This Machine Still Kills Fascists: Bringing “Original Punk” Woody Guthrie’s Words To Life.
Dropkick Murphys have just released the single and video for “Two 6’s Upside Down,” from their forthcoming album This Machine Still Kills Fascists, to be released digitally and on CD September 30 via the band’s Dummy Luck Music / [PIAS], with a special edition vinyl out in November. This Machine Still Kills Fascists is unlike anything they’ve done to date - a full album of songs that bring Woody Guthrie’s words to life.
“Two 6’s Upside Down” is a forlorn gambler's lament, awash in love and loss, murder and punishment. Dropkick Murphys’ founder Ken Casey explains, "'Two 6's Upside Down' is acoustic, but it's still tough. It's edgy and these lyrics are menacing. We just wanted to show right out of the gate that even though this album is acoustic, it's still going to have some fire.”
The video for "Two 6's Upside Down" finds Dropkick Murphys performing the song while gathered around the Woody Guthrie statue in Woody's native Okemah, OK, interspersed with footage of the band debuting the song before enthusiastic European festival crowds this summer. The clip was directed by Dave Stauble.
Dropkick Murphys and their longtime producer Ted Hutt aptly recorded This Machine Still Kills Fascists at The Church Studio in Tulsa (just a few minutes from Woody Guthrie’s birthplace, and the modern-day Woody Guthrie Center). The historic studio was founded by Leon Russell and was the original location of legendary Shelter Records. During the album sessions, Dropkick Murphys made a point to visit Woody’s hometown of Okemah and walk the same streets Woody walked. Retreating to Woody’s home state of Oklahoma to record the album had a powerful effect on the band and the creative process behind these songs. Ultimately, Dropkick Murphys had so much material based on Woody’s poignant lyrics that they recorded two albums, with Vol. 2 scheduled for release in 2023.
Just a few weeks before the release of Dropkick Murphys’ new album This Machine Still Kills Fascists--a unique collaboration with Woody Guthrie--the band has released the new single and video, “All You Fonies.” This union anthem takes Dropkick Murphys back to their roots – and the heart of their connection with Woody Guthrie. Guthrie’s ode to the National Maritime Union (NMU) preaches the strength in numbers and the power of solidarity: “For me to try to change this whole big mess around by myself / I wouldn’t last longer than a snowball in hell / But there’s a hundred thousand of me now, and we fought like hell to get here / So you fight like hell to keep what we shed blood to earn.” The cinematic video for “All You Fonies” was shot at the historic Roman amphitheater Les Arènes de Nîmes while Dropkick Murphys were on tour in France earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Dropkick Murphys have announced the support lineup for their return to Europe in early 2023 for a month-long tour. Dropkick Murphys will be joined by very special guests Pennywise, plus openers The Rumjacks and Jesse Ahern. The tour kicks off January 13 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and includes a January 14 show in Dublin, Ireland, with Dublin’s own acoustic rockers The Scratch. Pennywise joins the tour January 16 in Newcastle, England and continues through the end of the run in Mannheim, Germany on February 18.
About Dropkick Murphys:
Dropkick Murphys proudly remain Boston’s rock ‘n’ roll underdogs turned champions. Since 1996, the boys have created the kind of music that’s meant to be chanted at last call, in packed arenas, and during the fourth quarter, third period, or ninth inning of a comeback rally. Their celebrated discography includes four consecutive Billboard top 10 album debuts (2021’s Turn Up That Dial, 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory, Signed and Sealed in Blood, Going Out In Style), along with 2005’s gold-selling The Warrior’s Code featuring the near double platinum classic “I’m Shipping Up To Boston.” Whether you caught a legendary gig at The Rathskeller (The Rat) under Kenmore Square, found the band by taking the T to Newbury Comics to cop Do Or Die in ’98, discovered them in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award winning The Departed, or saw ‘em throw down at Coachella (or one of hundreds of other festivals), you’ve become a part of their extended family. Dropkick Murphys’ music has generated half-a-billion streams, they’ve quietly moved 8 million-plus units worldwide and the band has sold out gigs on multiple continents.
In 2020, the band was one of the first to embrace streaming performances, starting with their Streaming Up From Boston St. Patrick’s Day virtual performance. It was followed by last year’s landmark Streaming Outta Fenway livestream, which drew more than 5.9 million viewers and held the #3 spot on Pollstar’s “Top 2020 Livestreams” chart. Dropkick Murphys St. Patrick’s Day Stream 2021...Still Locked Down, was #1 on Pollstar’s Livestream chart for the week ending March 22, 2021, logging over 1 million views. Dropkick Murphys return September 30 with their first-ever all-acoustic album, This Machine Still Kills Fascists (Dummy Luck Music / [PIAS]), followed by their first-ever seated theater tour kicking off in late October. This Machine Still Kills Fascists breathes musical life into mostly unpublished lyrics by the legendary Woody Guthrie, curated for the band by Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie.
Dropkick Murphys Europe Tour 2023 Fri., Jan. 13 Belfast, Northern Ireland The Telegraph Building Sat., Jan. 14 Dublin, Ireland 3Arena Mon., Jan. 16 Newcastle, England O2 City Hall Tue., Jan. 17 Glasgow, Scotland OVO Hydro Wed., Jan. 18 Manchester, England O2 Victoria Warehouse Fri., Jan. 20 Cardiff, Wales Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Sat., Jan. 21 London, England OVO Arena Wembley Sun., Jan. 22 Birmingham, England O2 Academy Birmingham Tue., Jan. 24 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Rockhal Wed., Jan. 25 Brussels, Belgium Forest National Thu., Jan. 26 Hanover, Germany Swiss Life Hall Fri., Jan. 27 Berlin, Germany Max Schmeling Halle Sat., Jan. 28 Copenhagen, Denmark Falconer Hall Mon., Jan. 30 Warsaw, Poland Expo XXI Wed., Feb. 1 Vienna, Austria Wiener Stadthalle Thu., Feb. 2 Munich, Germany Zenith Fri., Feb. 3 Munich, Germany Zenith Sat., Feb. 4 Basel, Switzerland St Jakobshalle Sun., Feb. 5 Jesolo, Italy PalaInvent Tue., Feb. 7 Budapest, Hungary Budapest Sport Arena Wed., Feb. 8 Chemnitz, Germany Messehalle Fri., Feb. 10 Paris, France Le Zénith Sat., Feb. 11 Paris, France Le Zénith Sun., Feb. 12 Nantes, France Le Zenith Tue., Feb. 14 Dusseldorf, Germany Mitsubishi Electric Halle Wed., Feb. 15 Hamburg, Germany Sporthalle Fri., Feb. 17 Amsterdam, Netherlands Ziggo Dome Sat., Feb. 18 Mannheim, Germany Maimarkthalle
Photo Credits:
(1) Woody Guthrie,
(2)-(3) Dropkick Murphys
(unknown/website).