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)
Poor Poor Jimmy
Street Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No more Mark Perento taking us home on the afternoon drive
There once was a time they played music (remember that?) on the old radio
When you woke up in the morning it was tuned to The Big Mattress Show
And we all seemed to know one another (sometimes)
We all shared that special bond
Was the love of the underground music that made us feel like we belonged
Poor poor Jimmy
Poor poor Jimmy
Must be hard looking back
So now when I go down to Kenmore there's no chance that I'll see Bud White
All the jocks are still hanging out but with no punk rockers to fight (ahh fuck you)
Now it's hard to find that old music and these new bands might put us to shame
We never had to worry about our image because we always had a place to play
Poor poor Jimmy
Why did you sell The Rat?
Poor poor Jimmy
Must be hard looking back
On all those years and all the fans
And all the friends we thought we met
In that old shit-hole (man did it stink)
But it was our favorite place to drink
And lose our minds
And pick up chicks
And be punk rockers (at least for the weekend)
No one was real, we all were faking it!
Poor poor Jimmy
Why did you sell The Rat?
Poor poor Jimmy
Must be hard looking back
Poor poor Jimmy
Why did you sell The Rat?
Poor poor Jimmy
Why did you sell out like that?
The lyrics of Street Dogs's "Poor Poor Jimmy" take us on a nostalgic journey back to the days when the radio was a central part of our lives, and when the underground punk scene in Boston was thriving. The song is a tribute to the famous Boston punk club "The Rat", which was a hub for punk rock in the 70s and 80s, and the man who owned it, Jimmy Harold. The song laments the loss of this music scene and bemoans the current state of the popular music industry.
The song's first verse sets the stage: the singer and their friends are taking a drive and lamenting the fact that their favorite radio DJ is no longer on the air. They reminisce about a time when the radio played good music and brought people together. There was a sense of community in the underground music scene, a shared love for the music that made people feel like they belonged. The second verse takes us back to The Rat, where people used to hang out and listen to music. The singer mentions Bud White, a well-known character in the Boston punk scene, and talks about how the jocks (disc jockeys) would hang out with punk rockers. The music was the great equalizer, and everyone was welcome.
But things have changed. The punk scene is gone, and the music industry has moved on. The singer talks about how it's hard to find the old music these days, and how new bands might put them to shame. They also acknowledge that the punk scene wasn't always authentic, and that everyone was "faking it" to some degree. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "Poor poor Jimmy, why did you sell The Rat?" as if placing the blame for the loss of the scene on one person, and questioning why they would sell out.
Overall, "Poor Poor Jimmy" is a love letter to a bygone era in Boston music history, and a lament for the loss of a sense of community that was built around the music scene. It's a song that captures the feelings of nostalgia and longing for a time when music brought people together.
Line by Line Meaning
We tuned in our satellite radio and headed out for a long ride
We started our long journey with satellite radio
No more Mark Perento taking us home on the afternoon drive
We will miss Mark and old radio shows
There once was a time they played music (remember that?) on the old radio
Music was a big part of old time radios
When you woke up in the morning it was tuned to The Big Mattress Show
The Big Mattress Show was the iconic morning radio show
And we all seemed to know one another (sometimes)
Sometimes we felt connected as an underground community
We all shared that special bond
Our love of underground music brought us all together
Was the love of the underground music that made us feel like we belonged
Our shared love of underground music made us all feel a sense of belonging
Poor poor Jimmy
Sympathy for Jimmy
Why did you sell The Rat?
Asking Jimmy why he sold the Rat
Must be hard looking back
Jimmy may regret selling The Rat
So now when I go down to Kenmore there's no chance that I'll see Bud White
Bud White is not in Kenmore anymore
All the jocks are still hanging out but with no punk rockers to fight (ahh fuck you)
Jocks still hang out but without punk rockers for their fights
Now it's hard to find that old music and these new bands might put us to shame
Old music is hard to find and new bands are changing music scene
We never had to worry about our image because we always had a place to play
We could be ourselves without worrying about an image in the Rat
On all those years and all the fans
Looking back at the years and fans from the Rat
And all the friends we thought we met
Thinking about all the friends we made in the Rat
In that old shit-hole (man did it stink)
Despite the smell, the Rat was special
But it was our favorite place to drink
Despite its flaws, the Rat was our favorite place to drink
And lose our minds
We could cut loose and be ourselves
And pick up chicks
We could pick up girls at the Rat
And be punk rockers (at least for the weekend)
We could live like punk rockers on the weekend
No one was real, we all were faking it!
Nobody was genuine, we were all playing a part
Why did you sell out like that?
Asking Jimmy why he sold out by selling The Rat
Contributed by Grayson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.