comprised the original nucleus of the group, with a series of drummers passing through the lineup before the addition of
in 1997. After a series of EPs including Fire & Brimstone, Tattoos & Scally Caps, and
.
Mob Mentality, a split release with
the Business, appeared in mid-2000, but at the same time the band was going through an extensive redesign. Their five-piece arrangement expanded into a septet, as
Marc Orrell stepped in after original guitarist
Rick Barton left the band to get married.
James Lynch (guitar),
Spicy McHaggis (bagpipes), and
Ryan Foltz (mandolin) were also added to the lineup to enhance the band's growling sound.
Frederiksen, who produced the band's first two albums, left
the Dropkicks to venture out on their own for their third studio effort,
Sing Loud, Sing Proud. Bassist
Ken Casey took over, and the album, which featured collaborations with ex-
Pogue Shane MacGowan and
Cock Sparrer's
Colin McFaull, was issued in early 2001.
Their Irish pride shone through the next year, when
Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA was released in the summer. Recorded at the biggest Irish-American celebration of the year in a town known for its widespread Irish heritage, the set was a blistering example of their intense and lively gigs. As the band prepped for the annual Vans Warped Tour in summer 2003, they released
Blackout in June; the album featured new bagpipe player
Scruffy Wallace and accordionist
Tim Brennan (who further took over mandolin and tin whistle after
Foltz left following some touring).
The Murphys reworked the Boston Red Sox anthem "Tessie" on their mid-2004 EP
Tessie, which subsequently became the theme song to the Sox's World Series run that year.
Warrior's Code followed in 2005, and one of its songs, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," was later used in the 2006 Martin Scorsese film The Departed. Soon after, the band recorded
The Meanest of Times, a collection of songs about family loyalty, featuring guest appearances by
Spider Stacy of
the Pogues and
Ronnie Drew of
the Dubliners, and released in mid-September 2007. In January 2008, however,
Orrell announced his decision to leave the band in order to pursue other projects.
Live on Lansdowne, Boston MA, a CD/DVD of tracks culled from 2009's week of St. Patrick's Day shows in Boston, was released in 2010. For their next studio effort, the band looked inward to create a concept album, combining their own experiences to create the fictional character Cornelius Larkin. The result was their seventh album, Going Out in Style, which was released in 2011 on their Born & Bred label. 2012 saw the band follow up with Live at Fenway before returning the next year with their eighth studio effort, Signed and Sealed in Blood.
–
Jason Ankeny, Rovi