Dropkick Murphys fans have an opportunity to win a trip to Boston to watch the band’s exclusive performance at Paradise Rock Club on November 17.

George Killan’s Irish Red, a ruby ale, is allowing those 21 years old and over to enter its Irish Red Ruckus sweepstakes.  Ten winners will receive two VIP tickets to the concert, airfare, hotel accomodations and spending money.

Killan’s is also holding a competition to find opening acts for the concert. Four finalists will be selected and a winner will be announced on October 12.

Fans have until October 15 to enter the sweepstakes to attend the concert. Those interested can text RUCKUS to 90464  or enter online at  www.GeorgeKillians.com.

Dropkick Murphys is a classic, punk rock band that recently released their second album, “Going Out in Style.”  The album features collaborations with  Bruce Springsteen, Fat Mike of NOFX and Chris Cheney of The Living End.

Dropkick Muphy decided to add a show in Providence, RI to the Shamrock -N-Roll Festival after their two performances at Boston’s Fenway Park sold out in 45 minutes.

The band will perform on September 8 and 9 at Fenway and return to Providence on September 16. The 18,000 fans who bought tickets to the Boston shows will see Dropkick Murphys, Stiff Little Fingers, Street Dogs, Chuck Ragan, The Mahones, The Parkington Sisters and local bands.

The Providence show will be a block party held outside of The Whiskey Republic restaurant and is for the 21 and over fans. Tickets for the show go on sale August 25. Part of the proceeds will go to The Claddagh Fund, the band’s charity.

 Dropkick Murphy is touring for their most recent CD, “Going Out of Style.” The band is described as classic punk rock, Celtic folk and American rock ‘n’ roll.

Please see below for other U.S. tour dates:

Date                                               City                                          Venue
Dropkick Murphys at Fenway with Special Guests The Mighty Mighty Bosstones:
Thursday, September 8          Boston, MA                         Fenway Park
Friday, September 9               Boston, MA                          Fenway Park
 
Dropkick Murphys Shamrock-N-Roll Festival:
Saturday, September 10      Bangor, ME                           Bangor Waterfront
Sunday, September 11          Altamont, NY                       Altamont Fairgrounds
Monday, September 12        Pittsburgh, PA                      Trib Total Media Amp.
Tuesday, September 13       Columbus, OH                       LC Pavilion
Thursday, September 15     Portsmouth, VA                    nTelos Wireless Pavilion
Friday, September 16           Providence, RI                       The Whiskey Republic (This show is 21+)
Saturday, September 17      Rochester, NY                        Main Street Armory
Sunday, September 18         Philadelphia, PA                   Electric Factory Lot
 
U.S. Dates with Swingin’ Utters:
Tuesday, October 11              San Diego, CA                        House Of Blues
Wednesday, October 12        San Diego, CA                        House Of Blues
Friday, October 14                  Las Vegas, NV                       Hard Rock Casino
Saturday, October 15             Los Angeles, CA                    The Palladium

The Boston Red Sox announced Tuesday that Dropkick Murphys and the Mighty Mighty BossTones will play two shows at Fenway Park in September.

The BossTones will be the opening act for both shows on September 8 and 9, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund.

Tickets go on sale July 7 at noon and are available online at redsox.com/dropkicks, by calling 877-RED-SOX9, or at the Fenway Park box office.

Dropkick Murphys has performed at Fenway before, including their debut of “Tessie” in July, 2004, but this will be their first-ever concert held at the ballpark.

“We feel honored and privileged to share a connection and friendship with the Boston Red Sox,” said Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys, in a statement. “Our involvement in the 2004 and 2007 championship seasons are some of the greatest highlights of our career and our lives. But to be invited by the Sox to join the select few who have performed full concerts at the park is truly a dream come true!”

According to the Sox, the concerts will be done “bleacher theater” style, with the stage set up above the right field bullpens, and fans seated in the bleachers and grandstand sections. It is a more intimate setting than some of the larger concerts that have been played there.

Fenway Park has hosted Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, The Rolling Stones, The Police, J. Geils Band and Aerosmith in past years.

As was the worst-kept secret in Boston last week, Bruce Springsteen joined the Dropkick Murphys onstage at the House of Blues in Boston to perform “Peg O’ My Heart,” “Badlands,” and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.”

If you were there, we hope you had so much fun. If you missed this legendary St. Patrick’s music treat, you can check it out below:

The boss also appears in the band’s latest album “Going Out In Style” as a guest performer for “Peg O’ My Heart,” which Blast reviewed, of course.

Based in Boston, the Irish punk rock band Dropkick Murphys will release their seventh studio album “Going Out In Style” on March 1^st.While there are more than 8,000,000 rock bands in the world, it is still incredibly difficult to find outstanding bands out there. However, without adoubt, Dropkick Murphys is one of them.

Their passionately destructive music is based on a unique combination of a powerful voice of Al Barr, a strong bass line by Ken Casey, significant and unique chords by Tim Brennan (accordion, whistles), Jeff DaRosa (banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, harmonica) and James Lynch (guitars). Throw in a stable melody line of bagpipes performed by Scruffy Wallace, and aggressive drum beats produced by Matt Kelly and you have a creative and magic blend of Irish folk rock and punk rock, which make their music unique.

The record starts with an energetic typical Dropkick Murphys styled tune “Hang ‘Em High.” The title song “Going Out In Style” reminded me of “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen” from the album “The Warrior’s Code” because of the way Barr and Casey alternate on main vocals. It’s an interesting listen, as moment by moment since their voice qualities and singing styles are different. While Casey’s voice is uplifting, warm, and strong, Barr’s voice is aggressive as we can see the veins and blood vessels on his neck when he performs live.

Melodic track “Broken Hymns” is based on lightly rhythmical drum beats, which gives the listeners a whole new impression of the band. The unstoppably fun tune “Take ‘Em Down” focuses on the social consciousness and unwavering support for organized labor, but the song is filled with soulful excitement, despite the fact that they are singing, “Let them know, we gotta take our bastards down.” The song would possibly energize you before going to a stressful workplace a.k.a. ‘battlefield’ every morning.

One of the record’s highlights is Bruce Springsteen’s guest vocals featured in the old standard tune “Peg O’ My Heart.” The collaboration makes the song refreshing and vigorous. The catchy tune is bright and fun, especially after the slow-moving comfortable song “1953,” which is built on a consistently solid bagpipe melody with unified vocal harmonies. (No one is shouting in this song.)

Throughout the record, the Dropkick Murphys’ actively fast-paced energy is exploding so that some people might be able to feel as if they are watching the band performing live.

Track list

1. Hang ‘Em High
2. Going Out In Style
3. The Hardest Mile
4. Cruel
5. Memorial Day
6. Climbing A Chair To Bed
7. Broken Hymns
8. Deeds Not Words
9. Take ‘Em Down
10. Sunday Hardcore Matinee
11. 1953
12. Peg O’ My Heart
13. The Irish Rover

They are going back on the road soon, and of course will dominate the Boston’s House of Blues on the St. Patrick’s week this year too.

Show schedule in the United States

February 23       Niagara Falls, NY              The Rapids Theatre

February 24        Detroit, MI                         The Fillmore

February 25        Milwaukee, WI                   Bradley Center

February 26        Chicago, IL                         Congress Theater

February 27        Chicago, IL                          Congress Theater

March 1               Denver, CO                        The Fillmore

March 2              Kansas City, MO                The Beaumont Club

March 3               Minneapolis, MN               First Avenue

March 4               Des Moines, IA                   Val Air Ballroom

March 5               St. Louis, MO                     The Pageant

March 6               Cleveland, OH                    House Of Blues

March 8               Philadelphia, PA                 Electric Factory

March 9              Philadelphia, PA                 Electric Factory

March 10              New York, NY                 Roseland Ballroom

March 11               New York, NY                Roseland Ballroom

March 12             Washington, DC              Shamrock Fest at RFK Stadium

March 13              Uncasville, CT               Mohegan Sun Arena

March 16             Boston, MA                   House Of Blues

March 17               Boston, MA                   House Of Blues

March 18              Boston, MA                    House Of Blues

March 19               Lowell, MA                    Tsongas Arena

It seems as if it is nearly impossible to walk down the street and not see someone wearing either camouflage or a military inspired article of clothing lately, especially around a rock venue on any given night. This type of dress is not a new concept, but military inspired clothing has become so mainstream that it is quite possible to call it a trend. It is no longer designed strictly for our soldiers in the service, but for people to wear as a way to make a fashion statement.

There may be many reasons why military inspired clothing is becoming so popular, but one reason that stands out is the music industry. One band in particular that is contributing to the influence of military attire is the Street Dogs.

Based in Boston, the Street Dogs are a true punk band. They were originally formed in 2002 by front man Mike McColgan (ex-member of the Dropkick Murphys) and Johnny Rioux. McColgan and Rioux originally started the Street Dogs as something to have fun with and stay busy. But with the 2003 release of Savin Hill, the Street Dogs realized that what was once just for fun was taken very seriously by their fans. After the release of their debut album, the Street Dogs decided it was best to add to their lineup. With a fuller band, the Street Dogs were finally ready to take to the streets, touring the United States. The band currently consists of Mike McColgan as lead vocals, Johnny Rioux as bassist, Paul Rucker as drummer, and Tobe Bean III and Marcus Hollar as guitarists.

What makes the Street Dogs so different from other bands is their ability to incorporate ska, street punk, and Irish punk into a unique, yet distinct, sound.

The Street Dogs’ third album, Fading American Dream, dropped on October 24, 2006. It was the band’s most political album to date. Not only are the lyrics on Fading American Dream war related, their merchandise is inspired by the war and military as well.

The Street Dogs aren’t one of those bands that sing about politics to try and be punk rock. Having spent five years as a firefighter, two years in Iraq (as part of an artillery crew during the first Persian Gulf War), and six years in the reserves, McColgan actually has a justified stance behind his political viewpoints.

The main logo for Street Dogs is the insignia for a private and for a brigadier general. The Street Dogs’ logo can be found on nearly all of their merchandise, including their CDs, t-shirts, and wristbands. Other military inspired designs that can be found on Street Dogs’ apparel include the American Eagle, a hand grenade, an AK47, skulls, a coat of arms and the United States Capitol.

"We actually try to steer away from using guns," said Bean, in an interview with Blast. "When we start designing new merch we throw out a bunch of ideas based on lyrics, songs, and our message as a band. From there we try to pick the boldest and strongest designs and the ones that most represent our band and what we are trying to say."

But the band clearly has a fashion sense that’s military-issue.

"We draw from that for a number of reasons,” Bean said. “Obviously our stance on soldiers is one. I personally like the military look live because it reminds me and hopefully others that there are still kids overseas fighting in an ugly war that seems to have no point. It also gives us a more unified look as a band. Also, when you’re on the road, Army-Navy stores are a great place to rummage through and pick up some cheap clothes.”

The band decided to have the majority of their merchandise designed with military themes because "simple and bold logos just look great on shirts, so we try to use those whenever possible. A lot of our other designs are tied in with song titles and content," Bean explained.

The band didn’t think they would be influencing fashion trends by putting out an album like Fading American Dream and by selling their merchandise.

"I really would never think of us as a trend-setting band when it comes to clothes,” Bean said. “But then again the Clash, who is one of our biggest influences, had a tremendous impact on the way punks dressed back in the seventies.”

The question remains: Are the Street Dogs trying to get a point across by having military themed merchandise and if so what is the point they’re trying to make?

"We are always trying to get a point across, whether it’s workers’ rights, the lost soldier overseas that is far away from his family, or just the social injustice that is heavily present in our country today," Bean said.

In a sense, the merchandise is also a way to express the band’s thoughts and feelings towards the wars. However, Bean suggested that, "One listen to Fading American Dream and you know where we stand on the war. We do support our troops, though, and would love to see them home safe and as soon as possible."

Bean explained that Fading American Dream is "a social commentary of what is going on in our country and world today. Times are bad. We are in the middle of an ugly and undefined war and losing innocent lives every day. We are sitting under the largest U.S. deficit of all time. Jobs are disappearing daily." That’s the kind of stuff that can be found on the album.

Although the rest of the band doesn’t have a military background like McColgan, they are still very passionate when it comes to their political views.

"We are a unit,” Bean said. “A machine behind a mouthpiece that we believe in and will back up any time.”

Bean believes that the heart of the Street Dogs is "five guys who believe in what we are doing and love playing music for anyone who will listen."

Last month, the Street Dogs began recording their fifth studio album. It is the band’s follow-up to their 2008 State of Grace which was their first album with Hellcat Records. The latest album will feature Rioux as producer and Rick Barton (original guitarist for the Dropkick Murphys) as co-producer. The Street Dogs will be recording at the Blasting Room, an infamous punk rock studio built by members of All, Black Flag, and Descendents, in Fort, Collins, Colo.

The Street Dogs have been headlining tours in the US and UK. They have been performing with bands like Anti-Flag, The Offspring, Reverend Horton Heat and Alkaline Trio.

On March 10, the Street Dogs released their single, “War After the War,” exclusively on iTunes. All of the proceeds for that song will be donated to Homes for Our Troops, an organization that builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans at no cost to them.

If you’re looking for the latest Street Dogs merchandise, look for an El Battalion t-shirt, in which the skeleton of a soldier is dressed in full uniform, holding a flag, and a rifle. Another design is the Final Transmission t-shirt, the front bears the band’s name as well as a battlefield cross. The back of the t-shirt features some of the lyrics and the title Final Transmission (one of the single’s from Fading American Dream). The band’s logo is located on the back of the t-shirt as well as the sleeve. There is also a War After the War poster (all of the proceeds will benefit Homes for Our Troops) that features a soldier in uniform carrying his rucksack.

Dropkick Murphys plays House of Blues in Boston.

With shows all last weekend, continuing tonight and tomorrow, don’t miss our interview with Matt Kelly.

And here’s the gallery:

Photos by Steve Osemwenkhae/Blast Staff

"Dangerous" Mark Doherty. If you’re in the Boston punk scene, you already know who he is. You go to a show, and you’re bound to either bump into him or someone that knows him. Doherty is an energetic, no holds barred kind of guy. Having been in the scene for 20 years, some would say that he has earned the right to be.

Born and raised in Dorchester, Doherty says that he has "seen and done a lot of things." Even as a child, life was difficult for Doherty. He has been suffering depression and bipolar disorder since he was 7 years old. By 10, he was having thoughts of suicide. When Doherty was 11 he turned to alcohol to “kill the pain.” And by age 13 he had become a full-blown alcoholic. Doherty would get into fights almost every night, and these fights would often result in him being arrested. It wasn’t until Doherty was in his late 20s that he turned to a doctor to be treated for mental conditions.

Doherty knew that being a musician was the life that he was meant to live. Even when he became a young father at the age of 21, he kept working toward a career. But becoming a father helped him realize that he actually had something to live for. From his kids, Doherty’s learned "tons of stuff, I learn new things from them every day."

Doherty has always had the desire to be the singer of a band and could never see himself doing anything else but that. Playing live is like therapy for him.

"I have a lot going on in my brain, so when we play, I let out all my pain," he said.

More than 10 years ago, Doherty sang live for the first time with the Pug Uglies. Lead singer Jim Burke introduced Doherty as "Dangerous Mark Doherty," and the name stuck. Most people who don’t know Doherty personally aren’t aware that he is a solid guy — not exactly a menace to society.

"Mark is an extremely loyal person and he will do anything for his friends," said Burke.

Being a positive influence in the Boston punk scene, Doherty has landed spots on other band’s albums. He has sung lead vocals for the Pug Uglies, the 86′ed, the Bunker Hill Pipe Band and Gang Green. Over the years Doherty has also contributed backing vocals to bands such as the Blue Bloods, Gozu, the Dropkick Murphys and the Street Dogs.

"Even with so much success under his belt, Mark is still a very down to earth guy,” said Doherty’s close friend, Dropkick Murphys bagpiper Scruffy Wallace. “he enjoys spending time with his kids, walking his dog or hanging out with his buddies."

Doherty even calls his older brother, Billy, his hero saying, "He has been in the Army for 29 years and never complains when they ship him out. He says all the time ‘It’s my job’. I tell him all the time ‘you made it, all your friends are dead, in jail or are junkies.’"

In 2005 Doherty started his own band, Nowhere USA. The band received some press coverage, put out a demo, and played some shows alongside some of Boston’s best punk bands. The band broke up in 2008, but they will get together for a reunion show June 4 at the Beachcomber in Quincy.

Dead Friends is Doherty’s latest band. They have been together for a little over a year and recently recorded their first CD, "The After Life." Dead Friends intend to tour this summer and fall, and then get back into the studio to record their second album.

Doherty’s friend, Bryan Connolly, a local cop, was asked what he thinks of when he hears the name Mark Doherty. He replied: "I think of Mark’s great tenacity to network with other bands, and to promote his own."

So what does the future hold for Doherty? He continues to deal with his demons. He was recently diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome, which is caused by excessive trauma to the brain. He shows no signs of slowing down. He would love to get into acting if the opportunity ever arose although he has no previous acting skills. Doherty occasionally writes for AMP Magazine and he hopes to eventually write a book about his life.

The hardcore punk/Celtic folk band Dropkick Murphys formed in Southie in 1995. With their famous songs such as "I’m Shipping Up To Boston," "Tessie," and "The State of Massachusetts," the band has been spreading their blended sound of traditional Irish folk rock and punk rock, which is known as Celtic punk, by doing non-stop touring all over the world. The band is also well-known for their patronage of the Boston Red Sox and Bruins. Their St. Patrick’s Day weekend shows in Boston sell out almost every year. Of course, they are having seven shows in Boston this coming March. Blast had a chance to ask Matt Kelly, drummer of the band.

BLAST: You have a huge following in Boston. What’s your favorite place to go when you are there?

MATT KELLY: Well, I like to be in my house (Laughs). But probably I like TC’s Lounge, which is a bar on Haviland Street. I mean, it depends. But you know, I like to go to In Your Ear Records in Harvard Square to dive in and check out some records. It depends on what you are looking for. Are you talking about hanging out?

BLAST: Yes, just your favorite place in general. If you like to be in your house, that’s totally fine!

MK: Yeah, but you know, it’s always nice…[my] wife and I have a nice walk…and grab some subs and sodas at a hot dog stand. And it’s also nice to be around historical stuff because you never do that when you are a grown-up; you never check out historical stuff.

BLAST: Historical stuff?

MK: Yeah, you know. It’s like going to Boston Common and walking around the area or even walking around Charlestown and the USS Constitution. Just stuff like that. It’s pretty cool. Other than that, I go to see hockey, old hardcore shows, various bars, houses and venues like that.

BLAST: So you are pretty much everywhere.

MK: Oh yeah, all over the place.

BLAST: Why did you choose to focus on Landsdowne Street in Boston for your live record?

MK: The actual album was recorded over seven nights at the House of Blues which is on Landsdowne Street. That was the stuff we recorded. You’re in the same place seven nights in a row, so instead of having to break down and reset up in different towns…or venues, the ideal thing is to record in the same place, contrary to fact that we have to move recording equipment with the band, which would be very extremely inconvenient. So yeah, you play in one place for seven days and hopefully you can get some good versions of the songs, which I think we did on the new record.

BLAST: Yes, I think so.

MK: (Laughs) I hope a lot of people agree with us, you know.

BLAST: Do you love to play to Boston crowds? And why?

MK: Oh, of course. It’s where we are from. We have been doing this since 1996 in places like The Rathskeller and other venues. We also played in some weird places like…[the] Theater District…But the funny thing is that when we play St. Patrick’s Day gigs, a lot of people come from out of town or other countries. We met people from Sweden, Finland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, all over the U.S. and Canada. They are coming to our gigs on St. Patrick’s Day. People get to see us far way from home. And we have friends and family who are on the guest list. So we probably have 200 family members and friends backstage at the show, too. We are on tour everywhere, so it’s nice to be…at home once a year for family and friends — everybody. It’s just amazing to have such a loyal following and people who even want to come and fly over here. I have friends coming from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Belgium. There are actual friends that I know, and then there are people that we don’t know who are coming from somewhere else. It’s amazing. It’s an honor for us to have that kind of loyalty and fan base.

BLAST: What’s your favorite song to perform?

MK: Well, I like to play all of them. But my favorite would be "Wheel of Misfortune" from "The Gang’s All Here" record. It’s kind of a slow sweeping tune. We play it during a gig and it’s a resting. It’s a rest for the crowd. It’s not all fast, energetic or brutal. It’s a slow burner…As far as songwriting, I wrote that song. Besides that, there is actually an opening track of the new album….a song called "Famous For Nothing". We open up with that a lot. It’s just like, *Peew!* It’s very fast and a song about hanging out in a park and getting into trouble. It’s a cool, kind of urban teenage troublemaker track.

BLAST: "A cool urban teenage troublemaker track"?

MK: Yeah, that’s right (laughs). It’s about a grown-up being a little cute. So that’s another good one. I love to play all of the songs. They are the songs that you created and people really wanna hear. It’s really cool. We play all the songs and see the reactions we get back from people.

BLAST: How was it playing with Aerosmith last year?

MK: Yeah, it was very cool. I’ll tell you what, the band, even their crew and their management treated us so well. You’d never think that the band with that popularity or who have played for so long would be so nice to us, a smaller band. They were great to us. Yeah, they don’t need us. They could have been complete jerks to us and it wouldn’t have caused any hammer or backlash but they were so nice to us. They gave us a whole backstage area and a big guest list. My father came and my uncle did too. My uncle saw them in a small bar in the early 70s. It was just amazing for that to have come full circle. They were like, "Yay!" because his nephew’s band was opening up for Aerosmith and this was the great joint at the Tweeter Center or whatever it was called these days. So it was really cool, and again, they treated us like gold. And they put a lot to the show too. I thought it was funny that some of the Aerosmith fans’ faces (laughs), I looked at their faces when we were playing and the Aerosmith fans were like, "What the hell is this?"

BLAST: No way! Really?

MK: Yeah, they were looking at us like, "What is this band? What?" Maybe for people who had never heard of us, "What is this garbage?" you know? So it was pretty funny to see but, I don’t know, excellent. It was a great experience.

BLAST: I believe that ZZ TOP was supposed to be the opening act, but for the Boston show, you guys were the opening act.

MK: I was reading the Internet forums and a lot of people talked about that ZZ TOP wasn’t able to play at the gig. Well, I would like to see them too (laughs) but hey, what can you do? You know. But Aerosmith specifically asked us to do it and we were more than happy to.

BLAST: What inspired your idea to write music for Woody Guthrie’s poem "I’m Shipping Up To Boston"?

MK: We were actually approached by his daughter, Nora Guthrie, because she had his unpublished lyrics. It was so funny because people have been trying to get those lyrics so hard for years and years and years! Bruce Springsteen did but I’m sure hundreds of other people have been trying to get those unpublished lyrics. They wanna get permission to use them, but Nora’s son is a fan of us, so she contacted us. We were like, ‘Are you kidding? Wow, okay!’ So for the song “I’m Shipping Up To Boston" and another song "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight," those are Woody’s unpublished lyrics. And for "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight," a title song of the album "Blackout," we thought that was a really cool theme that during the World War II, there was a blackout in London and they really had to shut the windows and turn the lights off so the Germans couldn’t see the cities below where they were trying to bomb.

For "I’m Shipping Up To Boston," there are only four lines in the song so it was like, a lyrical fragment, but at the same time, we were like, ‘Hey, he wrote about Boston. That’s pretty cool.’ So we were just like, ‘Go ahead!’ and asked her, ‘Can we use these lyrics?’ and she was like, ‘Sure!’ Music was already written I think maybe a year before that? It was like, you know, you always have a little diddies you are working on, like little bits and pieces of the song, but then we were like, ‘Hey, those lyrics go to the song pretty well!’ And we did the early version of it, which appears on the compilation. I actually forget the name of the compilation. And we were recording songs for "The Warrior’s Code" album, and later on the song was picked up by Martin Scorsese and the people doing "The Departed". Those two songs are Woody Guthrie’s lyrics and others are ours. We are the punk band inspired by folk music. Of course, Woody Guthrie is a famous folk singer. It was just like, ‘Wow, they’re asking us out. Of course we are glad to look through those kinds of lyrics. How amazing, you know? Again, it was such a huge honor.’

BLAST: How do you connect with your audience in other countries?

MK: Luckily, when we are in the German-speaking countries, our singer Al’s first language is German, so that’s easy. I can just get him to talk and say something in German to the audience. And they always seem to like it. And in most of the countries in the south or maybe Japan, people at least know a little bit of English and sometimes we know a little bit of their languages so it helps to have the greetings in their languages and say hello to the audience. Well, there is sometimes a language barrier, but a lot of places in Europe where we have been playing, English is taught to the students from their early ages so people technically speak enough English. So in the places like that, that’s not a problem.

BLAST: What do you hope to do within the next ten years?

MK: I would like us to play in South America. We have never played in South America or Central America. Really would like to get to Brazil, Argentina, Chile or stuff like that. I would love to get there. And we have been trying to do it several times, but it’s always falling through. That’s a big one for me. And I think some of the guys want to play in Rome. We have never played in Rome. We have played in Italy a few times but never in Rome. We wanna play in places like that or maybe in Florence. And maybe someday we will open up our own studio so we can record other bands and ourselves. Basically we want to get a place where we can practice, record, record other bands, and even have practice spaces for the bands. And maybe we even have a T-shirt press there so we can do our own T-shirts. I personally wanna see more of the world and maybe take some college courses because I never went to anything after high school and I have to educate myself a little bit more.

BLAST: Really?

MK: I’m the one, in the band, not very well-educated, so it would be nice to maybe bump that up a little bit and get some knowledge and wisdom.

BLAST: College seems hard but it should be fun.

MK: Oh, I know. Actually my wife is a lawyer and I know all about it from a second-hand perspective. I’ve seen the struggles and I can understand, but I would like to try it myself.

Dropkick Murphys will be playing at the House of Blues in Boston for March 12-17.

Tickets to this year’s Bonnaroo Festival, which will be in Manchester, TN on June 10-13, went on sale Monday, with a four-day pass costing $234.50. According to a spokesperson for the event, the full lineup will swell to some 125 acts and over 20 comedians, performing on 13 different stages. The official lineup has been announced and is listed below:

Jay-Z
Dave Matthews Band
Kings of Leon
Stevie Wonder
Phoenix
Weezer
Flaming Lips covering Dark Side of the Moon
The Dead Weather
Tenacious D
OK Go
Jeff Beck
John Fogerty
Zac Brown Band
Damian Marley & Nas
Norah Jones
The National
Medeski Martin & Wood
She & Him
Chromeo w/ guest Daryl Hall
The Avett Brothers
Regina Spektor
Blitzen Trapper
She & Him
Rise Against
Punch Brothers
Dropkick Murphys
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Isis
311
John Prine
Baroness
Blues Traveler
Bassnectar
The xx
Mayer Hawthorne and the County
Japandroids
The Gaslight Anthem
Tokyo Police Club
Manchester Orchestra
Kid Cudi
Neon Indian
Black Keys
Jimmy Cliff
Tori Amos
Thievery Corporation
The Constellations
Dr. Dog
Ingrid Michaelson
Wale
Jay Electronica
Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers
Monte Montgomery
Disco Biscuits
They Might Be Giants
Baaba Maal
The Melvins
GWAR
Dave Rawlings Machine
Local Natives
The Postelles
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Rebelution
NeedToBreathe
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Jamey Johnson
The Entrance Band
Clutch
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Lotus
The Dodos
Deadmau5
Martin Sexton

The Boston Music Awards were held at The Roxy in Boston on Dec. 7, 2008. Topping out the winners were New Kids on the Block, the Dropkick Murphys, Amanda Palmer and local band Girls Guns and Glory. Here are a list of the winners and nominees:

Act Of The Year – National:
Boys Like Girls
Dropkick Murphys
Ray LaMontagne
Lori McKenna
New Kids on the Block
Amanda Palmer
Josh Ritter
Termanology

Act Of The Year – Local:
Akrobatik
Bang Camaro
Girls Guns and Glory
Eli Paperboy Reed And The True Loves
Wild Light
Thalia Zedek

Album Of The Year:
“National: Gossip In The Grain” – Ray Lamontagne
“Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us” – Death Vessel
“Politics As Usual” – Termanology
“The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter” – Josh Ritter
“Three Easy Pieces” – Buffalo Tom
“Who Killed Amanda Palmer” – Amanda Palmer

Album Of The Year – Local:
Absolute Value” – Akrobatik
“Beneath The Blue” – Duke Levine
“Inverted Valentine” – Girls Guns and Glory
“Megaphone” – Moe Pope and Headnodic
“Roll With You” – Eli Paperboy Reed And The True Loves
“Songs III: Bird On The Water” – Marissa Nadler

Best New Act Of The Year:
Bodega Girls
Chester French
The Fatal Flaw
The Low Anthem

Outstanding Live Act Of The Year:
Bang Camaro
Dennis Brennan Band
Everyday Visuals
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
State Radio
Termanology
The Camp

Female Vocalist Of The Year (National):
Juliana Hatfield
Aimee Mann
Lori McKenna
Amanda Palmer

Female Vocalist Of The Year (Local):
Karen Barnicle (Barnicle)
Lisa Bello
Sarah Borges
Holly Brewer (Humanwine)
Eileen Jewel
Marissa Nadler
Aoife O’Donovan (Crooked Still)
Monique Ortiz (A.K.A.C.O.D.)

Male Vocalist Of The Year (National):
Al Barr (Dropkick Murphys)
Martin Johnson (Boys Like Girls)
Ray Lamontagne
Josh Ritter
Teramanology

Male Vocalist Of The Year (Local):
Rick Berlin
Dennis Brennan
Ad Frank
Mike Gent
John Powhida
Eli “Paperboy” Reed
Ryan Walsh (Hallelujah The Hills)

Producer Of The Year (Rock/Pop):
Mike Denneen
Paul Q. Kolderie
Dave Minehan
Ed Valuskas
Pete Weiss

Producer Of The Year (Hip Hop/R&B):
Arcitype
D Money
D-Tension
DC The Midi Alien
Jared Hancock
Lingo
Matty Trump
Nelly Protoolz
Statik Selektah

Best Song Of The Year (National):
“Astronaut: A Short History Of Nearly Nothing” – Amanda Palmer
“Freeway” – Aimee Mann
“State Of Massachusetts” – Dropkick Murphys
“This Lonely Love” – Juliana Hatfield
“Thunder” – Boys Like Girls

Best Song Of The Year (Local):
“One And One” – Great Bandini
“Cat” – Baltimoroder
“Day I Die” – Drug Rug
“Get It Together” – Masspike Miles
“She’s Into Black Guys” – Bodega Girls
“Take My Love With You” – Eli Paperboy Reed And The True Loves
“Texas Mike” – Barnicle
“Tora Tora Tora” – Pretty & Nice

Outstanding Rock Act Of The Year:
A.K.A.C.O.D.
Bang Camaro
Great Bandini
Helms
Hooray For Earth
Viva Viva
Wild Light

Outstanding Hip Hop Act Of The Year:
7L & Esoteric
Big Digits
East Coast Avengers
Los Wunder Twins
Reks
Slaine
Termanology
Frankie Wainwright

Outstanding Pop/R&B Act of the Year:
Bre Red Bone Soul
Click 5
Jada
JoJo
Lee Wilson
Louie Bello
Makio
Mass Pike Miles

Outstanding DJ/Electronic Act Of The Year:
Baltimoroder
Doc Claw And Ms. Thang
Frank White
Gucci Vuitton
Redfoxx
San Serac

Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Act Of The Year:
Doomriders
Have Heart
Motherboar
Only Living Witness
Overcast
The Red Chord
Trap Them

Outstanding Punk Act Of The Year:
Big D And The Kids Table
Clouds
Jason Bennet and the Resistance
Mark Lind & the Unloved
Streetdogs
The Men

Outstanding Americana Act Of The Year:
Crooked Still
Frank Morey
Girls Guns And Glory
Little Guitar
Mean Creek
Movers And Shakers
Session Americana

Outstanding Jazz Act Of The Year:
Walter Beasley
Nnenna Freelon
Deborah Henson-Conant
Grace Kelly
Makoto Ozone
Christian Scott
Esperanza Spalding
Andre Ward

Outstanding Singer/ Songwriter Act Of The Year:
Jabe Beyer
Stephen Brodsky
Melissa Ferrick
Marissa Nadler
Josh Ritter
Audrey Ryan
Eric Salt

Outstading Blues Act Of The Year:
Ronnie Earl
Ernie & the Automatics
Evan Goodrow
Troy Gonyea & the Howl
David Maxwell
James Montgomery

Outstanding Folk Act Of The Year:
Kris Delmhorst
Death Vessel
Antje Duvekot
Meg Hutchinson
Miss Tess
Ellis Paul
Mieka Pauley

Outstanding International Music Act Of The Year:
Alex Alvear
Batukaxe
Matt Jenson Acid Reggae Experience
Zili Misik

Outstanding Tribute Act Of The Year:
Bad Fish
Beatlejuice
Dirty Deeds
Draw The Line
Joshua Tree
Rock Bottom

Best College Band:
Bearstronaut

Humanitarian of the Year:
Chad Stokes of State Radio

Unsung Hero:
Billy Beard

Activision announced recently that two new track packs for Guitar Hero III include a “Modern Metal” collection and a free Dropkick Murphys download, which is available now!

Off the band’s sixth album, “The Meanest of Times,” the Dropkick Murphys pack includes “Famous for Nothing,” “(F)lannigan’s Ball” and “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya.”

I’ve already downloaded it and already played it, and it’s awesome. I just love the fact that we get to see the Dropkick Murphys on Guitar Hero — their sound is one of a kind, and their music is out of this world.

There aren’t game character renders of the guys in the band, but the songs are long, fun and really challenging.

I would like to have seen some of the classic Murphys tracks though. I know they’re promoting the new album, but I’d love to be able to jam to “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” “The State of Massachusetts” and “The Warrior’s Code.” But finally, Boston has a little treat in the gaming world.

The metal pack that’s also on the way includes master recordings of the Deftones’ “Hole in the Earth,” Avenged Sevenfold’s “Almost Easy” and Thrice’s “The Arsonist,” Activision said in a statement last Thursday. Would love to see Rammstein’s Du Hast in the next metal pack.