The Street Dogs are a rare example of a tried-and-true, 21st century punk rock band. Their songs are assertive, outspoken and inspired. They’re also consummate professionals onstage, routinely delivering lengthy, crowd-pleasing performances that are on par with or surpass the best live bands in independent rock. On their latest album, State of Grace, the band has successfully restyled their sound and become a tighter, more focused group than ever before. It’s undeniably one of the best punk records of 2008 and one that even passing fans of the genre must hear. This interview was done with Street Dogs’ singer Mike McColgan prior to their recent show at Reggie’s Rock Club on 10/4/08.
Bill – Tell me about the songwriting process that took place on State of Grace. This collection of songs displays a great deal of both variance and confidence, and also witnesses the Street Dogs redefine and sharpen their sound. What were some of the inspirations that moved you to create this album?
Mike – It was a more organic release. I think we all got more introspective than in the past. We touched on issues that we might not have ever gone towards before. A song like “Guns” for example is a political and sonic stretch for us. It kind of decries the illegal proliferation of firearms in the United States. It just talks about the arbitrary casualties of young kids and it’s just something that we wanted to talk about. We talk about family members that are really instrumental, inspirational and continued sources of affection for us. We decided to cover “Into the Valley”, which talks about the insanity of war propaganda and young people dying in the name of fiscal wars that are named something else. I think we really didn’t do it as conventionally as we’ve done the other releases. We took every idea that every band member had and we worked it out. That’s time-consuming and arduous. At the same time, I feel like it behooved us and we got 11 good songs. I feel like we have a release where there’s not one filler track. That’s a difficult thing to accomplish as a group, to be able to write a cohesive, well-sequenced record where there are no filler tracks, you know? Certainly there are tracks that we believe are better than others, but we feel like it’s a complete body of work and our best to date.
Bill – The recording quality of State of Grace is unabashed, pure and forceful, and helps to highlight the likeminded songwriting. Describe your experience collaborating with producer Ted Hutt.
Mike – Amazing, because Ted is just so open-minded, focused and passionate. He challenged the group collectively and each individual player also, be it singer, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass or drums. He just won’t take or accept a half-assed performance. He wants the best performance you can offer. On this record, even more so than Fading American Dream, the one we worked on with Ted prior to State of Grace, he really pushed us. I feel like each time we’ve worked with Ted we’ve gotten better as a group. Our live performance has been enhanced and everybody’s own personal chops have gotten better. He’s just a very unsung and underrated producer. He’s one of the best out there right now. I really feel that way.
Bill – State of Grace is your first album for Hellcat Records. How exactly did this partnership form?
Mike – For a time, actually dating back as far as 2005 on the Vans Warped Tour, we spoke kind of unofficially with the people at Hellcat about doing a record with them. They were interested and we were interested in going there, but we were still under obligation to DRT, our last label. When we completed Fading American Dream we were free and clear, so we started to speak with Hellcat again. It’s just a logical home for the group given its pedigree, given what it does and the bands it always aligns itself with. It’s definitely the best home for us. I couldn’t be happier with the decision.
Bill – The song “The General’s Boombox” is a tribute to Joe Strummer. How has he influenced you as a musician?
Mike – The song “Clash City Rockers” changed my life. It changed everything. It changed how I felt about music; physically, mentally and spiritually. Prior to that I liked fluffy, poppy stuff, but when I heard The Clash all bets were off. I wanted to get involved and maybe one day sing in a band. Whether it was The Clash or Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros, he was just such an amazing, humble, approachable, affable icon. If you’d ever brought that to his attention he’d never accept that, he just wanted to be a man amongst men, a family member amongst family members, and a friend amongst friends. He was an amazing guy. As humbly and respectfully as we can, we kind of directly or indirectly follow in his mold to some degree.
Bill – “Guns” is an aptly titled song that of course deals with gun violence. While this is a major problem in our country, from a statistical standpoint, it’s an even greater issue here in Chicago. On a personal note, two of my coworkers were shot this year on their way home from work and just last month someone was shot directly outside of my apartment building. Is there a particular incident that led you to write this song?
Mike – Yeah, in the early ‘90s in Boston, Massachusetts a young girl was gunned down while sitting on top of a mailbox in the middle of gang violence. It brought a lot of focus on the issue of illegal handgun proliferation on the streets of Boston. Clearly given cumulative U.S. statistics that reflect gun violence and homicides attributable to handguns, there’s a problem. Chicago being one of the biggest municipalities in the country, it definitely has a very, very big problem. It seems like it’s something that’s gotten worse and more pervasive, slowly as time’s gone on, and I don’t think the government or people collectively in the country have really tried to stamp it out. I don’t begrudge law-abiding citizens having weapons to shoot recreationally or to protect themselves and things of that nature, or law enforcement or the armed services. But illegal proliferation and things like that are not good things and it still continues to be a problem. That was a big leap of faith for us to do that song. Also, the song delves into the condition of being in a paramedic unit and how hectic it can be when there’s a gunshot wound victim. It takes you for a ride into the eye of the storm. Sonically I think the sound of it really meets head-on with the lyrics too. I think it’s one of our better moments and I think time will definitely exonerate the song and the effort.
Bill – The Street Dogs proudly promote their hometown of Boston as evidenced by the song “Two Angry Kids”, which details growing up in Bean Town. Was there a specific aspect of your childhood that you were hoping to capture in these lyrics?
Mike – I think that song could speak to so many people that I grew up with, because fortunately I had friends that tried to steer me away from going down the wrong path and helped me find personal redemption. They helped me find a way to just walk serenely and keep things simple. The song passively and respectfully kind of speaks to those people. It could be many, many people that I’ve grown with and called my friends.
Bill – Your previous band, Dropkick Murphys, is still oftentimes mentioned in conversations regarding the Street Dogs. Has it become annoying or is it something you’ve simply learned to live with?
Mike – It’s never been annoying. Anytime I accept an interview I don’t take anything off the table. There are no conditions or stipulations that anybody has to meet in order to talk to us. Our feet are on the ground. We’re accessible, regular, everyday people and ask away. Relations with the Dropkick Murphys have always been good. They’ve always been amicable. On our first release, Savin Hill, Ken and Al came in and sang on “Stand Up”, and on the 2005 Warped Tour we were on the tour with them. I hung out with those guys and I talk to Ken periodically. It’s almost like much to the chagrin of zines and internet, punk-related media that there hasn’t been beef. I think they wanted it, but it’s never existed. There’s never been any animosity or bad blood. There’s always been mutual respect.
Bill – This year’s Warped Tour seemed to have more pop bands on the bill than ever before and less of a punk edge. Did your band feel out of place or would you describe the experience as an overall positive one?
Mike – I don’t think in terms of genre and I don’t think in terms of scenes. I think in terms of songs and bands that I like. On this year’s tour you had Against Me!, The Bronx, Rise Against, the Bouncing Souls, Horrorpops, The Aggrolites and so on. Those were bands that moved me and their songs spoke to me and I felt something. That’s who we identified with and related with. I thought that those were the bands that stood out to me on the tour. The Warped Tour is sort of like a cafeteria in my eyes in that you go to it and you pick out what you like and you watch it or take it in. It’s like name a band in the world that everybody likes. There’s no such thing. In my way of thinking, certainly there were some bands that weren’t my cup of tea, but I don’t begrudge them being on the tour or other different types of bands existing. I think having a diverse, widespread bill is good for people and having a low ticket price is good. More people are going to come to the tour and I think that’s why it’s survived for so long and why other tours have fallen by the wayside and become relics.
Bill – After your stint in Dropkick Murphys you served as a member of the Boston Fire Department for four years. Now that you’re back on the road with the Street Dogs, does touring seem different after spending time at a stationary occupation?
Mike – No, it’s still somewhat similar. I mean, clearly times have changed since I was in DKM, but touring is touring. There are routines, regiments and structure to it, as well as production, day-sheets, drives and things like that. It’s a way of life and it’s all-encompassing. I’m really grateful to be able to tour and record and be in Street Dogs full-time. I’m grateful to the people that take time and money out of their lives to come and see us. Without people, you know, bands, songs, records, it doesn’t happen. Music has always belonged to the people and it always will.
Bill – As a veteran of the first Gulf War, what do you think our country’s next President should do concerning troop withdrawal in Iraq?
Mike – Clearly I think you’re going to have to do it responsibly and look at all things. I believe it was an ill-conceived war and clearly saying that it was to rid Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction was nothing more than a propaganda scheme. I think turning around and attempting to do nation-building and secure the world’s second-largest oil reserve was more the goal. I don’t think you’re going to be able to force-feed democracy to Shia and Sunni people. I think eventually it’s going to come down to the Iraqi people carving out their own destiny and legacy in government. I think all those things need to be considered and I think it needs to be done responsibly. Clearly we do have to withdraw because fiscally we can’t withstand the toll that it’s taking on the nation. Also, there’s another war in Afghanistan that needs to be focused on and things of that nature. The next President, given the domestic fiscal situation and the various foreign policy situations, really has their hands full. I think it’s arguably some of the most serious challenges that any President has faced in the history of the Oval Office.
Bill – What’s your stance on file sharing? In your opinion, has it helped or hurt the Street Dogs?
Mike – It’s difficult. When I first looked at the issue I figured that it was hurting our band and hurting the bottom line, but at the end of the day I got honest and really looked at it all with an open mind and realized that it’s about the kids. A dollar is tight these days and if kids want to share files with one another what’s the difference between sharing a file and burning a copy of a CD? Remember when you’d buy a record and you make a tape for somebody or you make a CD for somebody? You want to share files? Go ahead. Clearly it can’t be stopped, clearly it can’t be policed or contained, and clearly there’s a lot of First Amendment and constitutional issues that go with this that are really dicey and not so cut and dry. They’re going to be a work in progress as time goes on with various court cases. I believe let people have the music. I think the future of this business is the live show. The bands that can give an exceptional live performance every night have a future. The ones that can’t won’t. I think that’s just how it’s going to go. I could be wrong, but that’s just my opinion right now. I’ve been wrong before plenty of times.
Bill – What are some of your fondest memories of playing shows in Chicago?
Mike – Playing Subterranean with Flatfoot 56 back in 2006 I believe was amazing. Playing the Bottom Lounge before with The Briefs was amazing. Playing The Vic I believe with Tiger Army was amazing. The Vic is amazing. Playing The Metro was amazing. Chicago is easily one of the best cities in the Unites States, top three cities. When we’re on tour and we’re here I don’t feel like I’m away from anything. It’s a really great city with great restaurants, great nightlife, good art, just salt of the earth people, amazing people, just a lot to do and a lot to see. The architecture is amazing, whether it’s modern or Victorian or Eastern European. The El is amazing too, you can get anywhere in the city on the El. It’s definitely the type of city where I could live, no doubt about it.
Bill – Have the current economic conditions impacted the band’s plans for 2009?
Mike – Well, right now it’s full steam ahead and continue to tour and play and take opportunities where we can. I don’t have a crystal ball and I don’t know what tomorrow holds, and I can’t even look into next year. Maybe that could affect us and maybe that could affect how we operate. Hopefully it won’t, but potentially it could. It could potentially affect how everybody operates if things get worse. I think it’s all about going slow, day to day, and just seeing how things pan out. I know it sounds kind of rudimentary, but that’s just how we roll.
Bill – Is there anything else that you’d like to say to your fans?
Mike – Thank you. Thank you for the Warped Tour, thank you for Hellcat Records, thank you for letting us record, play live and do this as a living. Without our fans none of those things get accomplished. We’re pretty grateful for what we do, we don’t consider it an entitlement, it’s a gift. People who think they’re entitled to it have delusions of grandeur or are definitely off the reservation, so to speak. It’s a gift and each day we’re grateful for it. Savor every second, every moment and take nothing for granted.
