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Protest is what punk rock bands do, said Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys, and more of them should
Casey, principal songwriter and bass player for the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, was asked to opine on the theme of this year’s Globe Summit: revolutionary ideas.
The two-day conference known as Globe Summit kicked off Tuesday with a series of conversations focused on the future and how it might be made better. (Spoiler: It’s going to take a lot of work.)
This year’s event, which continues Wednesday at the House of Blues, features a host of savvy speakers, including renowned researchers (geneticist George Church), entrepreneurs (Ben & Jerry’s cofounder Ben Cohen), academics (Harvard’s Sarah Lewis), authors (Elin Hilderbrand), and one rock n’ roller.
Globe Summit:
That’s right, Ken Casey, principal songwriter and bass player for the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, was asked to opine on the theme of this year’s Globe Summit: revolutionary ideas.
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Casey, who’s usually fronting a sweaty band when he’s on stage at the House of Blues, estimated he’s played more than 100 shows at the venue, so it was slightly disorienting not to be standing at a microphone with a euphoric crowd singing along.
“I never walked out and sat down, that’s for sure,” Casey told the Globe’s Matt Juul.
It’s been a busy year for the Dropkicks. They released a new LP, “For the People,” and toured extensively to promote it — the band just returned from Europe on Monday — but they also made news in 2025 by participating in anti-Trump protests and speaking out against MAGA loyalists.
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Casey said it wouldn’t occur to him to stay silent.
“If you’re a punk rock fan growing up, the bands you loved, whether it was The Clash or the Dead Kennedys, everyone’s singing about how bad Reagan was for working people,” he said. “If you’re in a punk band, in my eyes, this is what we do.”
Not everyone, it turns out. Casey said he’s been shocked that so many self-proclaimed punk bands aren’t speaking up.
“You’re going to get to this moment where some lunatic wants to end our democracy — I don’t think I’m being reactionary to say that — and most punk bands have decided to just keep their head down and stay quiet and hope this all blows over because they don’t want to affect their business,” he said.
“It’s a massive letdown,” Casey said.
He said the Dropkicks have a zealous fan base overseas and people there are relieved to discover that all Americans aren’t MAGA supporters. Casey said they want to be reassured that “normal people” still exist in the US.
“Part of it is they want to think that America is well and healthy, but in a lot of these countries they’re also very close to tipping towards authoritarianism themselves,” Casey said. “So they’re looking to America for a sign of hope.”
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Globe Summit continues on Wednesday. Watch the livestream at bostonglobe.com or globe.com/summit.
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