Ken Casey can’t wait to get to Canada. For the first time next week the Dropkick Murphys’ bassist will roll into Calgary. Playing this Saturday at MacEwan Hall Ballroom along with Bouncing Souls, The Dwarves and The Distillers on the international Punk-o-Rama Tour, Casey looks forward to hanging with us Canucks.
"Everyone we’ve talked to and ever met from up that way has been friendly, outgoing and looks like they know how to have a good time," said Casey.
So far, the band has had a good time doing the punk thing. Since their inception in a barber shop in 1996, the Dropkick Murphys have come a long way. Already they have two albums under their belt: Do or Die and The Gang’s All Here. Next for the Boston group is Sing Loud, which should hit stores around November. For those who can’t wait that long, Dropkick Murphys: The Singles Collection was recently released.
When asked how he feels about the current glut of commercial punk/rap/rock hybrids like Limp Bizkit, Casey’s response is surprisingly direct.
"I’m not a fan," he says. "It seems like radio is big on trends these days: it was ska a few years ago, and now it’s whatever you want to call Limp Bizkit’s style, so they might as well cash in while they can, you know what I mean?
"God knows I won’t be one of the millions buying those records."
As for the mp3 controversy, Casey doesn’t sit on the fence. He supports the digital revolution… with a few restraints.
"I’m the kind of guy that even if I could get the song off the Internet, I’m still going to want to own the real thing," he says. "There’s probably a lot of cheap bastards out there that just want to get stuff for free.
"Maybe for every guy that gets it for free there’s another guy that stumbles upon the music because he can get it for free, and then he goes out and buys the album."