Kenneth William " Ken " Casey Jr. ( born April 15 , 1969 ) is the bass guitarist , primary songwriter , and one of the lead singers of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys . Casey was one of the original members , starting the band in 1996 with guitarist Rick Barton and singer Mike McColgan . He is the only original member of the Dropkick Murphys left in the band , though drummer Matt Kelly joined shortly after formation in 1997 . He is known for his melodic vocal parts and solid punk rock bass playing . Dropkick Murphys released their ninth album '' 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory '' on January 6 , 2017 . Casey also founded the charity group The Claddagh Fund , owns his own bar in Boston and runs his own boxing promotion called Murphys Boxing . Casey has a small role in the 2016 film Patriots Day which is about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent terrorist manhunt
Boston Marathon bombing
Boston Marathon bombing
Ken Casey