Street Dogs were an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, for… Read Full Bio ↴Street Dogs were an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together.

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)

Stagger
Street Dogs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Chorus]
He's just a drunk
An old salty dog
Stagger, you drink and then fall
Unaware that your life is held up against the wall
Aching, just dying inside
Still you cling on tight to your obstinate pride

I knew a man at the end of the bar
Wore a look of erosion, some old battle scars
Told many stories, none of them bright
If you bought him liberations, he spun them all night
Started out in Normandy, moved right onto France
The battle of Berlin and more veteran partance
At the end this generation, not like the last
Kids today need to learn from the past

[Chorus]

Getting to loud barkeeper gives the hook
All the patrons laugh so hard the dive nearly shook
Into the alley he goes furious and irate
Expletives and threats babbled in hate
Finally he collapses down to the asphalt
Battered mug and lacerations, it's his fault
Bystanders tap numbers for the ambulance call
Salty dog going for an E.R. haul

[Chorus]

Salt you stagger away and then fall
Continuously stubborn and defiant through it all
Vet you'll rattle, bemoan and berate
People not backing ideals out of date

What he doesn't relize
Is he's the enemy of him
What he can't see
Is he's stuck in yesterday

Battle EMT's, they try to help him
Inside self imposed defiance, he'd rather swim
Inside of him, a crazy death wish

[Chorus]

I knew a man at the end of the bar
With a VFW jacket and some old battle scars

Did you hear the news?
Stagger's wish came true

Overall Meaning

The song "Stagger" by Street Dogs is a tribute to an old, salty dog who is a veteran of war and is now lost in the throes of alcoholism. The song paints a picture of a man who wears his battle scars on his face and is always seen sitting at the end of the bar, holding on tightly to his memories and his pride. The chorus is a reminder that Stagger's life is literally hanging by a thread, as he drinks and stumbles around, oblivious to the fact that he is holding on to his past so tightly that it is destroying his present and future. The verses tell of Stagger's war stories and how he spun them night after night to anyone who would listen, but there was never a happy ending, only the bitter reminder that he had lost so much.

The song is a powerful commentary on the toll that war can take on a person and how hard it can be to let go of the past. Despite all of Stagger's experiences, he is still clinging to the ideals and values of his past, refusing to let go and move on with his life. The song is a call to action for the younger generation to learn from the past and not be held prisoner by it.

Line by Line Meaning

He's just a drunk
The man being described is an alcoholic

An old salty dog
He is an experienced and grizzled man

Stagger, you drink and then fall
The man is prone to drinking in excess and losing his balance

Unaware that your life is held up against the wall
The man is oblivious to the fact that he is at a low point in his life

Aching, just dying inside
Emotionally, he is in a lot of pain and struggling to cope

Still you cling on tight to your obstinate pride
Despite his situation, he refuses to seek help and insists on handling things on his own

I knew a man at the end of the bar
The singer is reminiscing about a particular person

Wore a look of erosion, some old battle scars
The person had physical and emotional scars from their past experiences

Told many stories, none of them bright
The person often shared stories about their life, but they were all tragic or negative

If you bought him liberations, he spun them all night
If you bought him drinks, he would talk extensively about his stories and experiences

Started out in Normandy, moved right onto France
The person was a veteran of World War II and fought in many significant battles

The battle of Berlin and more veteran partance
He fought in the fierce battle of Berlin and other battles as well

At the end this generation, not like the last
The singer is reflecting on the differences between the older generation and the younger generation

Kids today need to learn from the past
The singer believes that younger people should learn from the experiences of older generations

Getting to loud barkeeper gives the hook
The bartender asks the man to leave due to his disruptive behavior

All the patrons laugh so hard the dive nearly shook
The other customers found the situation amusing

Into the alley he goes furious and irate
The man is angry and upset at being kicked out

Expletives and threats babbled in hate
He is cursing and making angry comments

Finally he collapses down to the asphalt
The man falls down onto the ground

Battered mug and lacerations, it's his fault
He is injured and it is his own fault for being drunk and disruptive

Bystanders tap numbers for the ambulance call
People around him are calling for an ambulance to help him

Salty dog going for an E.R. haul
The man is being taken to the emergency room

Salt you stagger away and then fall
He is still stumbling around even as he is being taken to the hospital

Continuously stubborn and defiant through it all
Even in this dire situation, he refuses to change his ways

Vet you'll rattle, bemoan and berate
He will continue to complain and criticize others

People not backing ideals out of date
He is upset with people who don't share his outdated views and beliefs

What he doesn't realize
He is unaware

Is he's the enemy of him
His actions and attitudes are self-destructive

What he can't see
He is blind to

Is he's stuck in yesterday
He is still holding onto the past and refuses to move on

Battle EMT's, they try to help him
Paramedics are doing their best to assist him

Inside self imposed defiance, he'd rather swim
Despite their help, he doesn't want to improve his situation

Inside of him, a crazy death wish
He has a subconscious desire to hurt himself

Did you hear the news?
The artist is asking if the listener has heard about something

Stagger's wish came true
It is implied that Stagger has passed away, as his wish to die has been fulfilled

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Joe Sirois, Johnny Rioux, Marcus Hollar, Mike McColgan, Nate Albert

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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