The Dirtbombs Biography

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Biography The Dirtbombs

The Dirtbombs


The Dirtbombs are a rock and roll band based in metro Detroit, notable for blending diverse influences such as garage rock, punk rock and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs were formed by Mick Collins (of the influential garage rock band The Gories) as a side project and started recording songs by 1995.

History

In the decade since their conception, the Dirtbombs have hosted a revolving door of musicians both in the studio and on the road. As of September 2007 the band?s 17th and longest-lasting lineup (developed around June 2004) consists of Collins on guitar, Troy Gregory (formerly of Flotsam and Jetsam, Prong, and lead singer of The Witches and Troy Gregory & The Stepsisters) on bass, Ko Melina (formerly of Ko & The Knockouts) on a distorted ?fuzz? bass, and Ben Blackwell (owner of record label Cass Records) and Pat Pantano (also of The Come Ons) on the drum sets. Noted producer Jim Diamond played bass from 1997 until 2004 and during that time Diamond also recorded and co-produced the Dirtbombs output with Mick Collins at his Ghetto Recorders studio in Detroit.For a brief time in 2002, the band featured back-up singers Deanne Iovan (also of The Come Ons) and future bass player Ko, in addition to five musicians.

Early Singles, Horndog Fest, Ultraglide in Black and the Detroit rock and roll revival

Originally conceived as a ?singles band?, the Dirtbombs were to record only 7? records each in a radically different style; label In The Red Records, however, persuaded them to record an LP. Collins decided that if the band were to record a full-length album they would still treat the entire album like a giant single, centering around one musical idea or genre.Collins, M. (2005). Consitency is the enemy. In If You Don't Already Have a Look... (p. 2) liner notes. Los Angeles: In The Red Records.The Dirtbombs' full-length 1998 debut Horndog Fest was a garage punk rock record. The songs "I Can't Stop Thinking About It", "Granny's Little Chicken", and "Shake Shivaree" remain live staples.

The Dirtbombs enjoyed a boost in recognition after the release of their second album, Ultraglide in Black, in 2001. The record is a collection of nearly all soul, R & B, and Motown covers, with one original track - "Your Love Belongs Under A Rock". In 2005, MSNBC.com listed Ultraglide on their list of the top albums of the past 20 years. Around this time, a garage rock revival became vibrant in the American and European underground, led in part by Detroit band the White Stripes. The Dirtbombs were part of a multitude of Detroit bands that subsequently received attention from the music industry. Opening for the White Stripes (and with Jack White acknowledging the Gories as a major influence) brought the band increased attention. In 2002, the band opened for Blondie on their Michigan and Illinois tour dates. In subsequent years, they've opened for Mudhoney and Radio Birdman and have headlined tours with such up and coming bands as the Black Lips. In 2002, rising art-punk band Yeah Yeah Yeahs opened for the Dirtbombs at the small Bowery Ballroom during the CMJ Music Marathon in New York. In 2005, the Dirtbombs opened for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the massively larger Roseland Ballroom, also in New York City.

The band, with Jim Diamond and Tom Potter on bass, was featured on a Dutch television documentary about the Detroit rock scene that also profiled the White Stripes and the Paybacks. Mick took the filmmakers on a tour of the Detroit music spots, and drummed for the White Stripes while they sang Loretta Lynn's "Rated X". The documentary concluded with the three of them bowling.

In 2003 the band released their third LP, Dangerous Magical Noise. This album was originally going to be done in the style of bubblegum pop, but Collins ultimately chose to stick with a radio-friendly pop rock style, described by the band as being " the car-commercial record". The album featured a re-recorded version of their contribution to the Jack White-produced Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit compilation, "I'm Through With White Girls" written and sung by Jim Diamond. The single "Motor City Baby" was featured on Little Steven's Underground Garage as the "Coolest Song in the World".

In 2004 the band headlined the Rock City Fest in Detroit (the show being Jim Diamond's final show with the band), and the next year they were was showcased in the Motor City Music Conference. In later 2005, they toured eastern Europe including playing dates in Zagreb and Belgrade.

If You Don't Already Have a Look, It Came From Detroit documentary, and The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

In 2005 the band released If You Don?t Already Have a Look a 2-disc collection of their singles and rarities, as well as six new songs. The supporting tour included a stop at the Primavera Sound Festival in Spain. In the summer of 2006, the song "Trainwreck" was used in a Walmart television commercial. Spin magazine listed the Dirtbombs at number 10 in their list of "Top 25 Live Bands Now" in the September 2006 issue.Aaron, Charles, et al. "The 25 Greatest Live Bands Now!" Spin Sep. 2006: page 74.

In October the band played in Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts for the premiere of a documentary film called It Came From Detroit, in which the band was featured prominently in interviews and live footage. In early 2007, "I Can't Stop Thinking About It" was used in a Buick radio commercial.

In May 2007 The Dirtbombs were invited by director Julian Schnabel to play at the Cannes Film Festival due to their song "Chains of Love" being featured in the award-winning film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. In September, the band played at the reopening of the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Michigan, where they debuted three songs from their upcoming LP.

We Have You Surrounded

The next In The Red LP, We Have You Surrounded, is to be released on February 19, 2008. Originally destined to be a five song EP, the band decided to finish it as an LP, once again postponing the bubblegum record. The album's themes are dark, based on Alan Moore's "Leopard Man at C & A'", which is described by Collins as "a fabulous take on urban paranoia" .

Discography

Albums

Image:Horndogfest.jpg|
Horndog Fest
(1998)
In the RedImage:Ultraglideinblack.jpg|
Ultraglide in Black
(2001)
In the RedImage:Dangerousmagicalnoise.jpg|
Dangerous Magical Noise
(2003)
In the Red


EPs

  • Chariot of the Gods? EP (Au-Go-Go Records, 2001)


Compilations

Image:Ifyoudontalreadyhavealook.jpg|
If You Don?t Already Have a Look
(2005)
In the Red

Singles

  • High Octane Salvation 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996)
  • All Geeked Up 7" (In The Red, 1997)
  • Tina Louise 7" (Flying Bomb Records, 1998)
  • Maybe Your Baby 7" (High Maintenance, 1998)
  • Stuck Under My Shoe 7" (Some Assembly Required, 1998)
  • Headlights On 7" (Solid Sex Lovie Doll Records, 2000)
  • Brucia I Cavi 7" (Hate Records, 2000)
  • Ode To A Black Man 7" (Sweet Nothing, 2001)
  • Australian Sing A Long With The Dirtbomb Singers 7" (Zerox Records, 2002)
  • Pray For Pills 7" (Corduroy Records, 2002)
  • Motor City Baby 7" (Sweet Nothing, 2003)
  • Earthquake Heart 7" (Velvet Tiger, 2004)
  • Merit 7" (Kapow Records, 2004)
  • Crashdown Day 7" (Corduroy Records, 2004)
  • Tanzen Gehn' 7" (Soundflat Records, 2005)
  • Brand New Game 7" (Munster Records, 2005)
  • Oh Katrina 7" (Noiseless/Live From Detroit, 2007)


Split Records with Other Artists

  • "Cedar Point '76", with The White Stripes (Extra Ball Records, 2000)
  • "King's Led Hat", with The Gories (Fortune Teller Records, 2004)
  • "She Played Me Like A Booger", with Justin Robertson (Slut Smalls, 2004)
  • "Lost Love", with ADULT (Cass Records/Ersatz Audio, 2004)
  • Billiards At Nine-Thirty, with King Khan And His Shrines (Sounds Of Subterrania, 2004)
  • "No Expectations", with The Love Supremes (Norton Records, 2005)
  • "Missionary Man" , with The Black Lips (Cass Records, 2006)


Appeared on Compilations

  • Ghettoblaster: A Detroit Music Sampler 1997 Volume 1 CD (Motor City Brewing Works, 1997)
  • I Hate Music CD (P-Vine, 1999)
  • Hot Pinball Rock Vol. 1 CD (Extra Ball Records, 2000)
  • X-Mas Surprise Package Volume 3 7" (Flying Bomb Records, 2000)
  • Sympathetic Sounds Of Detroit LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2001)
  • Hometaping - Volume 1 CD (Kerrang!, 2002)
  • Troy Gregory's Sybil CD (Fall Of Rome Records)
  • Rough Trade Shops Rock And Roll 2xCD (Mute, 2002)
  • X-Mas Surprise Package (The Collector's Edition) CD (Flying Bomb Records, 2002)
  • Ghettoblaster Volume 2 CD (Motor City Brewing Works, 2002)
  • Playing Favourites LP (Illustrious Artists, 2003)
  • Revolver USA Sampler Autumn 2003 CD (Revolver USA, 2003)
  • Detroit Breakdown - The Rocked Out Motor City Music Sampler CD (PBS 106.7FM, 2004)
  • Superfuzz CD (Lowfly Records, 2005)
  • Salvo Of 24 Gunshots - Tribute To Gun Club LP/CD (Unrecording Records, 2005)
  • Static Disaster The UK. In The Red Records Sampler CD (In The Red, 2005)


Former Dirtbombs Members and Previous Collaborators

  • Dana Spicer (Eric S. Johnson, aka Wedgehead): bass/fuzz
  • Tom Lynch: bass
  • Chris Fachini: drums
  • Scott: drums
  • Ewolf: drums
  • Chandy (Chris Handyside): drums
  • Joe Greenwald: bass/fuzz
  • Jim Diamond: bass, vocals
  • Deanne Iovan: bass/fuzz, backing vocals
  • Deon Fischer: drums
  • Nick Lloyd: drums
  • Ryan Pritts: drums
  • Tom Potter: fuzz bass, backing vocals
  • Patrick Keeler: drums (a couple of shows in June 2004)


References



External links



American punk rock groupsMichigan musical groupsPunk rock groupsAmerican indie rock groupsGarage punkPunk blues

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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The Dirtbombs
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