Dropkick Murphys, Hawksley Workman, & Glam Metal in the 80s
Catch up on the week in new releases and Dig Me Out podcast
Glam Metal in the 80s | 80s Metal Podcast
Ever wonder why 80s glam metal still packs out tribute nights and sparks passionate debates decades later? This week on Dig Me Out, we’re throwing on the leather, cranking the Aquanet, and diving into the wild, hook-filled world of 80s Glam Metal—the scene that turned the Sunset Strip into rock’s most outrageous runway and gave us anthems for every party, heartbreak, and hair-flip in between.
Hawksley Workman - For Him and the Girls | 90s Rock Podcast
Picture this: It’s 1999, and while the world obsesses over Britney, Limp Bizkit, and Y2K paranoia, a curly-haired Canadian is holed up in a Toronto basement, building sonic cathedrals with nothing but a Tascam 8-track and an unshakeable belief that being different is a superpower.
🔥 80s Metal Tournament: Four Albums Enter, One Gets the Deep Dive
We have four albums that defined, defied, and delivered the goods when metal was still writing its own rules.
New Releases
Dropkick Murphys - For The People
Remember when Celtic punk was more than just a St. Patrick’s Day novelty? The Dropkick Murphys sure do. Formed in 1996 in the gritty streets of Quincy, Massachusetts, these guys were the real deal long before everyone else discovered Celtic punk. They’re the band that turned traditional Irish music and working-class rage into something that made sense in American venues, creating anthems for everyone who ever felt like the system was rigged against them.
For The People is their 13th studio album, streaming now with physical copies arriving October 10th. This is their most politically charged work yet, taking direct aim at the oligarchy that’s been crushing the working class. The album features artwork by Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One, which should tell you exactly where their heads are at.
Here’s what makes this release special: longtime vocalist Al Barr is back. After taking a hiatus since 2022 to care for his mother who’s battling Lewy Body Dementia, Barr returns for one track – “The Vultures Circle High” – trading vocals with Ken Casey in that classic relay-race style they’ve perfected. It’s the kind of moment that reminds you why these guys have been Boston’s conscience for nearly three decades.
The album also features Billy Bragg on a cover of Ewan MacColl’s “School Days Are Over,” plus collaborations with Dublin’s The Scratch and The Mary Wallopers. But the real story is the lead single “Who’ll Stand With Us?” – a working-class protest anthem that asks the question every Gen Xer should be asking: when the billionaires are done neutering society, what’s left for the rest of us?
Jonathan Richman - Only Frozen Sky Anyway
If you remember the early ‘70s, you remember when Jonathan Richman was supposed to be the next big thing. The Modern Lovers were the proto-punk band that influenced everyone from the Sex Pistols to Talking Heads, but they fell apart before anyone knew what they had. Richman was the awkward kid from Massachusetts who worshipped the Velvet Underground so hard he moved to New York and slept on their manager’s couch.
At 74, Richman is still making music that sounds like no one else, and here’s the kicker – he’s reunited with Jerry Harrison, his original Modern Lovers bandmate who went on to join Talking Heads. Harrison plays keyboards on five tracks and co-produced the album, making this a genuine reunion of two proto-punk legends.
The album was recorded in just five days in January 2025, with many songs written on the spot. It includes his take on the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” – yes, you read that right – plus originals like “The Older Girl,” where he warns younger guys about dating up: “She was a whole year older / And I looked a lot younger / I was too young to know how important those two things were”.
What makes this fascinating is the thematic thread of departures and returns. Richman explains it best: “The song is about how our friends are leaving, in their dying, on an errand, only to return in another role… with another mission”. It’s the kind of mystical, childlike wisdom that made him influential in the first place – part philosopher, part innocent, completely genuine.
The album also features Tommy Larkins on drums (his longtime collaborator since the ‘90s) and contributions from Harrison’s daughter Aishlin and Richman’s wife Nicole Montalbano. Blue Arrow Records is also finally releasing his last three albums to streaming services, giving a new generation access to music that was previously only available at his shows or on Bandcamp.
