Wed. July 4

America’s having a birthday again and in Boston that means the Boston Pops on the Esplanade with a singer in a cowboy hat for a guest. No, not this year. The guest singers this year are Jennifer Hudson, who satisfies that MOR-pop-cross-cultural demo that America finds comfortable and patriotic. And then there’s the Dropkick Murphys  Boston’s kick-ass Irish punk band fronted by bassist-singer Ken Casey and singer Al Bar – which is not standard Pops 4th fare. Now, when we first saw the fast-and-furious, lefty DKMs at the Rat in the ‘90s, this is nothing we’d have seen in the cards, but there’s a lot we wouldn’t have seen in the cards. (Hey, like that cool guy from “The Road Warrior” turning out to be the asshole that is now Mel Gibson, or that the most successful movies came from comic books.) Not that the Murphys were, or are, un-American, just not Esplanade 4th of July material.  We caught up with Casey by e-mail from Europe, where the band is wrapping up a tour before a US jaunt

JSInk: First, I suppose, have you ever been to the July 4 Spectacular on the Esplanade as fan? When you were a kid or as an adult?
Casey:  I went as a teenager a bunch ...Good times. I look forward to bringing my kids this year.

More and more rock bands join up with the Pops or other symphonies, so it's less of a novelty than it used to be. Still, for some DKMs fans, I'm guessing, the roughness of your band and smoothness of the Pops might seem to be oil and water. How is it not? How do you expect it to work for you?

Well we've had strings play with us for years most notably the Parkington Sisters so the orchestra is just that on a larger scale. We are playing acoustic as well so the combination isn't such a musical clash. And we’ve played with them in May at Symphony hall for a Red Sox Foundation charity event so it won't be the first time. We had lots of fun and really enjoyed collaborating.

As guest artists don't play a lot of songs, I'm guessing you'll play two, likely "Shipping Up to Boston" and "Tessie." Is that right? Any chance you'll have room for more?

We left for Europe a few days after playing with the Pops in May and are flying back in from Europe the day before the esplanade so “Tessie” and “Shipping” are what we practiced before and will have to be it this time, but we are already talking about doing a longer set [with them] in December .

Do you know if your songs will be on the nationally broadcast 10-11 pm part of the night?

No I think you need to wear a cowboy hat to make the national broadcast.

I do know you tended bar at Symphony some years ago. So, you have a history. What can you tell me about those days?

Well that is how Dropkicks began. I was bartending at Symphony Hall and my buddy Matt who worked there challenged me to open for his band on three weeks notice. I didn't have a band or know how to play but I can't resist a good challenge ... and the rest is history.

Considering the nature of the holiday - celebrating America - might you like to get in some of your grittier songs, dealing with the underbelly of the American dream?

Yeah but it ain't about us; it's about the holiday and I doubt the organizers want that. But we could go rough like Elvis [Costello] on SNL...haha. [Costello, in 1978, famously started playing “Less Than Zero,” sputtered there was no point in playing that now, and launched into the as yet-unreleased “Radio Radio,” a frenetic takedown of commercial radio. It was one of the most galvanizing moments I’ve ever seen on live TV. When I spoke to Costello about it few months later – we were both at the Rat after his Orpheum show – he said Lorne Michaels stayed by the camera all through the shoot with his middle finger in the air, later declaring Elvis would never be on that show again ever. He relented.] Casey: Only problem is the Pops are essentially the drummer for this show so breaking into a punk song would not work out so good ... haha.”

The July 4th Pops gig has generally featured fairly middle-of-the-road rock and country guests, David Lee Roth, Neil Diamond, Martina McBride (replacing Lionel Richie)  and Toby Keith. This year Jennifer Hudson is there, satisfying that aspect of it I guess, but you are not that.  Do you feel your represent a side of American music and pop culture that tends not to be focused on on this day of the year?

Generally I'm not a fan of the acts on the evening, but we hope we can upset the apple cart a little bit. But all in all it's nice to be invited anywhere and it's nice that Grandma can watch on TV.

What's your personal take on the 4th? Here at these Pops events on the Esplanade there's a heavy military presence - in saluting soldiers, branches of the service. There's an awful lot of flag-waving. Me, I've always been a little uncomfortable with that given that the ring-wing seems to have co-opted the flag as their totem, not the country's. Are you comfortable with the celebration of that aspect of America, given, let's face it what the last decade of American warfare and intervention has left us with?  Or perhaps maybe bands like you - speaking for your huge fan base - can reclaim that part of the flag, the celebration?

Yes the latter is my feeling . I love this country and don't wanna give up honoring the flag and our history because of the actions and beliefs of people I disagree with. It's our history as much as theirs.

JSInk again ... Year 39 of what’s called the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular starts at 8 pm. Much pomp, much circumstance expected. Conductor Keith Lockhart should be in his usual fine fettle. Locally born actor Michael Chiklis (for “Shield” star, star of new CBS drama, “Vegas” – did we mention the simulcast is on CBS?) is the host for the second year running. Fireworks over the Charles at 10:30. Over 500,000 humans expected. Don’t drive. Take the freakin’ T.  It's free, for all.

Storrow Drive, Boston www.bso.org.