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)
Harpo
Street Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Harpo the drunken fool, he's a mess
I gotta confess,
Harpo the drunken fool
He grew up with Franklin
poor up on the hill
served under Macarthur
and learned how to kill
boy there's no work,
camps out at Connor's
the new pissed off jerk
Broken face, he is a disgrace
Harpo the drunken fool,
thrown out of the hold,
right back into the cold,
Harpo the drunken fool
Well the shine of a young man
has worn off of him,
lost a trade to the whiskey
no more knocking gin
Leave me alone,
I'm doing just fine
I'm sleeping it off
down at station nine
Why do you all care so much,
do you really think
I'm out to lunch,
I gave up on life so long ago
because every yes I hoped for
turned out a big no
SO to hell with this city
and being legit,
forget all blue bastards,
colour me quit, get my bottle,
my coat, toss me my cap,
I'm leaving Boston
and not looking back
Will we sing tales about him
every once in awhile
Hope he won't crash
dwon on Malibou mile
How will he change?
Nobody knows but
for the Grace of God
I know red lights arrive,
frozen they find
Harpo the drunken fool
The lyrics to Street Dogs' song, Harpo, are a poignant and vivid portrait of a man, presumably from Boston, who has fallen on hard times and turned to alcoholism as a way to cope. The song is an empathetic lamentation, with the singer acknowledging the pain and tragedy of Harpo's life while also recognizing that there is little they can do to help him. The song begins with the line "Every time, every God damn time," suggesting that Harpo's drinking and subsequent misfortunes are an ongoing and cyclical issue.
The central subject of the song, Harpo, is depicted as a "drunken fool" and a "mess" who has fallen from grace. The singer admits that Harpo was not always like this, that he "grew up with Franklin" and "served under MacArthur and learned how to kill," implying that he was once a proud and capable soldier. However, now he is reduced to sleeping on the streets and getting into fights at a local bar called Connor's. The line "lost a trade to the whiskey, no more knocking gin" suggests that Harpo was once a skilled tradesman but lost his job due to his drinking.
The song is a sad and touching tribute to a man whose life has fallen apart. It ends on a hopeful note, with the singer acknowledging that there is a glimmer of hope for Harpo's future. The final lines say "Will we sing tales about him every once in a while, hope he won't crash down on Malibu mile. How will he change? Nobody knows, but for the grace of God, I know red lights arrive, frozen they find Harpo the drunken fool." This ending is both a call to remember and honor Harpo's struggles, and a recognition of the transformative power of grace and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time, Every God damn time
Every time, without fail
Harpo the drunken fool, he's a mess
Harpo is an alcoholic and a mess
I gotta confess,
I admit that
Harpo the drunken fool
Harpo is often drunk
He grew up with Franklin poor up on the hill
Harpo and Franklin grew up poor in the hills
served under Macarthur and learned how to kill
Harpo served in the military under Macarthur and learned how to kill
comes home to recession yeah boy there's no work, camps out at Connor's the new pissed off jerk
When Harpo returns home from the military, he finds no work due to the recession and is angry and frustrated
Broken face, he is a disgrace, Harpo the drunken fool, thrown out of the hold, right back into the cold, Harpo the drunken fool
Harpo's face is broken and he is considered a disgrace, kicked out of somewhere and left in the cold while drunk
Well the shine of a young man has worn off of him, lost a trade to the whiskey no more knocking gin
Harpo has lost his youth and lost his ability to work and is now addicted to whiskey
Leave me alone, I'm doing just fine, I'm sleeping it off, down at station nine
Harpo wants to be left alone and is sleeping off his drunkenness at station nine
Why do you all care so much, do you really think I'm out to lunch, I gave up on life so long ago because every yes I hoped for turned out a big no
Harpo wonders why people care about him and thinks they see him as crazy. He gave up on life a long time ago due to constant disappointment
SO to hell with this city and being legit, forget all blue bastards, colour me quit, get my bottle, my coat, toss me my cap, I'm leaving Boston and not looking back
Harpo is done with the city and its authority figures, is quitting and leaving Boston, never to return
Will we sing tales about him every once in awhile, Hope he won't crash dwon on Malibou mile, How will he change? Nobody knows but for the Grace of God, I know red lights arrive, frozen they find Harpo the drunken fool
People might tell stories about Harpo, but they hope he won't crash and continue to struggle. Nobody knows how he will change, but for the grace of god he might. Even when he is found passed out drunk, people don't help him
Contributed by Jordan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kev Bouchet
Flogging Molly style :D