Interview with Al Barr from Dropkick Murphys

Al Barr Interview
by Jason Walsh
10/24/08

Writing a few preview pieces for a couple city papers and magazines as well as a larger piece for AMP Magazine, I did a phone interview with lead singer Al Barr from the Dropkick Murphys on a windy Friday night. They are doing a quick tour in November following an intensive year of touring, but this time hitting a bunch of cities not usually on their U.S. tour schedule, like Louisville and Richmond, Virginia. However, it seems we talked more about baseball than the band. Al is a good guy and class act...read on...

JW: Let's just talk about this past year. You guys have had a really great year, it's been really busy, you have a new record out, all sorts of touring going on. Tell me a little about this past year for you guys.

AL BARR: Yeah, we've just been touring on the new record, y'know. Well, now it's 13 months old so it's not so new anymore. September we finished kind of a year of touring on it and we're just getting ready to do a little more touring before Thanksgiving and the holidays. That's about it. Just been touring.

JW: What made you guys decide to do this quick November tour, and it looks like you're hitting a lot of places that you haven't been to in a long time?

AL BARR: Well, that's just it. We wanted to go out because we actually just closed down. My wife's having a second child in December and my son's birthday is in December and you got Christmas in December. Kenny, the bass player and another singer in the band, he's got two kids as well and their birthdays are in December. We shut down pretty much from Thanksgiving 'til the New Year so we wanted to get out there and hit some places we hadn't been in a while.

JW: I did an interview with Matt and one of the places you're going to be going to is Louisville and you guys hadn't been to Louisville since 1997, played in a small bar and were paid $5 in quarters and taken to White Castle.

AL BARR: (laughing) Yeah, I wasn't there for that one. But yeah I've heard Matt talk about it.

JW: O.K., so this was before you were in the band.

AL BARR: Yeah, I joined in 1998. That was before my watch.

JW: So, you were in there right after that.

AL BARR: But I have been paid in small change before.

JW: That's just kind of the lot of being in a band that's touring. You never know what you're going to get into, but you guys are in a better place now than that I'm thinking.

AL BARR: A little bit.

JW: Tell me about some of the highlights of touring this year.

AL BARR: We've been, y'know, all over the country, we've been to Europe a bunch of times. We've been to Australia and Japan, did Reading and Leeds, and a bunch of other festivals this summer so we were busy.

JW: So you guys got the holidays off. What kind of stuff are you going to be getting into in the New Year. You going to be doing any recording? I understand you're writing a little but I mean that's probably something you guys always do.

AL BARR: We kind of try to write as you go so that way when you get to the point where you're ready to start working on a new record you're not just cramming, you know what I mean? But as far as the new year goes, we're real excited because we got the Big Day Out, which is a big festival in Australia, so we're planning on going to Australia for about three weeks in January, and New Zealand as well. We really love Australia. We've been to New Zealand only one other time and that was really cool, so we're looking forward to that, y'know. It's really cool, this band has afforded us all the luxury of being able to travel all over the world and that's pretty amazing.

JW: And that's got to be kind of a cool thing. When you first start in a band, you do some local tours, maybe you do regionals, then a U.S. tour, then all of a sudden you guys are in a place where you're going to all these places you probably never would have thought you'd be going to.

AL BARR: Yeah, it's definitely a privilege to be able to go all over the world and have people show up to hear you and hear your band. It's a pretty cool thing for sure. It doesn't get much better.

JW: Anything else coming in the New Year. Looking to record or anything coming out?

AL BARR: It's really too soon to tell. I mean we got ideas. But, we got St. Patrick's Day, that's the big thing we do every year in Boston. We do a series of shows and we're going to be doing another trip to Europe I think and some more U.S. and more festivals in the summer in Europe, so we'll be keeping busy. St. Patty's and the Australian tour are the things right in the near future.

JW: I been up to Boston for the St. Patty's, it was two years ago, when the great blizzard got me stranded in Philly so I missed two of the shows.

AL BARR: Uggh...

JW: But loved going up there when I finally made it. Got to go to the Southie parade. I loved your city, fell in love with it. I grew up in the Philadelphia area so to go somewhere like that, and be in your guys' hometown where you guys played a home game was incredible.

AL BARR: Well if you grew up in Philly, you must be pretty excited about your team being in the World Series, huh?

JW: (laughing) I'm not going to get into that yet, because I know you guys are still in mourning over that.

AL BARR: No, no...I'm all right. I got family in Philly and I've moved on from the Sox losing, and I'm supporting Philly and hoping they win. I hope they kick the crap out of Tampa.

JW: I watched game one and I was like, I can't believe they beat them at home.

AL BARR: Yeah.

JW: And then come game two I was like "uhhh..."

AL BARR: That didn't work to well for the Red Sox either. They won the first time in Tampa as well, so we'll see what happens.

JW: Hopefully we won't have a repeat. I'll tell you what, being a person from the area, we haven't had anything in the longest time.

AL BARR: Yeah, it's like 35 years, right?

JW: Oh my god...yeah, I mean, yeah...

AL BARR: Not quite the 86 years that we had, but still, y'know.

JW: Yeah, but you guys caught up and made up for it in spades. I mean you won everything?

AL BARR: Yeah, it's been pretty good for New England sports, for sure.

JW: O.K. getting back, when do you guys start planning for the St. Patty's shows? Is there anything you guys have started looking into?

AL BARR: Oh, we're already planning for it. We're already trying to figure out where we're going to do it this year and what bands we're going to have. All that. There's nothing concrete yet but we're definitely on. Everything's going, the conversation is in the planning stages now, so we start pretty early on that. We hope to have tickets on sale before Christmas, I think. In an ideal world, that would be what we want.

JW: And now you kind of have a base of operations with McGreevy's (Ken Casey's pub at Fenway) down there on the third base line.

AL BARR: Yeah, you know, I think whenever we're not practicing, we all have to meet somewhere, we all meet at Ken's bar, so that's pretty convenient.

JW: How's that place doing?

AL BARR: It's doing well. Y'know, I've only been there a couple of times myself. I'm not the barfly I used to be, but it's definitely a nice place and it's usually doing all right.

JW: Yes, we all get older, have families, and you just can't go to the pub every night.

AL BARR: (laughs) That's right...

JW: Is there anything that we haven't touched on that you think is important that people should know?

AL BARR: We're just excited to come to your town. We're psyched to go to these places that we haven't been to in a while, y'know, play some of the new music, relatively new music for people and get our groove on, as they say.

JW: And I know I'm going to be doing this for Louisville and they haven't seen you guys in, god, eleven years, so give a big shout out to Louisville and tell them why they should come out and see you guys.

AL BARR: Well, you just said it yourself. It's been a bit of a while since we've been down there. I had a friend actually call me that lives down there and said that we're playing some weird like place, I forget the name of it now, but he said 'you're playing THIS place, why aren't you playing THAT place?' and I'm like 'I don't know? Don't ask me. I'm not from there.' But we're psyched to be down there and it will be a good time for sure.

JW: All right Al, well you have a wonderful weekend, enjoy your time off, and hopefully I'll be able to make it up to Boston this next year to see you guys again.

AL BARR: All right man, thanks for the interview. You take care and have a good night. Have a good weekend.



Ken Casey in Richmond, VA

UNEARTH TOUR 2008

by Jason Walsh

Promising one of the heaviest lineups of the year, the Unearth tour hit the road this October leaving a path of devastation across the nation. Headlining the abrasive engagement was Massachusetts' metalcore outfit, Unearth, who brought along Protest the Hero, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, and Gwen Stacy for the ride. Unearth guitarist Buz McGrath promised fans "unmatched sonic and visual stimulation."

"This is a phenomenal lineup and we're very excited to head out with such great bands," McGrath said. "The music is very intense and when you see it all happening live in front of your eyes, you get the full experience."

Unearth’s latest endeavor was their opportunity to promote their newest record, "The March," released by Metal Blade Records in October. McGrath said he was very pleased with this latest output by the band.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say it's our favorite Unearth record yet," he said. "It's musical, fun, catchy, and savage all at the same time."

Unearth rose from the outskirts of Boston in 1998, in the wake of the northeastern rise of metalcore bands like Hatebreed. The members came together following outings with other outfits.

“Unearth was spawned from the ashes of two local area bands,” McGrath said. “Trevor was in a band called The Titan and the Rainbow and Ken and I both played lead bass in a band called Pain in My Brain. Once our bands imploded from playing shitty music the three of us wiped the crumbs of failure from our mouths and started writing fight riffs along with Maiden-esque lead passages. Three drummers and two bass players later, we arrived at the solid lineup that is today’s Unearth.”

Protest the Hero is a Canadian mathcore band from Ontario and one of the four bands that supported the tour. Guitarist Luke Hoskin joked about this opportunity to hit the road with Unearth.

"It's rare we get excited to live in a van and argue with each other about who gets the last granola bar," Hoskin said. "But, we are genuinely excited about this tour. We have been listening to Unearth since we were little whiny babies, and we never thought we would have the opportunity to tour with them."

“Fortress” is the band’s newest release and Hoskin went on to say touring is a very important part of being in a band like Protest the Hero, because they don't exist, even on the fringes of the corporate-driven music industry.

"Our music isn't exactly radio friendly," he said. "I guess the only way to really spread the word about the band is to play for the people. Hopefully, they tell their friends how good or bad we were, depending on how much we drank that night."

With the increasing costs of gas and an economy that is affected directly by the fuel crisis, bands hitting the highway these days are affected more so than ever. Hoskin said that it's an expectation that performers have to accept.

"Life on the road has always been a penniless venture," he said. "When you tour in a band, you develop a real sense of respect for the people who have done it for years. The amount of expenses are enough to make even the hardest slam dancer cry."

McGrath from Unearth said the band has found a few solutions to help cut down on costs, but assuredly not all of which will be remedies.

"We are sharing a van with two other bands and plan on finding temporary landscaping work pre-show to make some extra money," he said. "We have rigged the van to be powered by exaggerated tales of sexual conquest, so gas won't be an issue."

Also on the roster of the tour is the band Gwen Stacy from Indianapolis. Drummer TJ Sego said his group is equally excited about the opportunity to hit the road with such hard-hitting acts.

"Heck yeah we are," Sego said. "There's a lot of bands on the tour we're genuine fans of, and Whitechapel are some close friends of ours, so we're stoked out of our minds. They can expect for us to play our butts off. They can expect to be able to hang out with us if they like. Most importantly, they can expect to see a band that cares about them."

Sego went on to say that not only is touring an important necessity in being in a band, but for him personally as well.

"It keeps us sane for one," he said. "I go crazy when I'm home, and even more so any day I have to go without playing my kit. Shows are an opportunity for us to connect with our fans and to give them a great show. That is very important to us."

STREET DOGS & FLATFOOT 56

A very crucial and important election faces all Americans this November; one that will likely impact the faltering economy and seemingly endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, for better or worse. No more in recent times has the vote mattered as much and have so many depended on its outcome. While on tour in Virginia Beach at the Jewish Mother, Mike McColgan of the Street Dogs and Tobin Bawinkel of Flatfoot 56 took a moment to discuss how recent slumps have affected the bands’ success on the road.

“I was talking to Mike from the Street Dogs about this yesterday actually,” Bawinkel said from the club’s back patio. “We've all been surprised, particularly with the way the economy is now just recently, at the turnouts, and honestly we've been blown away to see the kids are still coming. Maybe that might change in the future when things start settling in what's really happening. I don't know. I hope not.”

Flatfoot 56 hails from Chicago’s South Side and has been relentlessly touring both nationally and abroad since 2003. Bawinkel agreed that not only the current economy, but the dying record industry has contributed to how bands approach touring.

“The live show is what's going to be the future of a band, not necessarily how many records they sell in a store,” he said. “Kids are getting it online and honestly that's a good thing for a band in some ways because you don't have to put the original money out to print something up. I do think vinyl is going to come back a lot heavier than it has been in the last few years. Kids want something that's big and artsy in front of them so that maybe they can put a poster up on the wall that's involved with the package. I think packaging is going to become a really important aspect."

The Street Dogs are headlining this current tour in support of their latest release, “State of Grace.” Frontman Mike McColgan agreed that the present state of the nation has had an impact on touring acts.

"From the top of the ladder to the bottom of the ladder, from the biggest group in the land to the smallest group, it's affecting everybody,” McColgan said. “It's clear attendance is suffering for all bands because the first thing that suffers when the economy is struggling is the arts. People aren't going to go out and see shows or go to movies or go to games. Food and shelter comes first.”

However, the loyal fan base of the Street Dogs has proven their resilience and though life is tough for many Americans, folks are still making their way out to the shows.

“We have to some degree seen the effects of it but so far I'm kind of surprised at the turnout considering the times. We're grateful for what we have and the people that are coming out to see us. We're seeing a lot of heads for sure."
McColgan attributes the still packed venues to people’s need to find a place to release positively.

"It's a communal thing,” McColgan said. “There's immunity there. There's a basic unspoken understanding that we're here to take a break from that crazy world outside and share this time together, to have a good time, and let loose some frustration. That's what it's always been about."

A native of the windy city, Bawinkel of Flatfoot 56 says his experience with the political machines of the northern Midwest has not eased his mind with the options in the upcoming election.

"I'm not extremely encouraged with either side to tell you the truth,” he said. “Being from Chicago, I know the Chicago politics and that doesn't give me much heart to tell you the truth, being the corrupt city that it is, but it's an awesome place to be, but as far as politics it's a rough place."

One of the key campaign slogans being thrown out has been “change.” Many Americans have expressed that they are tired of how policy has brought the nation to its current status under the Bush administration and that term undoubtedly feeds to their disappointment with the choices made by the current regime. Bawinkel believes that though the election is important, those in power will have to answer for where the nation currently resides.

"I don't know if it can be the same as it has been,” he said. “There's a lot more than just a president involved in all this. There's a lot of people that are sitting back and pointing, but I think there's a lot of people that should be held accountable for the kind of environment we're in today. Everybody in leadership needs to be called in account."

But Bawinkel does believe change is inevitable and the success of the process relies on people’s search for the truth and understanding of the issues.

"I would think...I would hope...I would pray, for something to change and as far as a different mindset I think Americans need to start being more educated on the decisions that we make when it comes to who we vote for or whether we vote or not.

“We're not an extremely political band,” he continued. “It's not my place to tell people what to vote for but I do encourage people to think, to use their mind when it comes to this, because turning on your MTV and watching all the crap they’re saying is not going to give you a whole lot of intelligence. I'm sorry to say that. Look into it yourself and learn what our government and our economy is going through yourself, and actually make a decision, and you know what, then you can say 'hey, I did what I could and I didn't sit here and complain.' My biggest pet peeve is people that complain and after the election is over, when during the election they sat in their basement and drank and didn't even vote for the person their complaining about.”

McColgan echoed a similar sentiment and encourages everyone to make their vote count.

“A lot of people have just checked out of the process entirely,” McColgan said.
“Everybody's voice matters and if you think this stuff doesn't affect you and you're outside of its scope, I got news for you, it affects you. It really does if you look at the big picture.”

McColgan expressed his personal view on the current election, but warned that he does not expect others to follow his example, but use their own minds to make what they believe to be the right decision for them.

"I really feel like you have two options and one is more of the same and one is a more progressive route,” he said. “I feel like economically things are really, really bad and we need a change. It's clear. I'm going to vote for the more progressive candidate, the younger candidate. I feel like that's just my own personal decision. People can exercise their own right to pick who they want and I respect that. That's the cornerstone of democracy. That's where I stand on it, y'know. I just want people to vote, engage in the process. Don't bitch and moan if you're not voting.”

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are now entering their seventh year with no apparent end in sight, with $3 trillion spent and over 5000 Americans lost in the conflict. Both McColgan and Bawinkel had a special message to pass on to the soldiers and sailors serving their country and wanted them to know that they are remembered and personal opinions about the war should not reflect how they feel about the troops serving.

"Adhere to your training, be safe, and I'm grateful for your service,” McColgan said. “I don't let my personal politics enter into the equation when that's presented to me. I just have a lot of respect for people in the uniform. I served before. I have some level of identification and point of reference with it.”

"I say take heart, take courage, definitely know that you got people that love you and appreciate you no matter what the news media says,” Bawinkel said. “We definitely appreciate the sacrifice they're making. I say, you know what, sometimes it stinks how many times you have to go over there but I definitely want them to know that we really appreciate them and appreciate everything about them.”

STREET DOGS

Interview with Mike McColgan of the Street Dogs
by Jason Walsh

In the middle of their "State of Grace" tour, the Street Dogs descended on a little beach club in Virginia Beach called "The Jewish Mother." With Time Again and Flatfoot 56 supporting them, as well as VA Beach's Jackmove, the guys from Boston and Texas have been busy this year: playing the St. Patrick's Day weekend at Shamrock Fest in Washington DC, releasing their fourth full-length album, "State of Grace," touring the summer on the Warped Tour, this current US headline tour, which will be followed by a European Tour with Flogging Molly. From the comforts of the band's sweet , vocalist Mike McColgan took some time before his set to talk about the record, the tour, the future, and address some real world problems that are affecting us all. And no, I didn't ask him any questions about the Dropkick Murphys.

JW: First of all, how are you doing?

Mike: Awesome. This tour has been amazing. The record's doing really well. It's good to be back doing a headlining tour of the United States. Just having a great lineup with Flatfoot 56 and Time Again. Being on Hellcat Records is great. You get to play and say and do what you want and go out on tour and they support us so it's fucking great.

JW: So those guys have been treating you pretty good and kind of giving you a lot of free roam to do what it is you guys want to do as a band?

Mike: Yeah, absolutely. When we did "State of Grace" for Hellcat, the newest record that's out now they basically said go and make the record you want to make and they're very excited about it. They like it a lot. It's a record where we stay true to ourselves but just push the parameters and the envelope a little bit and try to challenge ourselves, y'know, as musicians. As a singer, it was definitely challenging moreso than anything I've ever done. I'm really happy about the release and how it's doing and how people are responding to the songs.

JW: You had the producer you had with the last record.

Mike: Ted Hutt.

JW: He kind of gave you guys a different direction as far as what you were doing with this record.

Mike: Yeah, I mean, he immediately said when we first started that, y'know, we're not making another "Fading American Dream," "Back to the World," or "Savin Hill." We gotta progress and do something different and I believe in that. I don't believe in making the same record twice and I think the proofs in the pudding. The thing is doing really, really well and we stand behind the songs. I feel like on this record there's no filler tracks. We worked up a lot of songs for this thing, like thirty-some-odd songs. We whittled it down to ten and one cover, "Into the Valley" (The Skids). I'm proud of it.

JW: So from front to back...

Mike: Yeah, yeah. There's no regrets. We went over every lyric, over every guitar take, bass take, drum take, every vocal take, every backup vocal take, y'know, with a lot of attention and scrutiny. I feel like it's doing really well.

JW: And I remember when I talked to in DC (March 2008), you guys were like, well it's done but we got a lot of stuff we got to go back and redo, fix and tweak, and get it exactly to where you wanted it to be.

Mike: Absolutely.

JW: And you achieved that place where you wanted it to be at?

Mike: Yeah, because the best thing I'm hearing from fans is, yeah, it's different and I love it, and they point out five, six, seven songs. That's great when that many songs are pointed out by fans. Usually, it's anywhere from two to four that are picked up. So, I feel very good about that. That's generally been the sentiment I'm getting from fans, y'know, when we go across the nation and I'm hanging out at the merch table before or after the show.

JW: You guys did the Warped tour over the summer, doing this headline tour now, and you're going over to Europe with Flogging Molly?

Mike: Time Again, Skindred, us, and Flogging Molly.

JW: That's the lineup?

Mike: Yeah.

JW: Why can't I be in Europe? That's a great lineup right there. How'd that come about.

Mike: Eastpak, the backpack company, has a tour that they do every year in Europe and they asked Flogging Molly to headline it, they asked us to do direct support, they asked Skindred and Time Again to come along. So, to go back out with Flogging Molly for us, it's a no brainer. We get along really well with those guys, we share some fans, and it's just going to be a great experience.

JW: You're in Virginia Beach. I live over in Norfolk. You're basically in the largest military installation in the world. You got a lot of military men and women in there. We're seven years from 9-11, three trillion dollars into these wars, five thousand lost in the two fronts. You got a lot of folks who might be leaving soon. What's the message you send out to them?

Mike: Adhere to your training, be safe, and I'm grateful for your service. I don't let my personal politics enter into the equation when that's presented to me. I just have a lot of respect for people in the uniform. I served before. I have some level of identification and point of reference with it.

JW: As a touring band now, with the way the economy is going, has it been difficult for you guys. Are you seeing gas prices affecting hitting the road. Hotels, I mean obviously you have a good setup here, so you're probably not staying in hotels every night.

Mike: From the top of the ladder to the bottom of the ladder, from the biggest group in the land to the smallest group, it's affecting everybody. It's clear attendance is suffering for all bands because the first thing that suffers when the economy is struggling is the arts. People aren't going to go out and see shows or go to movies or go to games.

JW: They're going to buy groceries.

Mike: Yeah, absolutely. Food and shelter comes first. We have to some degree seen the effects of it but so far I'm kind of surprised at the turnout considering the times. We're grateful for what we have and the people that are coming out to see us. We're seeing a lot of heads for sure.

JW: So, you're getting a lot of turnouts at the shows.

Mike: Yeah, I mean, moreso than I anticipated. Some of the biggest financial institutions in the United States have just gotten bailed out, the jobless rate is really high right now, and I mean, it could just be the tip of the iceberg for all we know.

JW: With this kind of music, traditionally, from the early days of punk rock until now, this kind of a venue is a place for a lot of these kids that are here and the older folks like us, to come out and just, whatever stress is going on in our lives, to get it all out, and get back to work on Monday.

Mike: It's a communal thing. There's immunity there. There's a basic unspoken understanding that we're here to take a break from that crazy world outside and share this time together to have a good time and let loose some frustration. That's what it's always been about.

JW: And this is a positive place to do that.

Mike: Yeah, I mean I like it. I mean, we'll play anywhere. I'm not going to say this or that, but ultimately the small places are better suited for us but our whole thing is to just get our music out to people. I want to have as many people as humanly possible listen to it. At the end of the day, the small, packed sweaty rooms is where we like to excel.

JW: It's an intimate setting.

Mike: Yeah, yeah, it's great. It energizes the band when people are that close to you. It's like having another member in the band.

JW: It's not like barriers and you're up on a huge stage. People are all together in a gathering.

Mike: It's amazing. Coming up in Boston, that's how it was too. Some of the fondest shows in my memory are small rooms that are packed.

JW: Very cool. Last thing, it's an election year. Might be a big change coming up this year.

Mike: I hope so.

JW: Might not. So, what do you think? Just thoughts.

Mike: I really feel like you have two options and one is more of the same and one is a more progressive route. I feel like economically things are really, really bad and we need a change.

JW: Sounds like a slogan.

Mike: Yeah, we do. We need a change. It's clear, in my own personal opinion, we need a change. I'm going to vote for the more progressive candidate, the younger candidate. I feel like that's just my own personal decision. People can exercise their own right to pick who they want and I respect that. That's the cornerstone of democracy. That's where I stand on it, y'know. I just want people to vote, engage in the process. Don't bitch and moan if you're not voting.

JW: Exactly. And, in a lot of cases, a lot of people are not so much voting for but voting against and that's kind of carried over from the past few elections.

Mike: Yeah it has. A lot of people have just checked out of the process entirely.

JW: And that's not going to do any good.

Mike: No, it isn't.

JW: Everybody's voice matters.

Mike: Everybody's voice matters and if you think this stuff doesn't affect you and you're outside of its scope, I got news for you, it affects you. It really does if you look at the big picture.