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Dropkick Murphys have announced a new album unlike anything theyve done to date, bringing Woody Guthries words to life on This Machine Still Kills Fascists, to be released digitally and on CD September 30 via the bands Dummy Luck Music / [PIAS], with a special edition vinyl out in November.

In the 10 songs that make up This Machine Still Kills Fascists, Dropkick Murphys bring Woody Guthries perennial jabs at life many of which are from the 1940s and 50s into the present, with the resulting music eerily relevant to todays world. And theyve done it all without their usual arsenal of electric guitars. In fact, not a single amplifier was used to animate Woodys words in these songs, but DKM harnessed all of their trademark power to bring Woodys lyrics to life.

Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey explained, The project has been a long time in the making. Nora Guthrie thought her father wouldve got a kick out of us, wouldve liked us, that we were somewhat kindred spirits so to speak, which to us was a huge honor.

The idea for the collaboration that became This Machine Still Kills Fascists has been percolating between Woodys daughter Nora Guthrie and the band for more than a decade, with Nora curating a collection of her fathers never-published lyrics for the band over the years. The challenge was always finding the right time to pull it together. When Dropkick Murphys co-lead vocalist Al Barr was sidelined in the latter half of 2021 taking a leave of absence from the band to care for his ailing mother the band was apprehensive about making a normal DKM album. The perfect time to take on the Woody project had presented itself, and the band leapt at the chance to bring more of Woodys timeless lyrics to life with a Dropkick Murphys musical twist. The end result is This Machine Still Kills Fascists the true fruition of like-minded rebellious artists collaborating albeit nearly a century apart.

Nora Guthrie explained, I collected lyrics on all kinds of topicslyrics that seemed to be needed to be said or screamed today. Ken Casey is a master at understanding Woodys lyrics, which can be complicated, long, deadly serious, or totally ridiculous. DKM is capable of delivering them all.

DKMs James Lynch said, Nora gave us the privilege of going through the archives and selecting some lyrics to use. The common thread that I see through everything was this love for people and this understanding of the universal truth that there is no one person fundamentally better than another person.

Woody Guthrie wrote songs from the heart and for the common person. He made a point of showing up when it counted most, often performing at fundraisers, benefits, and rallies to champion working class causes and condemn greed, war, and unchecked capitalism all with his guitar in hand.

This is exactly where Woody Guthrie and Dropkick Murphys intersect. Dropkick Murphys entire ethos of family, community, service, and action depends upon honest reporting in their music. Like Woody, showing up in real life is what makes their songs so impactful. They just are who they say they are. Whether its standing up to Nazi thugs or standing with working men and women on a picket line, showing up is what holds the center in DKMs world.

As Woody once said: A folk song is whats wrong and how to fix it, or it could be whos hungry and where their mouth is, or whos out of work and where the job is, or whos broke and where the money is, or whos carrying a gun and where the peace is. In both song and deed, Dropkick Murphys have always held true to this same view.

Thats no coincidence, explains Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey: Woody Guthrie, hes the original punk. He went against the grain, he fought the good fight, he spoke up and sang about his beliefs. Im motivated by reading what he wrote and am inspired by his courage. One man and a guitar its powerful stuff.

The album title itself pays homage to the powerful message Woody Guthrie began painting on his guitars in the early 1940s, in the midst of World War II: THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS. A man and a credo laid bare on the face of his guitar.

This Machine Still Kills Fascists isnt an acoustic folk departure for Dropkick Murphys its a continuation of their journey with Woody Guthrie, which began nearly two decades ago when DKM covered Woodys Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight on their 2003 album Blackout. The journey reached new heights a few years later when DKM founder Ken Casey discovered a few scribbled lines about Boston in the WG archive. The

band painted Woodys lyrics about their hometown into a vicious punk missive called Im Shipping Up To Boston, and put the song on their 2005 album The Warriors Code.

Dropkick Murphys and their longtime producer Ted Hutt aptly recorded This Machine Still Kills Fascists at The Church Studio in Tulsa (just a few minutes from Woodys birthplace, and the modern-day Woody Guthrie Center). The historic studio was founded by Leon Russell and was the original location of legendary Shelter Records. During the album sessions, Dropkick Murphys made a point to visit Woodys hometown of Okemah and walk the same streets Woody walked. Retreating to Woodys home state of Oklahoma to record the album had a powerful effect on the band and the creative process behind these songs. Ultimately, Dropkick Murphys had so much material based on Woodys poignant lyrics that they recorded two albums, with Vol. 2 scheduled for release in 2023.

We wanted to get into small town AmericaTulsa, into Woodys roots and not be doing it in New York City or Boston, said Casey.

The first single and video, Two 6s Upside Down, is a forlorn gamblers lament, awash in love and loss, murder and punishment. Ken Casey said, We all love how Two 6s came out. Weve actually been playing it live on tour in Europe and the crowds have been super enthusiastic about it. Plus we really love to play it live.

Other standouts on the album include Dig A Hole which features Dropkick Murphys full band performance wrapped around Woodys rare Smithsonian Folkways recording, with DKM lead singer Ken Casey essentially dueting with Woody, with a special appearance by Woodys grandson, Cole Quest, on Dobro guitar and backing vocals; Never Git Drunk No More, featuring a duet between Casey and alt country artist Nikki Lane; The Last One, with guest vocals from country roots group Turnpike Troubadours Evan Felker, who hails from Woodys hometown of Okemah, and Cole Quest on Dobro; and Ten Times More, which was written, arranged and recorded on the spot and features a guest appearance by Dom Flemons, founding member of Carolina Chocolate Drops, on harp; he also appears on The Last One and All You Fonies.