The Bruisers were a punk band that pioneered the American streetpunk/

oi! Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement wa ...

movement, formed in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...

in 1988. The original lineup included:

Al Barr Alexander Barr (born January 21, 1968) is an American musician. He is best known for his time as the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys, whom he joined in 1998 and as of 2025, is currently on hiatus from the band. He was also a founder and lea ...

(

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

, now the lead singer of the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The current lineup consists of co-lead vocalist and bassist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, co-lead vocalist Al Barr (on hiatus from the band since 202 ...

), Scotty Davies (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

), Jeff Morris (

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

) and Rodger Shosa (

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s). Morris is now a guitarist and lead vocalist for Death & Taxes, and a former guitarist for Mark Lind & the Unloved. Former guitarist Rick Wimert died 1995. The first band members were

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

s (although not

white power skinhead White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, music of white skin head white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white natio ...

s). After a few years and lineup changes, the band and their style changed slightly. By 1996, Al Barr was the only remaining original member of The Bruisers. One notable release by the band was a 7" split with Barr's future band

in 1997. After 10 years, the band broke up in 1998. The Bruisers had a reunion concert on September 14, 2005 at The Roxy in Boston. The bill included local acts

The Ducky Boys The Ducky Boys are a street punk band from Boston. Since forming in 1995 in the Charlestown, Massachusetts, Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, the band has released six full-length albums and over 80 songs. The band's name is derived from the ...

and Tommy & The Terrors, as well as

The Casualties The Casualties are an American punk rock band from New York City, founded by vocalist Jorge Herrera, Hank Fischer (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums) in 1990. In July 2017, it was announced on the band ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.Bruisers (Al Barr of Dropkick Murphys) reunion show details , Punknews.org
/ref> The Bruisers played a second reunion show on August 31, 2012 headlining the first night of the 2000 Tons of TNT Fest at the Webster Theater in Hartford, CT.

Former members

–

(1988–1998, 2005) * Jeff Morris –

(1988–1996, 2005) * Scotty Davies –

(1988–1990) * Rodger Shosa –

s (1988–1989) * Dan Connors – drums (1989–1997, 2005) * Crash – guitar (1989–1990) *Rick Wimert – guitar (1990–1995) * Todd Seely – bass (1990–1991), guitar (1996–1997) * Keith "Ritchie" Richards – bass (1991–1996, guitar (1997–1998, 2005) * Robert Garceau – guitar (1995–1996) * Scott Vierra – guitar (1996–1998, 2005) * Johnny Rioux – bass (1996–1998) * John Dicicco – drums (1997–1998) * Mike Savitkas – bass (2005)

Discography

Albums

* ''Cruisin' for a Bruisin (1993) * ''Up in Flames'' (1996)

EPs/singles

* ''Intimidation'' (1989) * ''Independence Day'' (1990) * ''American Night'' (1991) * ''Gates of Hell'' (1994) * ''Clobberin' Time'' (1995) * ''Mad Parade/Bruisers'' (1995) * ''Still Standing Up'' (1997) * ''The Bruisers/Charge 69'' (1998) * ''Molotov'' (1997) * ''Bruisers/Randumbs'' (1998) * ''The Bruisers/Dropkick Murphys'' (1998)

Compilation albums

* ''Society's Fools'' (1996) * ''Anything You Want It's All Right Here...: The Authorized Bruisers 1988–1994'' (1998) * ''One Law for Them...Another One for Us'' (1999) * ''In The Pit – Live and Rare'' (2000) * ''Better Days'' (2000) * ''Singles Collection 1989–1997'' (2004)

References

Rock music groups from New Hampshire American punk rock groups Street punk groups {{US-punk-band-stub