Lead singer Ken Casey on stage with the Screaming Eagles horn players in the background

Photo: Jenny Krasic

The Dropkick Murphys Just Wrote a Song about Welles Crowther

Lead singer Ken Casey on taking the stage with the Screaming Eagles to salute the 9/11 hero, and his band鈥檚 love for AV研究所.聽

The courage of Welles Crowther 鈥�99, who died in the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks after guiding as many as eighteen strangers through stairwells to safety, repeatedly turning back to help others in the burning South Tower when he could have saved himself, has inspired many people. That includes the members of the popular Celtic punk rock band the Dropkick Murphys. The group鈥檚 frontman, Ken Casey, said he learned of Crowther from AV研究所 alum Christina McMahon 鈥�01, the executive director of the Boston band鈥檚 charitable foundation. To pay tribute to the Man in the Red Bandana, as Crowther was initially described by the survivors he guided to safety, the Dropkick Murphys wrote a song about him, 鈥淎 Hero Among Many,鈥� for their latest album.

They also dedicated a recent Boston concert to Crowther. A portion of the ticket sales for Red Bandana Night, as their typically rollicking show at MGM Music Hall was called, went to the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, which benefits youth education and social wellness programs. At one point, Crowther鈥檚 mother, Alison Crowther, joined the band on stage to toss red bandanas to the energetic crowd. And AV研究所鈥檚 marching band, the Screaming Eagles, helped perform the Dropkick Murphys鈥� anthem 鈥淚鈥檓 Shipping Up to Boston.鈥� We asked Casey about how Crowther鈥檚 bravery inspires him, and about the band鈥檚 longstanding affinity for AV研究所.

What was it about Welles鈥檚 story that moved you to write a song about him?

He could have walked out of the tower and not gone back up those stairs. This is someone who could have thought about himself. That鈥檚 humanity in action.

Alison Crowther, mother of Welles Remy Crowther, tosses red bandanas to the crowd at a Dropkick Murphys concert honoring Welles. Photo: Jenny Krasic

The AV研究所 marching band has played with the Dropkicks a number of times over the years. What shows stand out?

One of the first times was when they joined us when we were opening for Aerosmith. Truth be told, Steven Tyler got a little uptight that we were going to show up Aerosmith by having the AV研究所 band join us. I thought that was ironic, because鈥攊t鈥檚 Aerosmith! If the AV研究所 band can make Aerosmith quake in their boots, they must be doing something right.

What explains the special relationship between the Dropkicks and AV研究所?

There鈥檚 a ton of great universities in Boston, but being introduced to Boston College through sports, growing up during the Doug Flutie era, it鈥檚 just always seemed, as the name would say, like Boston鈥檚 college. Then you add in the Jesuit experience. I went to Catholic Memorial, and most of my friends went to AV研究所 High. That鈥檚 where the synergy comes from. . . . And both my grandfathers went to AV研究所 after World War II. Neither of them graduated. In my family we get kicked out of a lot of things, but they didn鈥檛 get kicked out. They just didn鈥檛 finish because they were trying to go at night and still work and raise a family. I鈥檝e got one kid left, and I鈥檓 hoping he can get into AV研究所. Pass that along to admissions. I鈥檓 kidding!

Is there anything punk about being Catholic?

I think Pope Leo鈥檚 being pretty punk right now, speaking truth to power, and I love that. The identity of the band is tied closely to our Catholic upbringing, for sure. A lot of the band members went to Catholic school, and obviously there鈥檚 a big effect on how you learned to carry yourself in the world.

What do you hope people will learn from Welles鈥檚 story?

When you鈥檙e talking about the world today, the work world and chasing the dollar, I just think humanity and caring for others is still the most important thing. Obviously, I hope none of us will be faced with a day like the one that Welles had and the decision he had to make. But I think that, hopefully, we would all make that decision to put others before our own needs and safety. I don鈥檛 think any of us will know until we get there, but getting back to that idea of upbringing and being taught to care for others颅鈥攊t鈥檚 part and parcel of meeting the moment when called upon.聽鈼�

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