The Gang’s All Here released

After McColgan’s departure, the band searched for a replacement but did not have much luck. Al Barr , lead singer for The Bruisers was well aware of the Dropkick Murphys and at first actually resented the fact that the Dropkick Murphys were quickly becoming one of the biggest bands in the area, opening for all the bigger bands to come through, a slot Barr and the Bruisers would usually have obtained. Barr was informed of McColgan’s departure and quickly assumed that the band was finished. However he was contacted by Derek TC NYSR producer-founder of the groundbreaking 1990s Oi!-Skampilation series at the Middle East Club in Cambridge and told to contact Ken Casey right away. Barr auditioned for the band, first performing a new song titled “10 Years of Service” and was offered the job right away which he accepted. Barr’s first release with the band was the 1998 single for “Curse of a Fallen Soul”, a song that also would appear on their upcoming album. On March 16, 1999, the band released their second studio album and first with Barr, The Gang’s All Here . The album featured more of a hardcore–street punk sound closer to that of Barr’s former band, The Bruisers and more of an Irish influence than on their debut album. The band gained their first mainstream exposure when the video for their single “10 Years of Service” received airplay on the MTV show 120 Minutes . The band set out on a year-long tour to support the album. In late 1999, the band along with The Business , released a split single (as McBusiness) titled, “Mob Mentality” in 1999. A year later they released a full-length album of the same name featuring the two bands covering each other’s songs along with songs from other artists. Dropkick Murphys also re-recorded their own song “Boys on the Docks” with Al Barr on vocals marking the third different recording of the song.