World Series a double play for Dropkick Murphys

By Cortney Harding

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Boston band the Dropkick Murphys had plenty to celebrate this month.

Aside from joining the Red Sox in their World Series victory rally, the group received a sales boost after performing at Fenway Park before Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The Murphys sang the national anthem and then played "Tessie" and "Shipping Off to Boston." Both songs are from their 2005 Hellcat release, "The Warrior's Code," and the latter number also appeared on the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's Boston-set crime drama "The Departed."

According to Duncan Browne, general manager of Boston-area indie chain Newbury Comics, sales of "The Warrior's Code" more than doubled there the week after the performance. Plus, the band's month-old Born & Bred record "The Meanest of Times" remains a strong seller. "Code" is No. 11 on the weekly Newbury Comics Top 100 for the week ending October 28; "The Meanest of Times" is No. 14.

Across the Northeast region, the band experienced a similar bump, with sales of "Code" up 140 percent the week after its Fenway performance (compared with an increase of 55 percent nationally), according to Nielsen SoundScan. Sales for "Times," which were down 9 percent nationally, jumped 21 percent in the Northeast region during the same week.

"The Warrior's Code" has sold 211,000 copies to date, according to SoundScan. "The Meanest of Times" has sold 67,000 copies so far.

Reuters/Billboard