Their latest album is The Meanest of Times (Hellcat), but times ain’t so mean for this seven-man Celtic-punk juggernaut with Quincy roots. In 10 years of making CDs, they’ve sold more than 1.5 million of the things and have an international reputation that keeps them jet-setting at a pace James Bond can’t equal. The Dropkicks were name-checked by Martin Scorsese at the Oscars after they provided a soundtrack for Jack Nicholson’s hell-raising in The Departed with their tune “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” They’ve played the unofficial Red Sox fight song “Tessie” before a game in Fenway Park. And every year their homecoming shows around St. Patrick’s Day are a reminder of what makes Boston rock and roll great. How cool is all that? Well, this is even cooler: although they’ve graduated from local clubs to the world’s stages, the Dropkick Murphys never forget about their friends and families. That’s what The Meanest of Times is about: growing up in Catholic school, struggling to stay together in hard times, and paying tribute to the people from home who support the gambles you take — like making a bid for punk rock stardom — no matter the odds. And these days, the odds are with the Dropkick Murphys.
— Ted Drozdowski
RUNNERS-UP
1_Against Me!
2_Panic at the Disco
3_Paramore