History
In 1997, McColgan left Dropkick Murphys "to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter for the Boston Fire Department." 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 on drums, Rob Guidotti on guitar and Bill Close on bass.[1] They signed with CrossCheck Records in 2003,[2] 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. Savin Hill (which was produced by former The Mighty Mighty Bosstones member Nate Albert[3] and featured guest appearances by Al Barr and Ken Casey from Dropkick Murphys) was a success and resulted in a supporting tour with Celtic punk band Flogging Molly.
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, 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, Tiger Army, Bad Religion, Millencolin (in Europe), The Bouncing Souls (US And Japan) and The Briefs. The band also toured on the Vans Warped Tour 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,[4] The Adolescents[5] and The Bouncing Souls.[6] Also in 2006, released their third album, Fading American Dream. It was recorded earlier in the year with producer Ted Hutt (Flogging Molly, Madcap, The Bouncing Souls).
While on tour opening for Flogging Molly on February 27, 2007 show at the Sokol Auditorium 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. Their fourth album, State of Grace, for Hellcat, which they started recording in early February 2008, once again with Ted Hutt[7] was released on July 8, 2008.[8]
At recent shows, Street Dogs have been promoting Oxfam America, 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 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, on August 31, 2010[9] on Hellcat Records.
On February 21, 2011, the band performed at an acoustic show with Tom Morello, Tim McIlrath, Wayne Kramer, and Ike Reilly in Madison, WI 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, 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.[10]
In an interview with AMP, 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.[11] 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".[12] 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.[13] 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", a song named after their annual tour, which will be released on Record Store Day 2013. Another single, "Rustbelt Nation", followed a month later.[14] 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 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."[15]
On February 13, 2020, via the band's Facebook 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 and Mad Caddies as well as two headlining shows, one in Long Beach, CA on March 16, and their final show to be announced in their hometown of Boston, MA. 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.[16][17]
Former members
Mike McColgan – lead vocals (2002–2020)
Johnny Rioux – bass (2003–2020)
Pete Sosa – drums (2012–2020)
Matt Pruitt – lead guitar (2013–2020)
Lenny Lashley – rhythm guitar (2013–2020)
Jeff Erna – 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 – drums (2004–2007)
Tobe Bean III – guitars (2005–2012)
Paul Rucker – drums (2007–2012)
Elizabeth
Street Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sha-La-La
Shine on me
Sha-La-La
Sha-La-La
Shine on me
She shuffles her feet
Victorian respite
Irish streets of gold
Far removed from her sod
Where they ran from an angry god
Then settled into
Triple Stacked apartment row
Yes the husband came next
Then young children test
No doubt she cared so well
Fed an army of six
With Ol' Harr in the mix
The patience of a saint
A virtuous woman
Bearer of the family flame
Elizabeth, Elizabeth
We honor your name
Sha-La-La
Sha-La-La
Shine on me
Sha-La-La
Sha-La-La
Shine on me
Told it was to that Harry
She had up and wed
But we never got to know him
'Cause the bottle struck him dead
Informed he carried that curse
So of us would know
So she waved goodbye to Heartland
Off to Romsey she'd go
Then the kids they have kids
Once again testing wits
She took it in her stride
Up until her last days
Steadfast in her ways
Inspiring to me
A virtuous woman
Bearer of the family flame
Elizabeth, Elizabeth
We honor your name
That virtuous woman
Bearer of the family flame
Elizabeth, Elizabeth
We honor your name
Sha-La-La
Sha-La-La
Shine on me
Sha-La-La
Sha-La-La
Shine on me
The song "Elizabeth" by Street Dogs speaks about a woman named Elizabeth who is a matriarch of her family. The song starts with the repetition of "Sha-La-La" followed by "Shine on me," which could mean that the singer asks Elizabeth's spirit or her memory to shed some light or inspire him. Elizabeth is described as a humble woman who lives in a modest home and feeds her family, which consists of six children and her husband or "Ol' Harr." This could represent the typical Irish family who left Ireland due to the Great Famine and settled in the United States.
The song mentions that Elizabeth's husband and the father of her children dies due to alcoholism, which suggests how alcoholism impacted many lives in Irish-American communities during the 20th century. Even though Elizabeth had faced many hardships, she remained steadfast and inspiring to the singer. The song ends as it begins with the repetition of "Sha-La-La" followed by "Shine on me," which indicates that Elizabeth's influence will continue to shed light on the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Sha-La-La
Repeating the lyric to emphasize that Elizabeth is to be honored
Sha-La-La
Repeating the lyric to emphasize that Elizabeth is to be honored
Shine on me
Repeating the lyric to emphasize that Elizabeth is to be honored
Sha-La-La
Repeating the lyric to emphasize that Elizabeth is to be honored
Sha-La-La
Repeating the lyric to emphasize that Elizabeth is to be honored
Shine on me
Repeating the lyric to emphasize that Elizabeth is to be honored
She shuffles her feet
Elizabeth is walking around in her kitchen
In that kitchen retreat
Her kitchen is her safe haven
Victorian respite
She is in Victorian-era architecture that provides a peaceful retreat
Irish streets of gold
She contrasted her new area with her homeland
Far removed from her sod
She is now living in a completely different world than what she is used to
Where they ran from an angry god
Elizabeth and her family were chased out of their Irish home by religious turmoil
Then settled into
Eventually, Elizabeth's family settled down in their new home
Triple Stacked apartment row
They lived in a small apartment in a larger building with other families
Yes the husband came next
Elizabeth got married after settling in
Then young children test
She had six children who were all born and raised in her new home
No doubt she cared so well
Elizabeth was a dedicated and loving mother
Fed an army of six
She had to provide for her large family
With Ol' Harr in the mix
Her husband helped out as well, but he's not really a part of the story
The patience of a saint
Elizabeth was known to be a very patient person
A virtuous woman
Elizabeth was known for her moral and virtuous character
Bearer of the family flame
She kept the family together and running smoothly
Elizabeth, Elizabeth
Calling out to Elizabeth as if to honor her memory
We honor your name
The band is paying tribute to her legacy
Told it was to that Harry
Elizabeth got married to someone named Harry
She had up and wed
They got married very suddenly
But we never got to know him
Harry is never mentioned again in the song, and so we don't know much about him
'Cause the bottle struck him dead
Harry had a drinking problem that eventually killed him
Informed he carried that curse
It is suggested that Harry's drinking problem may have been genetic
So of us would know
Elizabeth told her family about the curse
So she waved goodbye to Heartland
After Harry died, Elizabeth moved away from her home
Off to Romsey she'd go
She started anew in a different city
Then the kids they have kids
Elizabeth watched as her children grew up and had kids of their own
Once again testing wits
Her grandchildren challenged her again, and she rose to meet the challenge
She took it in her stride
Elizabeth handled everything that came her way with grace and dignity
Up until her last days
Elizabeth remained strong and resilient even as she approached the end of her life
Steadfast in her ways
She never lost sight of her values and remained true to herself
Inspiring to me
The band members were personally inspired by Elizabeth's life story
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind