The Dropkick Murphys [ tickets ] take the slogan "rock 'n' roll never forgets" to heart on "The Warrior's Code." The blistering new CD, which is the band's first since 2003's "Blackout," is full of fond farewells and remembrances.

The Boston-based Murphys—-vocalist Al Barr, bassist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, guitarists James Lynch, guitarist/pianist Marc Orrell, multi-instrumentalist Tim Brennan and bagpiper Scruffy Wallace—-lift their pints of Guinness in honor of several warriors on their fifth studio release.

"Your Spirit's Alive" pays tribute to two hometown hockey heroes, Boston Bruins-great Garnet "Ace" Bailey and Boston University-standout Mark Bavis, both of whom died in the crash of United Airlines flight 175 on Sept. 11, 2001. The band also honors Massachusetts boxing legend Micky Ward with the album's title track.

Most poignantly, the rowdy Celtic-punk group remembers fan Sgt. Andrew Farrar with "Last Letter Home," a track that includes actual excerpts from correspondence that the soldier sent to his family shortly before his death earlier this year in Iraq.

Matt Kelly recently spoke with liveDaily from his home in South Boston about the band's new album.

liveDaily: "The Warrior's Code" pays tribute to many fallen heroes. Why is it important for the band to honor people like boxer Micky Ward?

Matt Kelly: I'd say Micky Ward is a person of intense character, skill and overall heart. To honor a man with such attributes is only a natural affirmation for a band whose pride in their background, upbringing and city—-or region, in this case—-is at the forefront of its makeup.

Continuing with the sports theme, you also tip your hat to Boston Bruins-great Ace Bailey on "Your Spirit's Alive."

The reason we mentioned Ace Bailey on "Your Spirit's Alive" was, for one, the guy was on the Bruins' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1970 and '72. He then went on to play for the Detroit Red Wings and a few others before retiring in 1981 and becoming a scout. He earned seven Stanley Cup rings both on and off the ice. That's the kind of guy that deserves a song, or at least a mention, wouldn't you think?

It's hard to argue with that. So I won't. On a broader subject, what do you think there is for fans to learn from listening to "The Warrior's Code" CD?

I don't know that there is a lot to learn from "The Warrior's Code," but maybe they'll get a glimpse at our surroundings and the way we look at life through the glass that is Boston. People might get the idea to delve into the inspiration behind a lot of the songs, characters therein and settings in which they take place. We're a pretty lighthearted band, but there is some serious, or at least interesting, subject matter within some of our songs. I suppose if a fan gets something useful out of the album, it's probably the conveyance of having pride in oneself.

Can you tell me what the warrior's code is?

The actual warrior's code is an idea from a book on Bushido, the Japanese samurai's code of honor. (The band's song "The Warrior's Code") likens Mr. Ward to that of a warrior whose physical and mental discipline, courage, strength and, no doubt, pride took him further than a little guy should be able to go in the boxing world.

Over the years, you've sort of become known as the house band for the Vans Warped Tour. Don't you guys ever get tired of that tour? What keeps you motivated to keep doing it?

Some people have called us the "house band" for the Warped Tour. I don't agree. We've done it three times out of 11. I was tired of it halfway through the first one we did. I'm not a fan of it, nor 99 percent of the bands who play on it. I'm probably the wrong guy to get a quote from concerning that musical train wreck of a tour.

Any good Warped stories that you want to share?

People ask about Warped Tour stories, or crazy shenanigans we've partaken in on it. Here's the perfect setting for us concerning the Warped Tour: Post-set, everyone's by the buses at "Kamp Krusty" (a couple of canopy tents). There are coolers full of Bud. Dropkicks, The Unseen, The Explosion, other Boston-area bands and various members of other bands' road crews are hanging out shooting the breeze. Marc [Orrell] has got his small P.A. out and we're taking turns with our MP3 players blasting some real music. And there's a small table with a friendly card game, playing for cigarettes, peanuts, etc. People having a little too much to drink is about as crazy as it got. We were just trying to pretend we weren't outdoors in some weird field in the middle of nowhere.

Tell me about how the idea originally came about to start a band that combines Celtic music and punk rock.

The band's combining Celtic music and punk stemmed from someone in the early days calling our sound a mix between The Ramones and The Pogues. The addition of bagpipes on the first Dropkick Murphys song ever written, "Barroom Hero," sealed the deal. Later, as we seasoned a bit as musicians--I use the term loosely--we added different elements and instruments to the mix, resulting in what we have today.

Did the hybrid sound catch on immediately with Boston's pub-rock crowd?

A quick aside, pub-rock existed in Britain in the early '70s, right on the cusp of British punk. That ain't our scene, baby. (Laughter)

Fair enough.

In the band's early days, our modus operandi was basically opening for every Oi! and hardcore band from out-of-state at the now-defunct and sorely missed Rathskellar in Kenmore Square. Our first audience was the skinheads, punks and some of the hardcore kids from the Boston area. The band definitely caught on almost right off the bat because we took a professional attitude towards playing and being tight onstage, releasing our own records and networking with other bands from Boston and out-of-state.

From what I've read, it sounds like the early days were pretty lean--sleeping in a garage, not much to eat, etc. What was it really like?

The early days were a bit tight-belted, as me and our former merch guy basically lived out of the band's van and our old practice space--Rick's grandmother's garage--in the dead of winter. Later, when we got a place to live with some friends, it was a box of Quaker oatmeal that subsequently got me through the next couple months between tours. It actually wasn't all that bad when you think about how rough some people have it.

How did you guys turn the corner and start to get noticed on a national level?

The thing that really got us noticed on a national/international level was when The [Mighty Mighty] Bosstones took us on tour in 1997, when we had nary a full-length album out. They had just had a huge hit with "The Impression That I Get" and the album it was featured on (1997's "Let's Face It"), and could've taken anyone out on tour at the time. And they chose us and a couple other local bands for a full U.S. tour and European tour. We had done some legwork beforehand, doing small tours of the Northeast and California, but the Bosstones really took our name over the top.

Since we're both hockey fans, I have to end this interview by asking you whether you think your Boston Bruins will end up with a better record than my hometown San Jose Sharks?

The Boston Bruins will crush the S.J. Sharks and drain the Shark
Tank. Those filthy upstart expansion scum.