Dropkick Murphys is an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996, folding bagpipes, banjo, and accordion into full-throttle street punk. I'm Shipping Up to Boston made them famous via The Departed — The Warrior's Code (2005) is the album to grab first. Browse Dropkick Murphys vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Dropkick Murphys formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band has experienced multiple lineup changes across their history, with bassist Ken Casey as the consistent founding member; vocalist Al Barr joined in 1998. They signed with Tim Armstrong's Hellcat Records (a Rancid-affiliated Epitaph subsidiary) and built a sustained career through extensive touring and consistent album releases. Their single I'm Shipping Up to Boston (2005) became iconic through its prominent use in Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006).
Dropkick Murphys' sound combines Celtic punk, street punk, punk rock, and folk punk with extensive use of traditional Irish instruments (bagpipes, mandolin, accordion, banjo) integrated with punk rock instrumentation. Their work celebrates Irish-American working-class culture and Boston sports culture, with extensive performances at Boston Bruins games and Red Sox events.
Hellcat and Born & Bred pressings of the Dropkick Murphys catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Dropkick Murphys typically start with The Warrior's Code (2005) or Sing Loud, Sing Proud! (2001).
