Dropkick Murphys have just released a new single and video from their powerful and poignant For The People album. Following the success of early track “Who’ll Stand With Us?,” a call to stand together against divisiveness and inequality, the new single and video for “Chesterfields And Aftershave” pay tribute to singer and founder Ken Casey’s late grandfather who was an important role model in his life.
The video, directed by Jon Vulpine, features evocative vignettes that follow a young “Ken Casey” and demonstrate the steadying influence his late grandfather had on his childhood. The video includes historical television clips of Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics games that Ken watched with his Grandfather when he was a child, as well as a clip from the Red Sox 2004 World Series-clinching victory referenced in the song, thanks to the help of MLB, the NHL and the NBA.
The video culminates with the song’s refrain “I hope I’d make you proud” as Ken’s grandfather watches on (in spirit) while Dropkick Murphys perform the song at their recent free show for the Quincy 400 celebration – just a mile up the road from where the band formed in 1996.
Casey explains the song’s inspiration, “My father died when I was young and my grandfather raised me. He passed away before the band got going. I hope my grandfather would’ve really liked the message that we carry in our music because he’s the one that ingrained a lot of those beliefs in me. I hope I would’ve made him proud and I hope the band would’ve made him proud.”
In a chaotic time, this heartfelt song about the people who helped us become who we are today comes just in time for Grandparents Day (September 7 in the U.S).
Dropkick Murphys have also announced the titles of the 5 bonus songs that will be included on the For The People vinyl and CD release, out October 10 via the band’s Dummy Luck Music label / Play It Again Sam. Four of these songs are exclusive to the physical album and “Sirens” was previously only released digitally as a single.
Preorder the For The People CD and vinyl (available in different color variants): https://dropkickmurphys.store
For The People shows courage and confidence, speaking up against the injustices happening in the United States, and doing so with the strength and power that harkens back to Dropkick Murphys’ earliest punk rock roots. For The People is more than a title. It’s a heartfelt stance, a declaration of who this band is – and who they’ve always been.
While on tour supporting For The People, Dropkick Murphys have continued to advocate for workers’ rights and human rights – as they have done for their entire 29+ year career– with surprise appearances at many picket lines across the U.S. to support unions fighting for fair wages and better contracts.
Dropkick Murphys recently wrapped the Summer of Discontent Tour with Bad Religion co-headlining and will play a handful of North American festivals (CityFolk, Riot Fest and Furnace Fest) before heading overseas for their fall European headlining tour with Frank Turner and Haywire that kicks off October 15 in Milan Italy. Find all tour dates and more info at: https://dropkickmurphys.com/tour/
In other news, Ken Casey has been named Massachusetts Storyteller Of The Year by Mass Humanities and will be honored at a September 25 event in Boston. Mass Humanities will present the award to Casey for his decades of songwriting, his commitment to fighting injustice, and his unique use of archival material to craft relevant narratives about subjects ranging from labor rights to Irish-American identity to the threats to our democracy. For nearly thirty years, Casey has inspired all of us through his defiant stands against injustice, his generous contributions to local communities, and the punk rock ethos he brings to contemporary issues.
Tour Dates
Sep 13 – CityFolk 2025, Ottawa, Canada
Sep 20 – Riot Fest 2025, Chicago, IL
Oct 4 – Furnace Fest 2025, Princeton, AL
Oct 15 – Alcatraz, Milan, Italy *
Oct 16 – Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany *
Oct 17 – Festhalle, Bern, Switzerland *
Oct 18 – RTM Stage, Rotterdam, Netherlands *
Oct 20 – Telenor Arena, Fornebu, Norway *
Oct 21 – Annexet, Stockholm, Sweden *
Oct 23 – Helsinki Ice Hall, Helsini, Finland – SOLD OUT *
Oct 24 – Noblessner Foundry, Tallinn, Estonia *
Oct 25 – Palladium Riga, Riga, Latvia *
Oct 26 – Compensa Concert Hall, Vilnius, Lithuania *
Oct 27 – Progresja, Warsaw, Poland *
Oct 29 – Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany *
Oct 31 – Arena Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany *
Nov 1 – Emsland Arena, Lingen, Germany – SOLD OUT *
Nov 2 – Forest National, Forest, Belgium *
Nov 3 – Palladium, Cologne, Germany *
Nov 4 – Palladium, Cologne, Germany *
Nov 6 – LDLC Arena, Lyon, France *
Nov 7 – Arkea Arena, Floirac, France *
Nov 8 – Zenith Nantes Metropole, Saint-Herblain, France *
Nov 10 – Rockhal, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg *
Nov 11 – Posthalle Wurzburg, Würzburg, Germany *
Nov 13 – Schlachtof, Wiesbaden, Germany – SOLD OUT *
Nov 14 – Halle Verrière, Meisenthal, France *
Nov 15 – ADIDAS Arena, Paris, France *
* (w/ Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Haywire)
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