
R13: How's Jeff settling into the band?
KC: Ah Jeff's been great, I mean he's the guy who stays up 'til 3am some nights and will record a load of ideas and write songs so it's been really great having him in the band.
R13: When the Murphys first started out your vocal contributions were minimal compared to Mike's or Al's, but since the Sing Loud Sing Proud era and especially from Blackout onwards, you've had a lot more singing to do. Was it something that you pushed for in the band or did it just happen?
KC: Yeah it just kinda happened like that, like we don't really think about who's gonna do what part of what song, we just go with whatever comes out. Well you know with Mike, our voices didn't really gel as well but with Al there's a good distinction between our voices so nowadays we both sing the same amounts.
R13: So you're coming over to Europe again first thing in the new year!
KC: Yeah well we've not been over for a while but y'know, distance makes the heart grow fonder!
R13: Is there anywhere in the world you've not played yet?
KC: We've not played China yet... we were due to play there a couple of years ago once our visas were approved and stuff but it never happened and we were blacklisted from the country. South America as well, we'd love to get over there at some point, and Africa.
R13: Are you bringing any other bands with you for the tour?
KC: To Europe? Yeah our good friends The Teenage Bottle Rockets are touring Europe with us, they're one of our favourite bands so it'll be great to bring them with us.
R13: How does life on the road compare now to ten / twelve years ago?
KC: Well things were a bit crazier in the early days, the venues were smaller but bigger shitholes, so yeah we're a bit older now and less crazy, but not a lot has changed.
R13: How hard is it now to go out on the road nowadays and leave your family behind?
KC: Well you know with modern technology and Skype and stuff I can still keep in contact with my daughter and my family so it's all good.
R13: Finally what music have you been enjoying this year?
KC: Well with a family and kids in school and touring etc I don't get much time to listen to new music! So it's mainly stuff on the sports radio I listen to.
R13: Thanks very much for your time Ken and I'll see you on tour in January!