[VIDEO] Waves in Céret

After performing at Hellfest last month, the iconic Celtic punk band from Boston Dropkick Murphys will be on the Déferlantes stage this Thursday, July 7 for the opening of the Ceretan festival. Singer and lyricist Ken Casey talks about his state of mind and the plans of the band, which will release an entirely acoustic album on September 30, but still just as punk.

This Thursday, the American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys will give the air of an Irish party to Les Déferlantes de Céret. Halfway between the Pogues and the Clash, the formation from Massachusetts is particularly known for its participation in the soundtrack of the film The Infiltrators (with the title “Shipping up to Boston”) and for its unbridled stage performances, which marry distorted guitars, mandolin and bagpipes. In addition to titles from their previous albums, the Dropkick Murphys will also perform a preview this Thursday of a few songs from their next opus: “This Machine still kills fascists”. An acoustic album in which the group sets to music unpublished texts by the mythical Woody Guthrie, tutelary figure of American protest song and spiritual father of Bob Dylan. The point with the singer and lyricist of the group, Ken Casey.

Your next album is called “This machine still kills fascists”. Why this title?

Ken Casey: On this album, we sing unpublished lyrics by Woody Guthrie that he had never set to music. “This machine kills fascists” was written on his guitar. We wanted to say that this machine always killed the fascists, because the music conveys a very powerful message which can reach a broad audience.

What does Woody Guthrie represent to you?

Woody Guthrie was a hero for the working class, a man who fought many of America’s demons. For him, all men and women are equal.

Explore new sounds

How did this project get started ?

We met Woody’s daughter, Nora, twenty years ago, when we first worked on one of her lyrics (“Gonna be a blackout tonight” on the “Blackout” album, editor’s note). Already at that time, we talked about making an entire album. Nora thought we had a lot in common with her dad. She told us, “I think he would have liked you guys.”

Why did you choose to adapt these texts only with acoustic instruments?

We wanted to highlight the lyrics. We didn’t want the volume of the electric guitars to overshadow them. We also wanted to explore new sounds, do something a little different from the previous ten albums.

Are you still punk, even in acoustics?

Yes ! Even with acoustic songs, there is an energy, an anger. For me, being punk is more about how you stand up and fight for what you believe in than using electric guitars.

What will you be playing on the Déferlantes stage on Thursday?

We will be playing one or two songs from “This machine still kills fascists”, but there will be mostly electric tracks, notably from the previous album “Turn up that dial”, which we recorded during the pandemic and with which we had no never filmed in France before this summer.

Always surprises at concerts

You have just played at Hellfest, near Nantes, then in Barcelona. How do you find French and Catalan audiences?

I think they have a lot in common. They are both very enthusiastic and passionate. When they like a group, they give it a lot of love. It’s a great feeling for a musician.

Should we expect any surprises during the concert?

There always are. But you never know which ones until they happen…

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[VIDEO] Waves in Céret – Dropkick Murphys: “Being punk is a way of fighting for what you believe in”