Street Dogs Got Dropkicked

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Savin Hill, just outside of Boston, Mass., is where Mike McColgan, former lead singer of Dropkick Murphys, was born and raised.
Hence, it is also the link to McColgan’s latest effort since parting ways with Dropkick Murphys in 1998. Released in September of 2003, ‘Savin Hill’ is the debut record from the Street Dogs, an up-and-coming punk band that sought McColgan’s vocal talent despite his decision to leave Dropkick Murphys (their final record is considered to be a punk-rock classic) to become a Boston firefighter.
‘I’ve lived in Boston my entire life, since I was a wee child, I wanted to pursue a career with the Boston Fire Department,’ McColgan said. ‘I’m actually on vacation right now [and] I’m able to go on tour and support the record.’
‘Savin Hill’ features 15 tracks of powerful punk-rock guaranteed to start mosh pits, circle pits and crowd surfing at each show. At just over 40 minutes long, the album is full of catchy choruses that inspire singing along.
McColgan joined the band in 2002 when Dropkick Murphys drummer Jeff Erna was recruited by guitarist Rob Guidotti to play on some songs he had written. Erna brought friend and former band mate McColgan to fill the vocalist position, and once Johnny Rioux was contacted to be the bassist, the band was officially formed and thus began brainstorming for a fitting title.
‘Rob had a song called ‘Street Dogs,” McColgan explained. ‘We worked the song and it wasn’t really coming to life, but we were searching for a name for the band. I felt like Street Dogs was good, we’re from the streets. We are from middle-class backgrounds.’
Street Dogs aims to infuse their musical influences of the past with a real, honest portrayal of the world. As part of Street Dogs, McColgan not only offers his experience as a singer, but helps the band achieve this goal through his talents as a songwriter.
‘I write an abundance of lyrics [and] when they have songs that don’t have lyrics, I try to infuse my lyrics into those melodies and that’s how we write songs,’ McColgan said. ‘[Lyrics are inspired by] my life experience

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