Dropkick Murphys Hope to 'Return the Favour' to Bruce Springsteen

Posted on Mar 15th 2011 2:30PM by Linda Laban
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As if having seven members in the band wasn't enough for Dropkick Murphys, they had to hire backing vocalists for their newly released record, 'Going Out In Style.' Amazingly, alongside recent additions NOFX's Fat Mike and comedian Lenny Clarke, you'll also find Bruce Springsteen guesting on the album.

Yes, old pal Springsteen helps the Boston Celtic punks out on a cover of the folk song 'Peg O' My Heart.'

"His son Evan is a fan of ours," singer Ken Casey tells Spinner. "He came to see us about six years ago; we just became friends. We invited him to shows and he invited us up to sing with him onstage in Boston. He said, 'I'll return the favour someday,' which is hilarious, because singing with Bruce, you owe him!"

"It's two favours to us, now," he adds. "But we took him up on his offer. We sent him two different songs, but he agreed without even hearing them. We found something fitting for him, though. He's just really inspirational, you know."

Indeed, they don't call him the Boss for nothing. And when you've been in the business as long as Springsteen without picking up an attitude that's really something, says Casey.

"When you see these bands get an ego and become pompous after selling their first 10,000 records," he says dismissively, "and then there's a guy like Bruce, who's been doing it for going on 40 years, plays these massive venues, and you're backstage with him and he's sitting down having dinner with the carpenters who built the set. It's just amazing the way he handles himself within the music business."

Maybe it's a Jersey thing.

"It's easy to spout that, but it's another to be that," says Casey, a man who handles himself with similar grace. "It's easy to start out like that, but to still be that way all these years on, after all those years of success, it's pretty impressive."

Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform With Dropkick Murphys