Celtic Pride
Dropkick Murphys drummer Matt Kelly's Boston gems
T
he Dropkick Murphys started playing together in 1996 in the basement of a friend’s barbershop in Quincy, just for fun—a loud, raucous mix of punk rock and Irish folk that people turned out to like. A lot. Their “Tessie,” adapted from the early 19th-century fight song of a gang of Boston baseball fans, became the anthem of Red Sox nation, and the Dropkicks rode along in the championship parade after the team won the World Series in 2007. Featured in films including Fever Pitch and The Departed, the Dropkicks’ music has become closely connected with Boston. Here are Dropkicks drummer Matt Kelly’s favorite things about the city—in, he points out, no particular order. Kelly, shown here with the band (he's second from the right) lives in Southie. Stefano
Shhhh! That version, in turn, was adapted
from a Broadway musical called The Silver Slipper,
in which a woman sings, “You are the only, only, only” to a parakeet named Tessie.
from a Broadway musical called The Silver Slipper,
in which a woman sings, “You are the only, only, only” to a parakeet named Tessie.
Shhhh! Three songs are played after every
Red Sox win at Fenway Park: “Dirty Water”
by the Standells, “Joy to the World” by
Three Dog Night, and the Dropkicks’ “Tessie.”
Red Sox win at Fenway Park: “Dirty Water”
by the Standells, “Joy to the World” by
Three Dog Night, and the Dropkicks’ “Tessie.”
Shhhh! The name comes from the slang for an
alcoholics’ rehabilitation center in the western suburbs called Bellows Farms but known as Dropkick Murphy’s for the former wrestler who ran the place.
alcoholics’ rehabilitation center in the western suburbs called Bellows Farms but known as Dropkick Murphy’s for the former wrestler who ran the place.
Shhhh! Diehard Dropkicks fans Tricia
and Patrick O’Neil painted a mural of an imagined Dropkick Murphys coat of arms at West Broadway and C Street in South Boston. It’s the cover of the band’s CD Sing Loud, Sing Proud.
and Patrick O’Neil painted a mural of an imagined Dropkick Murphys coat of arms at West Broadway and C Street in South Boston. It’s the cover of the band’s CD Sing Loud, Sing Proud.
1
Sullivan’s on Castle Island: After a stroll and a view, you can get a hot dog and a drink for you and your missus, and it won’t break the bank.
2
The Middle East: Catch a great meal and see excellent bands in the same place!
3
The Boston Bruins: Tenacity, grit, and hustle.
4
The parochial, neighborhood charm exhibited by locals: “Hey, you! Where’re you from?!”
5
The Farragut House in South Boston: Great food, great service, and they pour a good beer.
6
June through September: All the students are back home, and we have our fair city back for a quarter of the year.
7
The wings at [fellow Dropkicks member Ken Casey’s bar] McGreevy’s: atypical and mouthwatering.
8
The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, for being a giant, hulking shell, useless except possibly as a FEMA camp.
9
The slowly disappearing uniqueness of Boston: Old stations and kiosks left over from the “El,” the Boston Common (where the first football game as we know it was played), and various architectural feats of Beacon Hill.
10
All our friends, families and supporters, who have helped us enjoy the success we have: Without them, we’d be nowhere.
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