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)
Fading American Dream
Street Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just another no choice member in Uncle Sam's desperation class
Finding it hard to face my wife, new kid born out of shotgun life
Twenty years old and I love them both, see no sunshine in our skies
Silently we pray for turbulence to break
How much more financial stress can we all take?
We chase the penthouse from the basement
Our current rat race, we run to stand still
This is our fading American Dream
Bad news coming in, these higher rent rates gouge us thin
The sands of time are running down as we slip further behind
Bleeding my family, they're stretched too
Eviction notes, what can I do?
Twenty years old, feel my life's on hold
Yell at a school-taught God, oh why?
Silently we pray for turbulence to break
How much more financial stress can we all take?
Getting closer to our limit
We chase the penthouse from the basement
Our current rat race, we run to stand still
This is our fading American Dream
Have we ever been above water?
Do we ever see ourselves coming out of it alive?
Getting closer to our limit
We chase the penthouse from the basement
Our current rat race, we run to stand still
This is our fading American Dream
I got no time no to go and cry now
Leave for a second job, don't want to go poor
I'm just searching for my dignity
This is our fading American Dream
This is our fading American Dream
This is our fading American Dream
Street Dogs's "Fading American Dream" is a song that reflects the struggles of the middle-class individuals who are facing financial stress and the lack of opportunities in the United States. The singer of the song is a young father who is struggling to provide for his family. He works hard every day, but his wages are barely enough to cover his expenses, including the soaring rent rates that are pushing his family to the brink of eviction. Despite his hard work, he feels trapped in a cycle of poverty and despair.
The lyrics paint a picture of a society where the American Dream is fading, and hopelessness is creeping in. The singer is frustrated and angry with a system that seems to have abandoned people like him. He feels like he is running a race where he can't win, chasing the dream of owning a penthouse while still stuck in the basement. The phrase ‘rat race' reflects how the singer feels about his life, where he is running hard but getting nowhere. He pleads to a school-taught God, wondering why he has to struggle so hard for a life of dignity.
The song speaks to the broader issue of the growing economic inequality in the United States, which has left many people marginalized and feeling hopeless. The song's melancholy tone reflects the despair and helplessness that many Americans feel today. The lyrics are insightful in that they provide an intimate understanding of how the working-class population in America is suffering and how the American Dream seems to be fading away.
Line by Line Meaning
Working hard from day to day now, I get a check that barely lasts
I work hard every day but the money I receive is just enough to survive.
I'm just another no choice member in Uncle Sam's desperation class
I am one of many people who are stuck in poverty in this country.
Finding it hard to face my wife, new kid born out of shotgun life
It's difficult for me to face my partner because we had a child unexpectedly and we are struggling to make ends meet.
Twenty years old and I love them both, see no sunshine in our skies
I am young and in love with my family, but our situation feels hopeless.
Silently we pray for turbulence to break
We hope that something will change and improve our situation.
How much more financial stress can we all take?
We are all under immense financial strain and we don't know how much more we can handle.
Getting closer to our limit
We are nearing the breaking point.
We chase the penthouse from the basement
We are trying to achieve a life of wealth and comfort, but we are starting at the very bottom.
Our current rat race, we run to stand still
Even though we are constantly working and pushing ourselves, it feels like we are not making any progress.
This is our fading American Dream
This is the sad reality of what the American Dream has become for many people.
Bad news coming in, these higher rent rates gouge us thin
We are struggling to pay exorbitant rent rates that are becoming unaffordable.
The sands of time are running down as we slip further behind
We are losing valuable time every day while we fall further and further behind financially.
Bleeding my family, they're stretched too
My family is suffering along with me and our financial struggles are causing a lot of stress and hardship.
Eviction notes, what can I do?
We are receiving notices that we may be evicted from our home, and we don't know how to stop it.
Twenty years old, feel my life's on hold
I am young but my life feels like it is at a complete standstill.
Yell at a school-taught God, oh why?
We are angry and frustrated and questioning why we are in this situation. We may direct our frustration towards a higher power that we were taught about in school.
Have we ever been above water?
We have never been financially stable or comfortable.
Do we ever see ourselves coming out of it alive?
We are not sure if we will ever escape this difficult financial situation.
I got no time no to go and cry now
I don't even have time to take a break and cry about how hard things are.
Leave for a second job, don't want to go poor
I am forced to get a second job to make ends meet, even though working constantly is exhausting and stressful.
I'm just searching for my dignity
All I want is to feel like a person who deserves respect and a good quality of life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thebullwhisperer916
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@vadermasktruth
Good stuff!
@claytonmichael1950
Sorry to be off topic but does any of you know of a way to get back into an Instagram account??
I stupidly lost the login password. I would love any help you can give me!
@elizion6748
@Clayton Michael instablaster ;)
@claytonmichael1950
@Eli Zion i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later with my results.
@claytonmichael1950
@Eli Zion It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much, you really help me out!
@elizion6748
@Clayton Michael no problem xD
@robertcubinelli4961
Better than wimpy Green Day or shitty Offspring :)
@MrSubhuman138
Pretty sure this is going to be a hit now after this Biden administration!
@jefflebowski8470
America was already screwed when this album came out during the Bush junior era. Downhill ever since.