Lead singer of the Boston punk band will share stories behind the songs at a fundraiser on September 25.
The creative mind behind “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” and other iconic songs about Irish-American history, social injustice, and working-class struggle is being honored with a 2025 Massachusetts Storyteller of the Year Award on September 25.
Ken Casey, the lead singer and songwriter of Dropkick Murphys, will receive the award and share stories behind five of the band’s hard-hitting anthems in an intimate conversation at Artists For Humanity EpiCenter. “In the Archives with Ken Casey: A Benefit for Mass Humanities” will take place Thursday, September 25, at 6:00 pm. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are now available on our website.
“Through their music, the Dropkick Murphys carry the experiences of Massachusetts people to audiences around the world,” said Brian Boyles, Executive Director of Mass Humanities. “For nearly thirty years, Ken Casey has inspired all of us through his defiant stands against injustice, his generous contributions to local communities, and the punk rock ethos he brings to contemporary issues. In this difficult time, the humanities can help us blend different traditions and stories to meet the challenges we face. Our board and staff are honored to celebrate Ken Casey, an artist and advocate who uses his love for history, indomitable courage, and musical innovations to fight for his fellow Americans.”
“We’ve always had the same message and haven’t been afraid to speak out about what’s important to us. But for me now, I think about my kids’ future, and the next generation,” said Casey, referring to the songs on the band’s new album, For the People, which was released on July 4.
Mass Humanities presents the award to Casey for his decades of songwriting, his commitment to fighting injustice, and his unique use of archival material to craft relevant narratives about subjects ranging from labor rights to Irish-American identity to the threats to our democracy.
Casey co-founded the Dropkick Murphys in Quincy in 1996. Named after John “Dropkick” Murphy, a local professional wrestler who operated a rehabilitation facility, the band forged a signature sound that combines punk rock, Irish traditional music, and a uniquely Boston-centric view of the world. In 2004, the band’s song “Tessie” became an anthem for the World Champion Red Sox, and the Dropkicks’ ties to the team continue to bring their music to a wider audience.
Casey wrote the 2005 platinum single, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” after delving into the archives of American folk singer Woody Guthrie. Two decades later the band released two full albums based on Guthrie material, This Machine Still Kills Fascists (2022) and Okemah Rising (2023), setting unpublished lyrics from the folk singer’s archive to original music, breathing new life into calls for justice that are still relevant decades after they were written.
The band’s latest single, “Who’ll Stand With Us?”, builds on Dropkick Murphys’ extensive catalog of original songs addressing social justice issues. The music video for the song features mail carriers, service workers, and veterans facing the sudden elimination of their jobs and benefits.
The band’s Claddagh Fund has raised more than $20M since its inception and supports community-based non-profits, with a focus on programs that support children, veterans’ organizations and alcohol and drug rehabilitation.
The September 25 event brings Casey and Mass Humanities together at a critical time. Casey’s careerlong efforts to fight injustice aligns with Mass Humanities’ decades of support for local community-based museums, libraries, and archives.
The September fundraiser is part of ongoing efforts to save the organization in the face of federal funding cuts. In April, Mass Humanities received notification that its annual funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) was terminated at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). As the commonwealth’s leading funder of public history, Mass Humanities has provided grants to more than 160 Massachusetts nonprofits since 2021 for projects that include oral histories, documentary films, community archives, and public programs. The termination by DOGE eliminated 35% of the organization’s annual budget.
For more information about the event, contact Wes DeShano, communications manager, at wdeshano@masshumanities.org.