Is it still punk rock if you’re bringing your kids to the show?
Lead guitarist for world-renowned Celtic punk band, Dropkick Murphys,’ Tim Brennan says ‘Yes.’
Brennan says he has no problem with his music ageing.
“We are already heading in that direction, I don’t know if you hear any of the popular music these days but it ain’t like it was when we were growing up.”
He says it’s a thrill for the band to become inter-generational.
As you may surmise by the nature of the music, Dropkick members largely grew up listening to traditional Irish tunes, and while the band is American, Brennan says that shared heritage transcends borders.
“A lot of people ask, ‘What do actual Irish people think of you guys?’ And they are so great to us,” Brennan said.
But he says lots of Europe shows Dropkick love, including German audiences who particularly love the accordion licks.
Brennan says Canadians in particular relate to the Celtic undertones even more than some of his fellow Americans. He says particularly the east coast, like St. Johns, is always a treasured stop for the band to be able to hear the Newfie folk music in comparison to what they grew up with.
But, Brennan says the band looks beyond historical and nostalgic sources when creating new tunes. He says they always have their ears open.
“When you take two things that are seemingly opposites of each other and you put them together, that is when weirdly magical things happen,” Brennan says.
The band is not boxed in by their genre, but finds the challenge of presenting it in different ways inspirational.
The band’s newest single is, “Sirens,” a teaser to an album expected in 2025. The track itself calls to attention the growing divisions between people, calling on those struggling to stand together.
In Calgary, many fans are decrying the ticket prices for the Oct. 16 show at the Big Four Roadhouse featuring Pennywise.
In response to being told the tickets run $100-plus for general admission, Brennan was surprised.
“Unfortunately I don’t know much about that, but that is interesting to know,” he said.
Comparatively, floor tickets for the Winnipeg stop as of print are $200 plus fees, and across the border, pit tickets in Rochester, Minn. are $51.74 USD.