Name Jesse Ahern
Best known for Being the little brother of Dropkick Murphys.
Really want to be In Vietnam eating Pho.
I’m really exited about Getting off the road to spend the holidays with my awesome family.
My current music collection Is all over the map, but mainly Americana folk and punk. I’ve been digging Jason Isbell’s record Weathervanes and was just cranking the Ramones while driving through Germany.
I’ve been listening to a lot less country these days and I’m not talking about the new stuff, but the old tear-in-beer classics.
Preferred format Well…I hate to admit this and definitely shouldn’t put it on record – because I wrote a song that said “F Streaming” – but due to being busy on the road I’ve been mainly streaming music THAT I PAY FOR. I’m not proud, but it’s convenient.
I would much rather listen to my music on vinyl. There’s something ritualistic about dropping the needle and listening to an entire album. And let’s not forget about the cassette. I mean if you can’t remember fixing the tape with a pencil you haven’t lived. (Haha!)
5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:
1
The Harder They Come (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Jimmy Cliff
I was a teenager digesting music on the daily when I heard this album. It was my introduction to Jamaican music, I was fascinated by it. “Harder They Come” and “Sitting In Limbo” were some of the first songs I covered back in my days of busking and playing barrooms. I still listen to it from start to finish and it always reminds of how mind blowing and impactful it was to discover new music
2
If I Should Fall from Grace with God, The Pogues
“I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can’t make it all alone
I’ve built my dreams around you”
Need I say more?
3
Check Your Head, Beastie Boys
The versatility of this album made me stop questioning what you can do with music. There’s nothing conventional about it. Punk, rock, hip-hop and instrumentals infused on one album – I love it! Every time I hear “So What’cha Want” I drift back to the days of MTV. They made the best videos. My favorite song of the album is “Gratitude.” I never get bored of that distorted bass line.
4
Streetcore, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
Streetcore gives a lot of insight to where Joe was heading musically. “I was thinking about love and the acid test” says it all for me. First time I heard that line I remember being like “hell ya“ and the lyrics to “Silver and Gold” go straight to my heart. Such a fitting song to end the last album recorded by the mighty Joe Strummer
He was a well rounded human being……. From a hippie nicknamed Woody to the Punk Rock Warlord – both personas plus everything in between shine through on Streetcore
5
A Long Time Coming, Sierra Ferrell
I was playing a show in Nashville in 2021 and was lucky enough to catch Sierra at AMERICANAFEST. Her presence floored me She’s the real deal and I suspect she’s lived a lot of life. A Long Time Coming was on heavy rotation for a long time. “Silver Dollar” is the track that sucked me in. There’s a mystery in her voice and songwriting that makes me want to listen to this album all the way through.
