Dropkick Murphys is bringing its bagpipe fracas to Hayden Homes Amphitheater. I spoke with lead guitarist and songwriter Tim Brennan about writing polemical music in a polarized climate, the responsible way to mosh in the pit, and when you should bet all your money on the Red Sox.
the Source: Dropkick Murphys released a new album, “For the People,” on the Fourth of July. Did I sense a political lean to it?
Tim Brennan: Lyrically speaking, there’s a decent amount of politically driven songs. It’s tough not to address the current state of things.
tS: How do you feel when you play in a conservative city like Pocatello, Idaho?
TB: We’re not looking to offend anybody. At this point, it would be hard for a Dropkicks fan to not understand where we’re coming from as far as politically speaking. Personally, I’m not an incredibly political guy. I’m of the opinion that everyone should just f*cking cool it.
tS: At a recent show there was an incident where someone waved a reactionary red hat and Ken Casey, co-lead singer and bassist, called him out. After the show, do you guys talk about incidents like that, or are they forgettable blips?
TB: That particular night, we got offstage, and I told Ken that he handled that perfectly. Riffraff stuff like that is expected in certain places, but the reason I was so happy about the way Ken handled that was because he brought rationale into it. I think some of these people were expecting him to absolutely lose his mind. They were trying to bait us. I’m so pleased with the way we handled that so peacefully. Hopefully, that’s about all we have to deal with. It’s strange times where you walk onstage and see people that are just here because they hate us.
tS: In 2014 Ken said he was grooming you to choose the nightly setlist. Are you doing that now?
TB: Letting who choose the setlist?
tS: You.
TB: Me, personally?
tS: Yes.
TB: Oh, that’s funny.
tS: Did he forget?
TB: Ken’s one of those guys who, uh, if he…(laughs). He and I do them together, yeah. Typically, what happens is he’s got his way that he likes to do it, and as soon as you think you have a line on where his head is, you’re like, “All right, let me do one,” he’s like “No, no, no. This, this, this.” He’s not the type of guy who would just hand something like that off. (Laughs). He’s very specific when he’s thinking about the setlist and that’s tough to telegraph. I’ll sit with him and do it, but a lot of it’s me just reassuring him that, “Yep, that sounds great.” It’s collaborative, but he’s the mastermind behind the setlist. Unless I have some wacky idea.
tS: What would a wacky idea be?
TB: I suppose I’m good at looking back on our catalog and suggesting things that might be cool to do. We have so many songs that it’s easy for some of them to fall by the wayside and be like, “Holy shit, I forgot we even had that song.”
tS: Do you guys try to mix up the setlist for every show?
TB: Oh yeah. Every town we pull into, our tour manager prints out the last four times we were there, and we try to play completely different stuff.
tS: Every band says that they have the best fans, but it does seem like Dropkick fans are exceptionally great.
TB: We do indeed have the greatest fans in the world. They’re so generous. They’ve helped with charitable foundations we’ve started. They’re incredible.
tS: They’re respectful in the mosh pit?
TB: Everything stays pretty calm for the most part. It’s nice that we’ve come from the hardcore punk scene where if you see somebody down, pick them up. Everyone’s been wonderful.
tS: The name Dropkick Murphys comes from a dry-out house in the 1940’s run by a man named John Murphy.
TB: That’s right.
tS: It also sounds like a lot of the band doesn’t partake in drinking.
TB: Right. Yeah.
tS: After a St. Patrick’s Day show the venue looks like it was overrun by a mob of ten thousand, blitzed out of their minds. Is there a disconnect here?
TB: Not at all. It is interesting that we play music that people seem to really like to drink to when there’s a whole bunch of us that don’t drink anymore. But it wouldn’t be too different if we did drink because we wouldn’t go onstage shit-housed. Luckily, there’s not a big difference from the days when people were drinking versus now. But you’re right. When a St. Patrick’s Day show lets out, it looks like a beer bomb went off in that place. Absolutely.
tS: A while back, Al Barr (co-lead singer) said, “We won’t break up because we feel we still have something to say.” What do you feel like you have to say?
TB: I do a lot of the music writing. Ken is always the wordsmith. Personally, I have a hundred thousand more tunes that I’m ready to put out. As long as Ken is feeling motivated to keep spitting out the words, especially in a time like now where there’s political unrest and two very different sides. Unfortunately, it seems we’re going to have something to say for quite a while.
tS: Are Dropkick Murphys responsible for the three Red Sox championships?
TB: I try not to think that I have anything to do with anything, ever, positive. But it’s hard to deny that the last three times they won, we’ve played on the field. Who’s to say? Maybe we’re a slight good luck charm for them.
tS: Why wouldn’t they invite you back every season?
TB: That’s a good question. They’re doing a Dropkick Murphys bobblehead night coming up, which is insane. We’ll be there for that. If the whole season turns around, you and I will get back on the phone and do the interview about how we are the people who win for the Red Sox.
Dropkick Murphys and Bad Religion
July 23, 6 pm
Hayden Homes Amphitheater
344 SW Shevlin Hixon Dr, Bend, OR 97702
bendconcerts.com/events/event/dropkick-murphys-and-bad-religion
$67.20
This article appears in Source Weekly July 17, 2025.
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