DROPKICK MURPHYS ANNOUNCE SUMMER NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OF ‘GOING OUT IN STYLE’ CD

INCLUDES HEADLINING PERFORMANCES AT PUNK ROCK BOWLING IN LAS VEGAS, NV AND HOOTENANNY IN IRVINE, CA

After a whirlwind St. Patrick’s Day week including the band’s annual run of sold-out Boston-area shows–complete with a guest performance by Bruce Springsteen–and an appearance on NPR’s “On Point,” Dropkick Murphys have announced North American summer tour dates in support of their critically acclaimed new CD Going Out In Style (Born & Bred Records/ILG), which debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, marking the group’s highest chart debut to date.

The trek kicks off with a May 28 Memorial Day Weekend headlining performance at the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival in downtown Las Vegas. Dropkick Murphys will then launch a string of shows starting June 19 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The tour is highlighted by a headlining slot at the annual 4th of July weekend Hootenanny in Irvine, CA, where DKM will join such artists as Reverend Horton Heat, Murder City Devils, Supersuckers, Swingin’ Utters, Royal Crown Revue, John Doe and more. This run of summer shows wraps with a July 8 performance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest. These shows will be bookended by European festival dates in April and August.

Going Out In Style is receiving overwhelming praise, with USA Today declaring it “funny, moving, inspiring and, above all, entertaining,” while the New York Times applauds the band’s “gruff punk with some rowdy Irish roots and offer no mercy for posers or phonies.” Elsewhere, the video for “Going Out In Style”–which features guest appearances by a slew of Boston-based celebrities, aswell as NHL Hall of Famer Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins alumni), and fellow musicians Fat Mike (NOFX) and Chris Cheney (The Living End)–was featured at #1 on Rolling Stone’s “Hot List,” while the CD landed the #1 spot on the magazine’s Local Favorite’s chart in the March 31, 2011 issue.

The band’s recent live shows have drawn equal accolades for what the Boston Herald calls “vital new music.” “[Al] Barr and [Ken] Casey are the best tag-team vocal barkers in punk, trading verses constantly,” the Herald continues. “DKM songs are sharp and smart, rife with populist and pro-labor sentiments.” Adds the Boston Globe, “Dropkick Murphys still have the punchy energy of a street-punk band, yet the septet has settled into the role of ambassador of all things blue-collar Boston.”

Here are a few highlights from Dropkick Murphys’ St. Patrick’s Day week:

* March 14: Joined by boxer Micky Ward at the opening of Ken Casey’s new restaurant and sports bar The Whiskey Republic in Providence, RI
* March 17: St. Patrick’s Day interview and acoustic performance on NPR’s “On Point With Tom Ashbrook”
* March 17: ESPN interview with Ken Casey, Scruffy Wallace and Matt Kelly
* March 17: “Memorial Day” video premieres on MTV2 and mtvU
* March 18: Dropkick Murphys joined onstage by Bruce Springsteen at House of Blues in Boston for “Peg ‘O My Heart,” “Badlands” and “I’m Shipping Up To Boston”
* March 19: Cinemax “Max Tour Stories” airs with DKM’s Ken Casey, Al Barr, James Lynch and Tim Brennan
* March 20: Performed an intimate set for fans at Boston’s Paradise Club to raise money for The Claddagh Fund

Catch Dropkick Murphys–Al Barr (lead vocals), Tim Brennan (guitars, accordion, whistle, vocals), Ken Casey (lead vocals, bass guitar), Jeff DaRosa (banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, harmonica, vocals), Matt Kelly (drums, vocals), James Lynch (guitar, vocals), and Scruffy Wallace (bagpipes)–on tour in the following cities:

Date City Venue

Friday, April 15 Strasbourg, France Artefact Festival

Saturday, April 16 Bielefeld, Germany Ringlokschuppen

Sunday, April 17 Lund, Sweden Färs & Frosta Sparbank Arena

Monday, April 18 Oslo, Norway Spektrum

Tuesday, April 19 Stockholm, Sweden Arenan
Thursday, April 21 Erfurt, Germany Thuringen Hall

Friday, April 22 Zurich, Switzerland Give It A Name Festival

Saturday, April 23 Meerhout, Belgium Groezrock

Sunday, April 24 Schjindel, The Netherlands Paaspop

Monday, April 25 München, Germany Zenith

Tuesday, April 26 Milan, Italy Loud And Proud Festival at Alcatraz

Thursday, April 28 Barcelona, Spain Sala Razzmatazz 1

Friday, April 29 Madrid, Spain Sala Riviera

Saturday, April 30 Bilbao, Spain Sala Rockstar

Saturday, May 28 Las Vegas, NV Punk Rock Bowling (outdoor festival

at 6th Street and Fremont St. East)

Sunday, June 19 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre

Tuesday, June 21 Saskatoon, SK Odeon Events Centre

Wednesday, June 22 Edmonton, AB Edmonton Event Center

Thursday, June 23 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall

Saturday, June 25 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom

Sunday, June 26 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom

Monday, June 27 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre

Tuesday, June 28 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre

Wednesday, June 29 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre

Saturday, July 2 Irvine, CA Hootenanny (Oak Canyon)

Sunday, July 3 Tempe, AZ The Marquee

Tuesday, July 5 San Antonio, TX Sunset Station

Wednesday, July 6 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom

Friday, August 12 Püttlingen, Germany Rocco Del Schlacko

Saturday, August 13 Eschwege, Germany Open Flair

Sunday, August 14 Rothenburg, Germany Taubertal

Friday, August 19 St. Pölten, Austria Frequency Festival

Saturday, August 20 Lüdinghausen, Germany Area 4

Sunday, August 21 Großpösna, Germany Highfield