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STREET DOGS
by Lisa Sharer
Photos by Jenn Alexander
From the August 2007 issue of PRICK Magazine.
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 Street Dogs are (L-R) Tobe Bean, Marcus Hollar, Mike McColgan, Johnny Rioux, and Joe Sirois
(photo courtesy of Street Dogs) |
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Street Dogs, formed in 2002, have quickly become one of
the best loved punk bands of this generation. With a
small influence in celtic punk, the Street Dogs still have
the short, fast, hard rhythms that define punk, while including
the heel kicking good times that define that Irish jig. Don’t be
scared away, however, if that isn't your cup of tea. "We like to
pride ourselves on being a little versatile," says lead singer
Mike McColgan, "we can play the folk song, we can play the
hardcore song, we can play the punk rock anthem. I don't
think we want to be pigeon-holed and put in a box and told
what to do...It's all about freedom.”
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 Mike McColgan on vocals |
 Tobe Bean on guitar |
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If you recognize Mike McColgan, don't assume you know what this band
is all about. When the Street Dogs began, many thought "that this would be
a vanity project for Mike McColgan, the ex-lead singer of the Dropkick
Murphys, that we were not legitimate and that we were trying to jump on
a hot train. Nothing could be further from the truth.The Street Dogs is its
own entity, its own animal. It's definitely a different band and a hard working
band and a legitimate band." While the Street Dogs remain the best of
friends with the Dropkick Murphys, don't mistake one for the other. Street
Dogs have a different sound, and it's one worth looking into.
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 Marcus Hollar on guitar |
 Johnny Rioux on bass |
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These Boston boys play hard, work hard, and wear their ink hard. With
three of the five members showing off their body art, our camera had a time
perusing the lengthy amounts of tattoos that covered McColgan, Tobe Bean,
and Marcus Hollar. "I just look at [tattoos] as an artistic expression," says
McColgan. "Your body is a canvas, and when things inspire you enough and
move you enough, sway you enough, you feel like putting them on your
arm." When asked about getting tour tattoos McColgan takes the smart route, or maybe
just the one that doesn’t take timely routine during such a chaotic lifestyle. "I try to
avoid, if I can, getting tattooed when we play, I've had instances (he points to one of his
tattoos). I got this the day of a show in Europe and the color came out of it. I've found
that if I get them when I'm off, they heal better and they look a little better."
With such a wide array of tattoos, the Street Dogs are no stranger to the varieties
and complexities of skin art. If you always wanted to know what kind of tattoos that
adorn them then look no further. Check out which artists paint their canvases, too.
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