Boston's New Sons of Liberty
Street Dogs Use Rock For Revolution On Fading American Dream
>>INTERVIEW BY seth gotro >>PIC courtesy of earshot media

“Fellow countrymen, we cannot afford to give a single inch! If we retreat now, everything we have done becomes useless!” — Samuel Adams, Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773

The Boston Tea Party was an exercise in revolutionary protest by colonists of America against the oppressive government of Great Britain, where Patriots, spurred on by the words of Samuel Adams and led by Paul Revere, boarded three ships in the Boston Harbor and threw their cargo of tea into the ocean. This act is considered by historians to be the catalyst that sparked the flame of the already smoldering American Revolution. Now, more than 200 years later, many Americans are disillusioned and angry; angry at the Republican Party Adams helped found, angry at the War On Terror, angry that their soldiers and countrymen are fighting in Iraq, angry about lack of job security...the list goes on. America, it would seem, has never been so politically divided since Adams’s time. Through the cacophony of anger and hostility, average citizens are trying to make sure that their voices are being heard.

Enter Mike McColgan and the Street Dogs with their new album, Fading American Dream. Their second release since their Savin Hill debut, the Street Dogs will attempt to shoulder the rights of the workingman, the plight of the frontline soldier while attacking religious fundamentalism, and a war that they feel is funded by corporate greed. Drawing on influences such as folk rebels Billy Bragg, Bob Dylan, and Woody Guthrie, reggae legend Bob Marley, and the now-deceased punk godfather, Joe Strummer, The Street Dogs are adamant that the gloves are off for a bare-knuckle fight against conservative America.

“We're pissed off,” McColgan said during a telephone interview. “We feel like it’s time for people to have their say about the things that are going on in this country.”

And McColgan is no snot-nosed kid, either. During Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield, McColgan served his country’s Army with the 4th division of 82nd Field Artillery, Charley Battery, 3rd Armored Division. He's been an EMT and a Boston fireman, which he feels adds more than enough authenticity to the message the Street Dogs are putting forward.

“The ‘American Dream’ is fading. We’re not coming at it from a preaching standpoint; I’ve been down a few of those roads, walked in those shoes, you know?” McColgan said. “I’ve served in uniform; I’m not some 19-year-old kid who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I understand that you’re tied to orders and you don't have a choice.”

That former tie to the US Army and the early events of 9/11 created a rift inside McColgan — a rift that has long since healed over.

“When they said that there were weapons of mass destruction, I was a believer; when it came out that there were none, it became crystal clear that the war was economical. Our song “Tales of Mass Deception” is about that. [It’s] clear where we stand on the war. We feel sympathy and empathy for the troops, but we feel that the war is economical.”

Fans of their second full-length album, Back To The World, should prepare themselves for the energy of the new disc, due out at the end of October. Having just finished a tour leg with Flogging Molly and a 44-show tour planned from October through December, The Street Dogs’ blue-collar ethos shines through. The Dogs are seasoned veterans of the live show, and feel that the energy and work ethic fans see on the road comes through loud and clear on Fading American Dream. According to McColgan, fans should expect more firepower in the way of a harder, more abrasive sound.

“It’s a hard slugger album...if you took the first two records and made them slug it out in a back alley with folk and rock, this is what would walk out,” he said. “The first two albums were really good, [but] where the band really excels is in the live shows. The new album captures that energy; we’re a real, tangible band and this album will take no prisoners when it plays live.”

Crowds can be fickle and often want to hear the old anthems or see their favorite album played live. While on the last leg of the tour McColgan and the Street Dogs felt the new material was received well by their fans, and he remained confident that the bands’ live enthusiasm was drumming up support for the new record.

“A lot of times, you play new stuff and the room goes stone silent. People put on their judge’s robes,” McColgan said. “The response to the new stuff has been good — I try to involve the crowd as much as possible. It’s a punk show, not a poetry reading — it should be sweaty, have walls of death and stage diving. I remember when I was going to shows, bands used to confront, you know? They made it an experience and I try to bring that back to the shows.”

McColgan is no stranger to the punk/Oi! scene, as he helped launch the career of Dropkick Murphys to new heights, fronting the band’s Do or Die album, which is now considered to be a classic of the punk genre. While he is proud of his time with the DKM crew and remains a loyal friend, McColgan is also quick to separate the two projects.

“There's definitely an unspoken fraternity between the two bands. We can’t control people’s perceptions, but as a band, we know we're different,” he said. “On the first tour, we played some songs, like “Far Away Shore” and “Tenant Enemy #1.” But on the latest tour we haven’t. We get more shout-outs for [Street Dogs’] songs than Dropkick Murphys’.”

With protest being the popular ideology of the day, the voice of genuine bands are often times drowned out by smirking boutique punks paying mere lip-service to serious issues. Having been a genuine trooper in street punk long enough to know better, McColgan takes issue with those who damage the authenticity of punk rock by being something they are not.

“[The scene] has gotten a lot worse, but in some respects, better,” McColgan says. “There's been some press that makes emo into punk or hardcore and it’s obviously not. It’s a dramatic form of pop at best. As far as street punk is concerned, some bands are still trying to expand the parameters — Against Me! is a great band that I respect. That [DIY] is the spirit I want to see. Rancid is like that — they do what they want. The Aggrolites are another example. So there’s a lot of things going on. There are still some gritty, meaningful bands out there.”

When it comes to his personal musical influences, McColgan says they’re all over the map, as he listens to a broad spectrum of music. Whether it’s ska, punk, Oi!, or reggae, McColgan has his finger on the pulse of counterculture music.

“My record collection is all over the map. There's dub, Bob Marley, Clash, Ramones, The Jam...I collect everything.”

Turning to cover songs and dream collaborations, McColgan is quick to name names.

“We've never covered The Boss,” he said. “I just listened to a copy of [Springsteen’s] Pete Seeger collection. I feel that he's one of the best songwriters ever, hands down.”

And in the punk genre?

“‘The Kids Are United’ — Sham69. There are a lot of bands that have covered it, so we probably wouldn’t, but there's something so powerful about that song. That song gives me goose bumps, makes me want to grab someone by the shirt and sing it in their face or something...there are very few songs that make you feel that way.”

The Street Dogs hired veteran punk rock producer Ted Hutt to polish the sound on the 13-track Fading American Dream. Hutt has produced other notable bands in punk rock such as the Bouncing Souls and Flogging Molly. Hutt was able to draw on the energy of the live show and the successes of the first two albums while pushing the band to explore their limits as musicians. The end result is a disc that mixes the right amount of rebellion (“Not Without A Purpose,” “Decency Police,” “There Is Power In A Union”) with genuine sentimental emotion (“Shards of Life,” “Final Transmission”). Not interested in politics at all? If all you’re into is a good listen, there are tracks in that vein as well. Songs like “Tobe’s Got A Drinking Problem” and “Katie Bar The Door” should get anyone along the edge of the pit bouncing up and down or hoisting a pint of lager to the stage.

Look for Street Dogs to hit your town October through Dec 15, 2006. Fading American Dream is
available on October 24, 2006.