THE MIGHTY CASEY HELPS OUT
BLOGS FROM THE CAVE: THE MIGHTY CASEY HELPS OUT
The Dropkick Murphys are one hell of a band. They have been doing their thing, and doing it well, since the mid-1990's and have shown no sign of slowing down. I too play in a band that infuses Irish folk with punk rock, and for me, these boys from Boston are a real inspiration. It's not only that they put out great music, but also, they've never forgotten where they came from. They look out for each other, their friends and their families. In short, the Dropkick Murphys set a very high bar and are a class act all around.
Ken Casey, DKM's co-founder and frontman, is a guy I admire quite a bit. At times, I feel like Troy Tulowitzki to his Derek Jeter, though I am sure Ken would rather I make a different comparison. He has worked hard, put it all on the line and helped make the Dropkick Murphys a major name in music. I've followed their march from small clubs to big venues to Fenway Park (this September with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones). The Murphys deserve everything they have, because they earned it the hard way – they worked their "arses" off.
One of the other admirable qualities about Ken is how he uses the band's notoriety to help and give back. In 2009, Casey established the Claddagh Fund ,a charity aimed at aiding those in the community. The organization has been able to assist the needs of children, veterans and their families.
Ken has also employed the help of some of his Red Sox friends and other sports stars and celebrities to continue to build awareness about the charity. Recently a unique karaoke event was held to raise money for the Claddagh Fund. Only, in Dropkick-style, Kenny added a twist. While the performers were doing their best renditions of "Sweet Caroline" and "Shipping Up To Boston," members of the audience were able to toss tomatoes at them for a donation. Now that's the way you get people involved.
The highlight of the day came when Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon stepped up to hurl a red, ripened beauty at Casey himself. Now, Pap can get the baseball up in the high 90's. You gotta hand it to the kid from Milton, Mass, to stand there and take one upside the head from a top MLB flamethrower…I can only hope for Kenny's sake that Jon didn't put on the "pucker up face" and go up the ladder like he would if he was facing Cano with with runners on in the 9th.
Casey is a punk, a family man, a business owner, a Sox fan and a friend to so many people. It's easy to root for someone like Ken. He's one of the good guys.