Dropkick Murphys Reveal ‘Two 6’s Upside Down’ From Album Inspired by Woody Guthrie Lyrics

UPDATE: Dropkick Murphys have now released their new song, "Two 6's Upside Down" from their upcoming 'This Machine Still Kills Fascists' album. The video can be viewed down toward the bottom of the post. “Two 6’s Upside Down” is a forlorn gambler's lament, awash in love and loss, murder and punishment. Dropkick Murphys’ founder Ken Casey explains, "'Two 6's Upside Down' is acoustic, but it's still tough. It's edgy and these lyrics are menacing. We just wanted to show right out of the gate that even though this album is acoustic, it's still going to have some fire.” Check out the video further down the page.

Dropkick Murphys have shown their love for the legendary Woody Guthrie in the past, but rather than a solitary cover, they're ready to take the singer's words and music and put their own stamp on it over a full album. With a nod to the message shared on Guthrie's guitar, the band's new album is titled This Machine Still Kills Fascists and it's due on Sept. 30. In addition, the band has announced a fall tour in support of the release.

The idea for this album has been something mulled by the band for quite some time, with Woody's daughter Nora curating a collection of her father's never-published lyrics for the band over the years. With Al Barr taking a leave of absence to tend to his ailing mother, the group did not want to press forward with a normal band album and felt the timing was right to dig into the the Guthrie project.

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

The band's James Lynch added, “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.”

Guthrie's working class background and focus on the common man in his music is something that resonated with the band, who also share some of the same ethos. Singer Ken Casey remarks, “Woody Guthrie, he’s the original punk. He went against the grain, he fought the good fight, he spoke up and sang about his beliefs. I’m motivated by reading what he wrote and am inspired by his courage. One man and a guitar – it’s powerful stuff.”

The band recorded the album with their longtime producer Ted Hutt, choosing to set up shop at Tulsa's The Church Studio, just a few minutes from Guthrie's birthplace. The historic studio was founded by musician Leon Russell. In advance of the recording the album, the band made a point to visit Woody's hometown of Okemah in order to walk the same streets that inspired Guthrie. The passion for this project flowed so much that This Machine Still Kills Fascists is viewed as volume one, with a second volume set to follow in 2023.

“We wanted to get into small town America…Tulsa, into Woody’s roots and not be doing it in New York City or Boston,” said Casey.

The first song to be released from the album, "Two 6's Upside Down," will arrive on July 6. The album artwork and track listing can be viewed below and you can pre-order physical copies of the album here, while the song is available to pre-save at this location. Plus, a trailer toward the bottom of this post goes into greater detail about all this album is about for the band. Casey explains in the trailer, “The project has been a long time in the making. Nora Guthrie thought her father would’ve got a kick out of us, would’ve liked us, that we were somewhat kindred spirits so to speak, which to us was a huge honor.”

Special guests on the album include Woody's grandson Cole Quest, playing dobro guitar and lending backing vocals. Casey duets with alt-country singer Nikki Lane on "Never Git Drunk No More." And you'll also find Turnpike Troubadours' Evan Felker and Carolina Chocolate Drops' Dom Flemons guesting on tracks.

And to help celebrate the honor of presenting Guthrie's songs, the band will kick off their "This Machine…." theater tour this fall. The show will feature the group's first ever intimate sit-down performances and it all kicks off on Oct. 20. Jaimie Wyatt will provide support on the run and join the band for a duet of "Never Get Drunk No More." Jesse Ahern will open the dates. Tickets will go on sale this Friday (June 24) at the band's website.

Dropkick Murphys, "Two 6's Upside Down"

Dropkick Murphys, This Machine Still Kills Fascists Album Trailer

Dropkick Murphys, This Machine Still Kills Fascists Artwork + Track Listing

Dummy Luck Music / [PIAS],[/caption]“Two 6’s Upside Down”
“Talking Jukebox”
“All You Fonies”
“Never Git Drunk No More” (featuring Nikki Lane) “Ten Times More”
“The Last One” (featuring Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours) “Cadillac, Cadillac”
“Waters Are A'risin”
“Where Trouble Is At”
“Dig A Hole” (featuring Woody Guthrie)

Dropkick Murphys Fall 2022 Tour

Sept. 1 – Allentown, Pa. @ The Great Allentown Fair *
Sept. 2 – Essex Junction, Vt. @ Champlain Valley Fair *
Sept. 3 – Syracuse, N.Y. @ The Great New York State Fair *
Sept. 16 – West Springfield, Mass. @ The Big E *
Oct. 20 – Concord, N.H. @ Capitol Center for the Arts
Oct. 21 – Providence, R.I. @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Oct. 22 – Atlantic City, N.J. @ Caesars Atlantic City – Circus Maximus #
Oct. 24 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Kings Theatre
Oct. 25 – Washington, D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre
Oct. 27 – North Charleston, S.C. @ North Charleston Performing Arts Center
Oct. 28 – Raleigh, N.C. @ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts
Oct. 29 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center
Oct. 30 – Greensburg, Pa. (Pittsburgh) @ Palace Theatre
Nov. 1 – Tulsa, Okla. @ Tulsa Theater
Nov. 2 – Omaha, Neb. @ The Holland Center
Nov. 3 – Denver, Colo. @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 5 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 6 – Silverado, Calif. @ Oak Canyon Park (Punk In The Park) *
Nov. 8 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 9 – Oakland, Calif. @ Fox Theater
Nov. 10 – Monterey, Calif. @ Golden State Theatre
Nov. 11 – Reno, Nev. @ Silver Legacy Resort & Casino – Grande Expo Hall +
Nov. 13 – Seattle, Wash. @ Moore Theatre
Nov. 16 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre
Nov. 17 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Hoyt Sherman Place Theater
Nov. 18 – Chesterfield, Mo. (St. Louis) @ The Factory
Nov. 19 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ryman Auditorium

* Festival or fair date, full electric show (without Jaime Wyatt and Jesse Ahern) # Tickets on sale TBD
+ Tickets on sale July 1