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)
Hard Luck Kid
Street Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Absent somehow when they shot off the right from the wrong gun
Always swimming in the deep end of your troubled pool
Opted for that asphalt as your chosen school
Then you got shipped off to DYS
Threw your life into a great big mess
But you could care less.
It's a tale of increasing woe
You know how the story goes
Hard Luck Kid has us all asking, why?
Once a shine in your mother's eyes
Failed attempts now make her cry
Hard Luck Kid when will you ever learn?
When will you ever learn?
From Southie to Walpole you went from small to bigger crime
Hanging out with cross colors crews, promoted to full time
Kept up in step, upped your rep, by pulling those hold-up jobs
Now you find yourself locked up with Cedar Junction mobs
Murphy boy is locked down in the can
Probably not part of the big plan
Does he understand?
It's a tale of increasing woe
You know how the story goes
Hard Luck Kid has us all asking, why?
Once a shine in your mother's eyes
Failed attempts now make her cry
Hard Luck Kid when will you ever learn?
When will you ever learn?
And I heard you just broke free from institution
Will you turn on to the right path for solution?
Cause I know inside there lies one more shot
Do not be the guy redemption had forgot about, left behind, got passed over by a criminal mind
Back to wrong, same old song
Pete wake up, get back on top, while you still own some hope
It's a tale of increasing woe
You know how the story goes
Hard Luck Kid has us all asking, why?
Once a shine in your mother's eyes
Failed attempts now make her cry
Hard Luck Kid when will you ever learn?
When will you ever learn?
The song "Hard Luck Kid" by Street Dogs tells the story of a troubled individual who was always dealt a bad hand in life. The lyrics describe how this person seemed to be cursed with bad luck from the very beginning, missing out on the good things in life and diving headfirst into trouble. He was always swimming in the deep end of his troubled pool and chose the wrong path, opting for a life of crime on the streets. He was sent to juvenile detention which only worsened his life and yet he didn't care about what was happening to him. The song speaks about the increasing woe of his life with every turn he took and the repercussions of his actions.
The song highlights the story of a person who went from small crimes to bigger ones, moving up in the criminal world through hold-ups and joining crews. He ends up in Cedar Junction, a notoriously tough prison in Massachusetts where he possibly finds himself locked down in the can. Towards the end of the song, the singer talks about how he hears that the individual broke free from institutions and wonders whether this person will finally turn onto the right path, take the one more shot he has left, and get back on top before it's too late.
In conclusion, "Hard Luck Kid" is a somber, cautionary tale that condemns the life of crime and aims to remind us that we are responsible for our actions and can always turn things around before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Seems to me you were snake-bitten from day one
It appears that you have been cursed since the beginning of time.
Absent somehow when they shot off the right from the wrong gun
You were nowhere to be found when the correct values were being taught.
Always swimming in the deep end of your troubled pool
You have always been involved in deep-seated issues and problems.
Opted for that asphalt as your chosen school
You chose the streets as your school and learned everything the hard way.
Then you got shipped off to DYS
You were sent off to juvenile detention.
Threw your life into a great big mess
You made a mess of your life.
But you could care less.
You didn't care at all.
It's a tale of increasing woe
This is a story of increasing sorrow and misfortune.
You know how the story goes
You are aware of how this type of story unfolds.
Hard Luck Kid has us all asking, why?
We are all wondering why you have such terrible luck.
Once a shine in your mother's eyes
You were once a source of pride for your mother.
Failed attempts now make her cry
Your mother is now saddened by your repeated failures.
Hard Luck Kid when will you ever learn?
We wonder when you will finally learn from your mistakes.
From Southie to Walpole you went from small to bigger crime
You went from committing small crimes to bigger and worse ones.
Hanging out with cross colors crews, promoted to full time
You joined some bad groups and became a full-time criminal.
Kept up in step, upped your rep, by pulling those hold-up jobs
You kept yourself in line with your criminal peers by participating in robberies.
Now you find yourself locked up with Cedar Junction mobs
You are now in prison with some unsavory people.
Murphy boy is locked down in the can
You are now stuck in prison.
Probably not part of the big plan
This was probably not the plan you had for yourself.
Does he understand?
Do you understand your situation?
And I heard you just broke free from institution
I heard that you recently escaped from prison.
Will you turn on to the right path for solution?
Will you finally choose to make the right decisions?
Cause I know inside there lies one more shot
I know that you have one more chance to turn things around.
Do not be the guy redemption had forgot about
Don't be the person that redemption has overlooked.
Left behind, got passed over by a criminal mind
Don't let your criminal tendencies hold you back.
Back to wrong, same old song
Don't go back to your old ways.
Pete wake up, get back on top, while you still own some hope
Wake up and get your life back on track while you still have some hope left.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind