Dropkick Murphys is back and better than ever, as they’ve officially announced a brand new album titled This Machine Still Kills Fascists, a nod to the late great Woody Guthrie.
Slated to drop on September 30th, the Celtic punk rock band out of Massachusetts is channeling their inner folk legend with this one, in an effort to bring famed singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie’s words to life.
Of course, they’re gonna put their own spin on the 10 songs featured in this project, so we can all expect a signature Dropkick Murphys twist.
Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey weighed in on the project:
“The project has been a long time in the making. Nora Guthrie thought her father would’ve got a kick out of us, would’ve liked us, that we were somewhat kindred spirits so to speak, which to us was a huge honor.”
The idea for this album has been in the making for quite some time, as Guthrie’s daughter Nora has put together a collection of her father’s unreleased music over the past decade for Dropkick Murphy’s to work on.
Nora explained:
“I collected lyrics on all kinds of topics…lyrics that seemed to be needed to be said – or screamed – today. Ken Casey is a master at understanding Woody’s lyrics, which can be complicated, long, deadly serious, or totally ridiculous. DKM is capable of delivering them all.”
And if you wonder how in the world a punk band and a singer/songwriter like Woody Guthrie could mesh, Casey explained:
“Woody Guthrie, he’s the original punk. He went against the grain, he fought the good fight, he spoke up and sang about his beliefs. I’m motivated by reading what he wrote and am inspired by his courage. One man and a guitar – it’s powerful stuff.”
Produced by DKM’s longtime producer Ted Hutt, Casey explained the reasoning behind recording the album in Tulsa, Oklahoma:
“We wanted to get into small town America…Tulsa, into Woody’s roots and not be doing it in New York City or Boston.”
And speaking of small town American, Woody was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, which just so happens to be the hometown of another music legend, Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker. So the Dropkick Murphys had to give Evan a call and see if they could get him on the record.
He obliged.
The album also featured fellow country singer Nikki Lane, as well as Woody’s grandson Cole Quest, and Don Flemons.
You can checkout the full track-list below:
“Two 6’s Upside Down”
“Talking Jukebox”
“All You Fonies”
“Never Git Drunk No More” (featuring Nikki Lane)
“Ten Times More”
“The Last One” (featuring Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours)
“Cadillac, Cadillac”
“Waters Are A’risin”
“Where Trouble Is At”
“Dig A Hole” (featuring Woody Guthrie)
The group also released a trailer for the upcoming album as well:
