New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Dropkick Murphys will continue their journey interpreting the work of Woody Guthrie for a new generation with the May 12 release of their latest album Okemah Rising via the band's Dummy Luck
Music / [PIAS].
The 10-track album (available on CD, LP and streaming services worldwide) takes off from 2022's This Machine Still
Kills Fascists, on which
Dropkick Murphys write original music around previously-unpublished lyrics of the late Guthrie in a unique collaboration, with the band finding a common philosophy in the timeless and timely lyrics of the "original punk."
Joined by trusted collaborator and producer Ted Hutt,
Dropkick Murphys channeled Guthrie's spirit during the recording sessions in Tulsa. And much like on This Machine Still
Kills Fascists,
Dropkick Murphys welcomed guest artists on Okemah Rising to help propel Woody's words, including folk punk legends Violent Femmes, fellow
Boston rebel
Jesse Ahern, and country songstress Jaime Wyatt.
Dropkick Murphys founder and vocalist Ken Casey explains, "Every night, when the audience is singing along with Woody's words, his steadfast defense of the working class, and his fight against social injustice and the abuse of political power comes across loud and clear. So as long as
Dropkick Murphys are involved, Woody's message will always be heard."
Okemah Rising's first single and video "I Know How It Feels," gallops out of the gate towards an empathetic middle-class commiseration with the refrain, "I know how it feels to work 'til you drop, and it's 10,000 bills that you owe."
Okemah Rising follows Dropkick Murphys' highly-acclaimed This Machine Still
Kills Fascists album, which exposed the band to new audiences through airplay on stations like SiriusXM's Outlaw Country, coverage in outlets such as Rolling Stone Country, Paste, CNN, Americana Highways and SPIN, and via Dropkick Murphys' first-ever acoustic, reserved-seating theater tour in 2022.
Okemah Rising is the final acoustic release from Dropkick Murphys' recording sessions in Tulsa. This era in the band's history will be captured in a documentary following their journey writing, recording, and performing the 20 songs they've crafted around Woody's never-before-seen lyrics for these two albums.
Starting today, March 1,
Dropkick Murphys come full-circle with their live shows, launching Pega Presents...Dropkick Murphys St. Patrick's Day 2023 Tour with fully-electric rock shows now through March 19, with the tour culminating in four sold-out hometown shows in Boston. The Rumjacks and
Jesse Ahern open most dates. Very special guests
Turnpike Troubadours join
Dropkick Murphys for three of the
Boston shows (March 16-18) and
Nikki Lane also joins the bill on March 16.
The St. Patrick's Day Tour will showcase fan favorites along with some new songs from Okemah Rising, including "I Know How It Feels" and "Gotta Get To Peekskill," which DKM also played during their hugely successful European tour this winter. A highlight from the European tour was performing "Cadillac, Cadillac" (from This Machine Still
Kills Fascists) and "Gotta Get To Peekskill" (from Okemah Rising) on Taratata, France's long-running and #1 music television show.
