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Street Dogs were an American punk rock band from
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
, formed in 2002 by former
Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
singer
Mike McColgan Michael McColgan is an American musician, and is a founding member and former lead singer of the American punk band Street Dogs and a founding member and former original lead singer of the American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. Early years ...
. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together.


History

In 1997, McColgan left Dropkick Murphys "to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter for the
Boston Fire Department The Boston Fire Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It also responds to such incidents as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, utility mishaps, ...
." In 2002, McColgan decided he could no longer stay away from music and formed Street Dogs. They first recorded a seven song-demo, which feature McColgan along with his former Dropkick Murphys bandmate
Jeff Erna Jeff Erna is an American drummer, from Boston, Massachusetts, most notable for being the original drummer for the punk bands Dropkick Murphys and Street Dogs. Career Erna began his professional career in the Boston garage band Jared, which prod ...
on drums, Rob Guidotti on guitar and Bill Close on bass. They signed with CrossCheck Records in 2003, with Michelle Paulhus now on bass. By the time they started recording their first album, they yet again had someone else on bass, this time
Johnny Rioux Johnny Rioux is a musician primarily known for playing in and working with many punk rock bands. He was initially based in Boston, MA but is now based in Texas. Rioux is most known for his tenure as bass guitarist with the Street Dogs with who ...
. ''
Savin Hill Savin Hill is a section of Dorchester, the largest neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Named after the geographic feature it covers and surrounds, Savin Hill is about one square mile in area, and has a population of about 1 ...
'' (which was produced by former
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
member
Nate Albert Nathan Albert (born 1970) is an American music executive, songwriter, producer and guitar player. He is currently the Executive Vice President of A&R at Warner Records a division of Warner Music Group. He was previously Executive Vice President o ...
and featured guest appearances by
Al Barr Alexander Barr (born January 21, 1968) is an American musician. He has been the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys since 1998. He was also a founder and lead singer for The Bruisers, which he helped form in 1988 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Hi ...
and
Ken Casey Kenneth William Casey Jr. (born April 15, 1969) is an American musician who is a bass guitarist, primary songwriter, and one of the lead singers of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, sta ...
from Dropkick Murphys) was a success and resulted in a supporting tour with
Celtic punk Celtic punk is punk rock mixed with traditional Celtic music. Celtic punk bands often play traditional Irish, Welsh or Scottish folk and political songs, as well as original compositions.P. Buckley, ''The Rough Guide to Rock'' (London: Rough Gu ...
band
Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk bandLife Is Good Out Now
Floggingmolly. ...
. The band underwent a complete shuffle in 2004 when McColgan took a leave of absence from his firefighting career to devote time to recording and promoting their second album '' Back to the World''.The Street Dogs at this time enlisted Marcus Hollar on
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
, and expanded the range of their sound with the addition of rhythm guitarist Tobe Bean III. The drummer's spot was filled by Joe Sirois, formerly of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Their second release, ''Back to the World'', proved to be even more of a success for the band. It was hailed critically in the United States, Europe and Japan and opened the doors to touring with
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
,
Tiger Army Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1996 in Berkeley, California, and its only constant member is singer, guitarist, and lead songwriter Nick 13. The band has released six studi ...
,
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
,
Millencolin Millencolin is a Swedish punk rock band that was formed on 12 October 1992 by Nikola Šarčević, Mathias Färm, and Erik Ohlsson in Örebro, Sweden. In early 1993, drummer Fredrik Larzon joined the band. The name Millencolin is derived from t ...
(in Europe),
The Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...
(US and Japan) and The Briefs. The band also toured on the
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
in the summer of 2005 and embarked on their first headlining tours in the US and Europe. 2006 saw more shows, both headlining and opening for the likes of Rancid,
The Adolescents The Adolescents are an American punk rock band formed in Fullerton, California in 1980. Part of the hardcore punk movement in southern California in the early 1980s, they were one of the main punk acts to emerge from Orange County, along with ...
and The Bouncing Souls. Also in 2006, released their third album, ''
Fading American Dream ''Fading American Dream'' is the third album by Street Dogs. It was released on October 24, 2006 by Brass Tacks Records, a division of DRT Entertainment. The album was released both with and without a bonus DVD. Track listing All songs by Street ...
''. It was recorded earlier in the year with producer
Ted Hutt Ted Hutt is a British Grammy Award-winning record producer, musician, and songwriter, residing in Los Angeles, California, United States. He was the original guitar player and one of the founding members for The Promise, The Great Unwashed, Gods ...
(Flogging Molly, Madcap, The Bouncing Souls). While on tour opening for Flogging Molly on February 27, 2007, show at the
Sokol Auditorium The Sokol Auditorium is located at 2234 South 13th Street in the Little Bohemia neighborhood of South Omaha, Nebraska. It is a local icon for its historical context, as well as modern musical performances and gymnastics. It has a maximum capacity ...
in Omaha, NE, bass player Johnny Rioux collapsed on stage due to an apparent seizure. McColgan stopped the show and called for paramedics. At the start of the Flogging Molly set, lead singer Dave King dedicated the show to Johnny and announced that he was all right and would be well enough to play the next night in St. Louis. Following that tour, more dates came headlining as well as European shows. In February 2008, it was announced that the Street Dogs signed on to
Hellcat Records Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid ...
. Their fourth album, '' State of Grace'', for Hellcat, which they started recording in early February 2008, once again with
Ted Hutt Ted Hutt is a British Grammy Award-winning record producer, musician, and songwriter, residing in Los Angeles, California, United States. He was the original guitar player and one of the founding members for The Promise, The Great Unwashed, Gods ...
was released on July 8, 2008. At recent shows, Street Dogs have been promoting
Oxfam America Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
, a humanitarian organization fighting poverty and hunger. McColgan spoke to the crowd mid-set at the Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey in May 2008 about the organization while wearing an Oxfam T-shirt. In support of ''State of Grace'', the band toured at the
Vans Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the comp ...
Warped Tour 2008 as a main stage act. Following their Warped tour stint, the group set out on their successful fall State Of Grace headlining tour and then went to Europe for the European Eastpak Antidote tour. The band released their fifth album, ''
Street Dogs Street Dogs were an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together. History In 1997, McColgan left Dropkick Murph ...
'', on August 31, 2010 on Hellcat Records. On February 21, 2011, the band performed at an acoustic show with
Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello ...
,
Tim McIlrath Timothy James McIlrath (born November 3, 1978) is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is vegan and straight edge. Early and personal life McIlr ...
, Wayne Kramer, and Ike Reilly in
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
, in support of the ongoing protests against Gov. Scott Walker's proposed Budget Repair Bill. In March 2011, the Street Dogs announced a five-week stint on the 2011
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
, from June 24 until July 30. This would be their third time on the tour, after 2005 and 2008. After the Warped Tour, the band planned a European festival tour in August, and then Australia and Japan in October. The band embarked on the nine date ''Sham Rock-N-Roll Festival'' in September 2011 where they were the co-headlining act for the Dropkick Murphys. Other than appearances on various Warped Tour lineups, this was the first time McColgan toured with his former band since quitting thirteen years earlier. McColgan would even join the Dropkick Murphys onstage for performances of such songs as "Barroom Hero" and "Far Away Coast" from the ''Do or Die'' album. In an interview with ''
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'', Johnny Rioux was asked about a new album from the street dogs. Rioux said, "We want to do a labor standard solo record with Mike, release the large number of B-sides with the records they were recorded for, mix our live in Boston DVD and record, prepare for our first trip to Australia, return to Japan, get back into some Celtic festivals, and just be happy and grateful people are still loyal after almost 10 years." On November 26, 2012, McColgan wrote on the band's Facebook account that starting January 1, 2013, Street Dogs would be taking a break from recording and touring, but he assured fans that the band was not breaking up. Later that day, Tobe Bean announced that he would no longer be a touring member of Street Dogs, but he will "always be a Street Dog". In February 2013, it was announced that McColgan and Rioux would form a side project with original Dropkick Murphys member Rick Barton called FM359. In March, it was announced their break from touring would be ending in July when they tour Europe. In March, McColgan mentioned that the band would exclusively work with the Pirates Press Records label in the future, and they planned to release a 7-inch single, a live album, and a DVD. He also mentioned that the band was hoping to get Lenny Lashley from Darkbuster to replace Bean on guitar, and on April 9 the Street Dogs Facebook page announced that Lashley had officially joined the group. They also announced their next single, "
Crooked Drunken Sons ''Crooked Drunken Sons'' is an EP by the Street Dogs. It was released on 7" and as a digital download on Record Store Day, April 20, 2013, by Pirates Press Records. The title song is named after an annual tour the band has been doing. The songs w ...
", a song named after their annual tour, which will be released on
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
2013. Another single, "Rustbelt Nation", followed a month later. Later in the year, Hollar was replaced by Matt Pruitt ( Have Nots). Members Mike McColgan, Johnny Rioux and Pete Sosa started a side project called FM359 with former Dropkick Murphys guitarist Rick Barton, Street Dogs collaborator Hugh Morrison and Halston Luna. The group, which has an
Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
sound, released their debut album ''Truth, Love and Liberty'' in January 2014. In April, on Record Store Day 2014, they released a split EP with Noi!se. On June 22, 2018, the band released their sixth album, the first in eight years, '' Stand for Something or Die for Nothing''. McColgan said of the album, " "The dumbing down of America is a reason to write songs in 2018. The theme is wake the fuck up and the working class needs to unite across all colors, creeds, nationalities, genders and realize that we are being pitted against each other by snake oil salesmen and autocrats." On February 13, 2020, via the band's
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page, McColgan and Rioux announced the group was disbanding after 17 years. The final round of shows was expected to include a small St. Patrick's Day tour with
Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk bandLife Is Good Out Now
Floggingmolly. ...
and
Mad Caddies The Mad Caddies (or the Caddies) are a ska punk band from Solvang, California, United States. The band formed in 1995 and has released seven full-length albums, one live album, and two EPs. To date, Mad Caddies have sold over 500,000 albums wo ...
as well as two headlining shows, one in Long Beach, California, on March 16, and their final show to be announced in their hometown of Boston. However on March 12, the band announced the cancellation of the Long Beach show alongside Flogging Molly's cancellation of their tour due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10158109262308629&id=8845658628


Former members

*
Mike McColgan Michael McColgan is an American musician, and is a founding member and former lead singer of the American punk band Street Dogs and a founding member and former original lead singer of the American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. Early years ...
– lead vocals (2002–2020) *
Johnny Rioux Johnny Rioux is a musician primarily known for playing in and working with many punk rock bands. He was initially based in Boston, MA but is now based in Texas. Rioux is most known for his tenure as bass guitarist with the Street Dogs with who ...
– bass (2003–2020) * Pete Sosa – drums (2012–2020) * Matt Pruitt – lead guitar (2013–2020) * Lenny Lashley – rhythm guitar (2013–2020) *
Jeff Erna Jeff Erna is an American drummer, from Boston, Massachusetts, most notable for being the original drummer for the punk bands Dropkick Murphys and Street Dogs. Career Erna began his professional career in the Boston garage band Jared, which prod ...
– drums (2002–2004) * Rob Guidotti – guitars (2002–2004) * Bill Close – bass (2002) * Michelle Paulhus – bass (2002–2003) * Marcus Hollar – lead guitar (2004–2013) *
Joe Sirois Joe Sirois (born January 25, 1972) is an American drummer who plays with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He also played drums for the Boston-based band Street Dogs from 2004 to 2007. Sirois, who grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, knew Bosstone's f ...
– drums (2004–2007) * Tobe Bean III – guitars (2005–2012) * Paul Rucker – drums (2007–2012)


Timeline


Discography


Albums

* ''
Savin Hill Savin Hill is a section of Dorchester, the largest neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Named after the geographic feature it covers and surrounds, Savin Hill is about one square mile in area, and has a population of about 1 ...
'' (2003) * '' Back to the World'' (2005) * ''
Fading American Dream ''Fading American Dream'' is the third album by Street Dogs. It was released on October 24, 2006 by Brass Tacks Records, a division of DRT Entertainment. The album was released both with and without a bonus DVD. Track listing All songs by Street ...
'' (2006) * '' State of Grace'' (2008) * ''
Street Dogs Street Dogs were an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together. History In 1997, McColgan left Dropkick Murph ...
'' (2010) * '' Stand for Something or Die for Nothing'' (2018)


EPs

* ''Demo'' (2002) * '' Round One'' (
split EP A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from " va ...
with The Dents) (2004) * " Tale of Mass Deception" (2004) * "
Crooked Drunken Sons ''Crooked Drunken Sons'' is an EP by the Street Dogs. It was released on 7" and as a digital download on Record Store Day, April 20, 2013, by Pirates Press Records. The title song is named after an annual tour the band has been doing. The songs w ...
" (2013) * "Rustbelt Nation" (2013) * ''Street Dogs / Noi!se'' (split EP with Noi!se) (2014)


Singles

* "War After the War" (2009) * "GOP" (2012)


Music videos

* "Savin Hill" (2003) * "You Alone" (2005) * "Back to the World" (2005) * "Final Transmission" (2006) * "Two Angry Kids" (2009) * "Rattle and Roll" (2010) * "Punk Rock & Roll" (2011) * "GOP" (2012)


Compilation appearances

*''Fat City Presents: Bands We Like, Vol. 1'' (2003) **Includes the demo version of "Cut Down on the 12th" from ''Savin Hill'' *''Old Skars and Upstarts 2004'' (2004) **Includes "Lock and Loaded", previously a vinyl-only bonus track on ''Savin Hill'' *''Fat City Presents: Bands We Like, Vol. 2'' (2005) **Includes an alternate version of "Unions and the Law" from ''Back to the World'' *''Old Skars and Upstarts 2005'' (2005) **Includes "Drink Tonight" *"Atticus: Dragging the Lake Volume III" (2005) **Includes "In Defense of Dorchester" *''Backyard City Rockers 4'' (2007) **Includes "Decency Police" *''Warped Tour 2005 Tour Compilation'' (2005) **Includes "You Alone" *''Warped Tour 2007 Tour Compilation'' (2007) **Includes "Fading American Dream" *''Warped Tour 2008 Tour Compilation'' (2008) **Includes "Mean Fist" *''
New Noise ''The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts'', often shortened to ''The Shape of Punk to Come'', is the third album by Swedish hardcore punk band Refused, released on 27 October 1998 through Burning Heart Records. Although ...
'' (2010) **Includes "Rattle and Roll"


References


External links


Official website
(site now defunct. A Web search has not revealed a replacement)
Official Facebook
{{Authority control Punk rock groups from Massachusetts Oi! groups Street punk groups Hellcat Records artists Musical groups from Boston Musical groups established in 2002 2002 establishments in Massachusetts Articles which contain graphical timelines