Never in a million years would I have thought what I am about to share with you. If you would have told me anything remotely close to it, I would have laughed in your face. Nonetheless, I am here to tell you that dreams come true and to never give up on that dream because me and my crew are living proof.
If you look up Huntington Beach, California you will find pictures of beaches, people surfing, and the Huntington Beach pier – in short, the California dream. Somewhere in there you will also find the Dirty Heads , a modern reggae-rock band with hip-hop, pop, and electronic influence. Their name is a surfing reference to when the sand gets stuck in your hair; very similar to when the Dirty Heads’ songs get stuck in your head.
No exception to the 5th studio album released July 2016 by Five Seven Music! This album is a self-titled masterpiece; deciding to take a day/night approach to let the music speak for itself in “color code.” Singer/MC Jared Watson said in an interview for ThePier.org, “We are trying to provide the order we think you should listen to these in” [and the color-coding helps to] “reflect the vibes of feeling positive, exuberant versus chilled out and low key.”
The music video for the first single off the self-titled album, “That’s All I Need,” has over 1.8 Million views on YouTube since May! This instant summer hit was performed live in front of millions of viewers for “Good Morning, America.” A music video was also released for one of the more “chilled out, low-key” songs, “Oxygen,” that already has over 195,000 views in a month’s time! Fresh off their Fall tour with fellow color coder’s, RDGLDGRN, and Los Angeles youths, New Beat Fund, they are looking at a new year full of festival appearances!
Their New Year's show will be especially epic. The Dirty Heads play on New Year’s Eve at Tempe, Arizona’s Marquee Theater alongside Arizona’s own Katastro! These Tempe natives freshly released their own brand new album,
"Strange Nights," on LAW Records. Featured on the track “Waste the Night” is Dirty Heads and Sword Beach MC/singer, Jared Watson. Katastro bass player Ryan Weddle said, "When we first started writing this song we immediately thought of somehow trying to get Jared on the track." Looking to add more variety to their new music they wanted each song to have a different sound.
"Strange Nights," on LAW Records. Featured on the track “Waste the Night” is Dirty Heads and Sword Beach MC/singer, Jared Watson. Katastro bass player Ryan Weddle said, "When we first started writing this song we immediately thought of somehow trying to get Jared on the track." Looking to add more variety to their new music they wanted each song to have a different sound.
“Our goal was to put something out that is true to our progress as a band, but also still want [something] the people that have been supporting us since the early days [can relate to].... this New Year's show is going to be a ton of fun! We have a good set ready for it, full of new and old tracks. It's always fun playing with DH, so I couldn't think of a better way to end a year!"
“Waste the Night” and “Strange Nights” reference the randomness surrounding the band everyday, and they want to convey that message with their music. They captured it visually in two amazing videos released from the new album, “Waste the Night” and “Flow.”
Also playing New Year’s Eve in Arizona will be local hip-hop artist Mouse Powell. "No stranger to a strange night" he went along for the ride on Katastro's first headlining, Strange Nights Tour. They covered the West coast, and made several stops in the West & Midwest. Finishing up the Marquee Theater roster on New Year's Eve is reggae-rock band Neato, and newer on the scene, the reggae-jazz-world collective Highest Conspiracy!
Highest Conspiracy came upon the scene in April 2016, and there was a strong feeling from the beginning that this collective was meant for a big stage. Seasoned musicians from all over the world came together in the state of Arizona. It’s such an honor to play percussion alongside such a talented group!
We are ending our first year onstage alongside The Dirty Heads. We’re also gearing up for a big year in 2017, with a full-length release and festival appearances of our own. It has been an amazing experience recording at Premier Studios with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Jeremy Parker (Evanescence, Slipknot, Disturbed). His production and professionalism has been stellar in so many ways, helping define the sound on our debut album! We also landed a spot on Pot of Gold 2017 with bands like Sublime with Rome, Matisyahu, Katchafire and hip-hop artists G-Eazy, Rae Sremmurd, Action Bronson, among others!
The New Year's Eve show with The Dirty Heads is the completion of a circle that started years ago for me. I flew to Colorado to see Sublime with Rome, Matisyahu, and The Dirty Heads at Red Rocks Amphitheater with no ticket to a sold-out concert. I ended up getting in the 3rd row!
Walking through the parking lot there was like walking through an enormous house party, with good vibes and good music all around. On the way to the concert I was thinking how excited I was to see Matisyahu, and the remaining members of Sublime featuring young phenom, Rome Ramirez... little did I know that as soon as I heard The Dirty Heads I would never stop dancing to the beat of their drum.
