Ever wonder where some bands come up with their band names? Well, we do, and we’re sick of sitting around scratching our heads about it. We’re hitting the streets (aka. “Internet”) to find the origins behind some of the more bizarre, intriguing or just plain random band names in the scene. Every Wednesday we’ll be pulling the curtain back on a different band and this week it’s Boston’s celtic-punk legends Dropkick Murphys.
Band member Matt Kelly (drums, bodhran, and vocals) explained to us that they got their name from a bit of Boston folklore. John “Dropkick” Murphy was a football player, turned wrestler, turned boxer/boxing coach from Boston. In the 50’s and 60’s he ran a boxing camp out of his home but a lot of the boxers kept getting drunk before fights so he tried to find new ways to get/keep them sober. Eventually his training camp became more well known as a rehab center and John “Dropkick” Murphy became a sort of legend in Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. Being from that area themselves, the band thought it would make a cool band name and the rest is history. Sorta ironic that the name Dropkick Murphys stemmed from keeping sober yet every time I hear them I crave a Guinness….
If you’ve got a good band name origin story, or want us to research one for you, message us on the Dying Scene facebook page.