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)
Unions and the Law
Street Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unfortunately for us bossman's rearranging
Doesn't care about the wife and kids
But only the gold that is his
Won't hear eleventh hour underbids
Or part with the assets that he thinks are his
Only goes by the manual
To get his increase and human pride
Not even aware that his moral code has died
Unions and the law... What's wrong with being treated fairly
Unions and the law... We've got to defend ourselves somehow
Society's a much faster place now
Seems like standing up lost out somehow
Another composer once said
I can't stand up for falling down
Got to rise up and be accounted for
Maybe that sentiment will arrive
Back in town but only time
Itself will reveal that concept
In ending this rant we'll be idealistic
[Chorus]
Unions and the law... What's wrong with being treated fairly
Unions and the law... We've got to defend ourselves somehow
Unions and the law... What's wrong with being treated fairly
Unions and the law... We've got to defend ourselves somehow
Like Bob said the times are a changing
Unfortunately for us bossman's rearranging
Doesn't care about your wife and kids
But only the gold that is his
The song "Unions and the Law" by Street Dogs is a commentary on the slowly changing work culture and how it is affecting the working class. The song begins with a reference to Bob Dylan's song "The Times They Are a-Changin'" and how it is unfortunately being twisted to suit the interests of the bosses. The lyrics emphasize the fact that the bosses are only interested in their assets and not the welfare of their employees, which is leading to the decline of their moral code.
The song calls for the importance of Unions and the Law to ensure that the employees are treated fairly. The current society is fast-paced and the working class is feeling lost in the midst of these changes. The lyrics of the song suggest that there is a need to rise up and hold the bosses accountable for their actions. The chorus of the song reiterates the need for legal protection and fair treatment for workers.
Overall, the song is a critique of the corporate culture and the bosses who only care about profit and not the welfare of their employees. The song urges workers to unite and stand up for their rights and to ensure that they are treated fairly.
Line by Line Meaning
Like Bob said the times are a changing
The times are changing, as Bob once said.
Unfortunately for us bossman's rearranging
Unfortunately, our boss is rearranging things to benefit himself.
Doesn't care about the wife and kids
The boss doesn't care about the well-being of his employees and their families.
But only the gold that is his
The boss only cares about his financial gain.
Won't hear eleventh hour underbids
The boss won't consider late last-minute offers.
Or part with the assets that he thinks are his
The boss won't give up assets he believes belong to him.
Only goes by the manual
The boss follows the rules and procedures to achieve his goals.
To get his increase and human pride
The boss is driven by his own financial gain and personal pride.
Not even aware that his moral code has died
The boss is unaware that his moral principles have deteriorated.
Unions and the law... What's wrong with being treated fairly
The song raises the question of what's wrong with fair treatment, which can be achieved through unions and the law.
Unions and the law... We've got to defend ourselves somehow
In order to be treated fairly, we need to defend ourselves through the power of unions and the law.
Society's a much faster place now
Today's society is fast-paced and constantly changing.
Seems like standing up lost out somehow
It seems like standing up for oneself has lost importance in this society.
Another composer once said
Another artist once expressed similar sentiments.
I can't stand up for falling down
I can't keep standing up if I keep falling back down.
Got to rise up and be accounted for
We need to rise up and take responsibility for ourselves.
Maybe that sentiment will arrive
Perhaps the idea will become more prevalent.
Back in town but only time
Only time will tell if this sentiment will return.
Itself will reveal that concept
This concept will become apparent on its own.
In ending this rant we'll be idealistic
In conclusion, we'll remain optimistic and hopeful despite the difficulties.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the idea that we need unions and the law to defend ourselves and achieve fair treatment.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Johnny Rioux, Mike McColgan, Nate Albert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind