Dirty Heads is an American

reggae rock Reggae rock is a subgenre of reggae fusion and rock music that primarily uses the genres reggae, rock, and ska. Typical lyrics of reggae rock songs incorporate love, personal awareness, and life challenges while incorporating music and beat ...

band from Huntington Beach, California. Their debut album, ''

Any Port in a Storm ''Any Port in a Storm'' is the debut album released by the Reggae band The Dirty Heads in 2008. The Special Edition was released in 2010. This is the only album without Matt Ochoa as the band's drummer. ''Any Port in a Storm'' was initially set t ...

'', was released on September 23, 2008, by Executive Music Group (Fontana/Universal). Their newest album, ''

Midnight Control Midnight Control is the eighth studio studio album by American reggae/rock/rap hybrid band Dirty Heads. The album was released on August 26, 2022. The album features cover art created by bassist David Foral and 2 singles; "Life's Been Good" (Jo ...

'', was released on August 26, 2022, by Better Noise Music. They have been associated with music groups such as

Sublime with Rome Sublime with Rome is a musical collaboration between Eric Wilson, formerly of the American ska punk band Sublime, and singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez. The group's name is not only a reference to the singer's first name, but to the fact that ...

, 311, and

Pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

, and have toured with groups including Cobra Starship, Aer, and Gym Class Heroes.

History

Early history/formation (2006)

The band was founded in 2006 by Jared "Dirty J" Watson and vocalist/guitarist Dustin "Duddy B" Bushnell in

Orange County, CA Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

, drawing inspiration from the area's reggae and

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

culture. The two first met at a party during their first year of high school. Upon hearing one of Bushnell's rap demo tapes, Watson became inspired to collaborate with him on a new project. Bushnell was already in a punk rock band at the time, while Watson had no previous music experience. In Bushnell's garage, the two began writing hip hop songs with

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and

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 ...

influences. Before filling their current lineup, Watson and Bushnell would perform with Bushnell's older brother Jake Bushnell's band,

HB Surround Sound HB Surround Sound was a Reggae rock band formed in 1999. Vocalist Jake Bushnell is the brother of Dirty Heads guitarist and singer Duddy B (Dustin Bushnell). In the early 2000s, Duddy B and Jared Watson of Dirty Heads would perform live alongsid ...

. The band's name stems from their older brothers and family calling them "dirty heads" when they were younger. In 2007, the newly formed band recorded their first demo album, ''Dirty Demo.'' It included seven tracks, with an additional song "Gimmie The Mic", listed on the back cover as 'track number 77'.

''Any Port in a Storm'' (2008)

Percussionist Jon Olazabal and bassist David Foral were later added to the lineup. Record producer

Rob Cavallo Robert Siers Cavallo (born March 21, 1963) is an American record producer, musician, and record industry executive. He is among the biggest-selling producers in history, and has produced or had creative involvement in albums that have sold over ...

, the then-chief creative officer at

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, signed the band to

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

; however, artistic differences led them to leave the label. The band retained ownership of their master recordings, which make up the bulk of ''Any Port in a Storm,'' through the separation. The band then connected with producers Steve Fox and Stan Frazier (drummer from

Sugar Ray Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single "Fly". The ...

) to complete their debut album. The album features appearances from Beatles collaborator Billy Preston, Peruvian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

percussionist

Alex Acuna Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peo ...

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-nominated British

singer and DJ

Tippa Irie Tippa Irie (born Anthony Henry, 1965, London, England) is a British reggae singer and DJ from Brixton, South London. He first came to prominence in the early 1980s as an MC on the South London reggae soundsystem Saxon Studio International. He fir ...

, and Indie 103.1 reggae host Native Wayne. The song " Check the Level" includes guitarist

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

and heavy metal vocalist

M. Shadows Matthew Charles Sanders (born July 31, 1981), known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, Shadows was voted third in th ...

. The album was mixed by Beastie Boys producer

Mario C Mario Caldato Jr. (born February 24, 1961), also known as Mario C., is a Brazilian-born record producer and studio engineer best known for his work with Beastie Boys, Jack Johnson in the US, Marcelo D2 and Seu Jorge in Brazil. Early life Cal ...

, and Lewis Richards of 17th Street Recording. During production of the album, drummer Matt Ochoa was not in the band and drummer of multiple known bands, including

and Nine Inch Nails, Josh Freese stepped in to play drums. The group first entered the rock/reggae scene when "Ring the Alarm" was chosen as a song on the first ''Pier Magazine'' Sampler. The band started touring heavily in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, and some parts of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

before becoming a national touring act. They maintain close ties with groups such as

. The Dirty Heads have toured the U.S. frequently with bands such as

O.A.R. O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...

, 311,

Kottonmouth Kings The Kottonmouth Kings is an American hip hop group formed in Placentia, California in 1996 by D-Loc and Saint Dog. The group advocates for legalizing cannabis, and their lyrics frequently refer to smoking marijuana. The group plays hip hop, ...

Unwritten Law Unwritten Law is an American punk rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour. They are notable for their singles ...

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician. Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing soun ...

, and

. The band has also been featured in marketing campaigns for Etnies Jeans, Rag Dynasty Shirts, and Vestal Watches. The Dirty Heads were among the first bands featured on YouTube's "RAWsession". The set included a cover of

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

's "

Viva La Vida "Viva la Vida" (, ; ) is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008). The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian refe ...

". Their most successful single to date is " Lay Me Down", featuring vocalist/guitarist

Rome Ramirez Roman René Ramírez (born June 11, 1988), better known as Rome Ramirez or simply Rome, is an American singer and guitarist best known for playing with Eric Wilson from Sublime in the band Sublime with Rome. Early life Ramirez was born and ra ...

Sublime With Rome Sublime with Rome is a musical collaboration between Eric Wilson, formerly of the American ska punk band Sublime, and singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez. The group's name is not only a reference to the singer's first name, but to the fact that ...

. Produced by Stan Frazier and Steve Fox, the song was originally written by Bushnell and Ramirez, who were high as kites at the time, in about four hours. The video was directed by

Thomas Mignone Thomas Mignone is an American feature film, streaming media, commercial, and music video director, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing and writing the dark drama ''On the Doll'' and ''The Latin From Manhattan'' and for directing co ...

and premiered on MTV on June 24, 2010. The song became the #1 Alternative hit after its release and remained #1 for more than 10 weeks.

''Cabin by the Sea'' (2012)

On March 9, 2012, the song "Spread Too Thin", from their album ''

Cabin by the Sea ''Cabin by the Sea'' is the second studio album released by American reggae band The Dirty Heads on June 19, 2012. The first single, "Spread Too Thin", premiered on KROQ at 4:20 on March 9, 2012 and was released on iTunes iTunes () is a ...

'', premiered on L.A.'s

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...

. On the origins of the song, Watson commented, "In the music industry, there are ups-and-downs, and it's probably more emotionally stressful than physically. So I was talking to my dad, just about some stuff. I was a little stressed, and he has this funny saying. 'You're like a little bit of butter on too much bread.'" ''Cabin by the Sea'' was released on June 19, 2012. The band played several music festivals during Summer 2012, including Catalpa Music Festival on

Randalls Island Randalls Island (sometimes called Randall's Island) and Wards Island are conjoined islands, collectively called Randalls and Wards Islands, in New York County, New York City,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. The album featured artists such as Del the Funky Homosapien in the song "Smoke Rings", and

in the song "Mongo Push".

''Home – Phantoms of Summer'' (2013)

On July 9, 2013, The Dirty Heads released an acoustic version of the song "Cabin by the Sea", recorded with Thepier.org, as a part of their acoustic series. The album debuted at #27 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

charts. On July 28, 2013, The Dirty Heads played their largest sold-out show to date in front of 8,500 hometown friends, family, and fans at the Orange County Fair's Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California. The emotional stop on their "Cabin by the Sea Tour" ended with a "thank you" from the band for Orange County's longtime support. The Dirty Heads released an 11-track acoustic album, titled '' Home – Phantoms of Summer'', on October 29, 2013.

''Sound of Change'' (2014)

On May 6, 2014, they released the first single, "My Sweet Summer", from their album ''Sound of Change'', which was released on July 8, 2014. The album reached #2 on Top Rock Albums and reached #8 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The set also debuted at #1 on Alternative Albums, led by their single "My Sweet Summer". In March 2015, Dirty Heads appeared on Blues Traveler's album ''

Blow Up the Moon ''Blow Up the Moon'' is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Blues Traveler, released on April 7, 2015. Every track on the album was recorded as a collaboration; guests on the album include 3OH!3, JC Chasez, The Dirty Heads, Rome Ramirez ...

'', co-writing the song "Castaway" and "Vagabond Blues" with

''Dirty Heads'' (self-titled album) (2016)

On April 20, 2016, a date chosen for its 4/20 significance, the first single, "That's All I Need" from their upcoming 2016 album was released. On July 15, 2016, the group released their self-titled album ''Dirty Heads''.

''Swim Team'' (2017)

On October 13, 2017, Dirty Heads released their sixth studio album, ''Swim Team''. The album features

The Unlikely Candidates The Unlikely Candidates are an American indie rock band from Keller, Texas, formed in 2008. The band consists of lead vocalist Kyle Morris, lead guitarist Brenton Carney, guitarist Cole Male, drummer Kevin Goddard, and bassist Jared Hornbeek. Thei ...

on the song "Celebrate" and

Nick Hexum Nicholas Lofton Hexum (born April 12, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter and rapper, currently the vocalist and guitarist for the multi-platinum alternative rock band 311 and The Nick Hexum Quintet. Early life Born in Madison, Wisconsin, to ...

of 311 on "So Glad You Made It".

''Super Moon'' (2019)

On August 9, 2019, the band's seventh studio album ''Super Moon'' was released. It was produced by Dave Cobb. Jared "Dirty J" Watson describes as "a 70s sci-fi kung fu Western car chase soundtrack." ''Super Moon'' was recorded live in Studio A of the RCA building in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, where Johnny Cash and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

recorded much of their work. With the album release, they toured with 311 on the "219 Unity Tour".

''The Best of Dirty Heads'' (2021)

Dirty Heads' first

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

, ''The Best of Dirty Heads'', was released on July 16, 2021. It includes new collaborations with

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...

, and

Aimee Allen Aimee Allen is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. She is currently the lead vocalist for the ska-punk band the Interrupters under the moniker Aimee Interrupter. As a singer-songwriter, she has collaborated with Mark ...

The Interrupters ''The Interrupters'' is a 2011 documentary film, produced by Kartemquin Films, that tells the story of three violence interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. It examines a year in which Chi ...

''Midnight Control'' (2022)

Dirty Heads recorded their eighth studio full-length album, titled, ''Midnight Control'', which was released via Better Noise Music on August 26, 2022. It features cover art created by bassist David Foral and 2 singles; "Life's Been Good" (

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

cover) and "Heavy Water" with

-nominated band

Common Kings Common Kings are an American, Hawaiian, and Samoan reggae band from Orange County, California. The band's debut album, ''Lost in Paradise'', was nominated for a Grammy Award. History Formation (2011) Born in the South Pacific and raised in Orang ...

. "Heavy Water" is a song about empowerment", Jared Watson shared. "Being in the water constantly from a young age, we know the power of the ocean. There is nothing more powerful or uncontrollable. 'Heavy Water' is a metaphor for life because when life throws something at you that's unforeseen and uncontrollable, you will be ready for it and not let it overtake you." Jared also spoke about the meaning behind and the making of ''Midnight Control''. "The album is the culmination of almost twenty years of musical exploration, creativity, and our love for creating original impactful art and music. It's the best album we've ever written, and I think that's due to the fact we have been through so much, done so much, and are comfortable as songwriters, producers, players and human beings."

Musical influences

In an interview, Nick Williams of The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment asked whether the Dirty Heads' reggae-rock vibe is influenced by Sublime and if they considered the band an Influence. Jared "Dirty J" Watson replied: "I definitely do. We grew up listening to it. We came from the

ong Beach Ong or ONG may refer to: Arts and media * Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction * “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip Places * Ong, Nebraska, US, city * Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town * Ong River, Odisha, India ...

area and knew a lot of the same people, but we're obviously much younger. We met ublime'sEric ilsonand Brad owella long time ago. Lewis Richards has produced our stuff. It's almost the same camp. But we are thinking forward. We're not trying to sound like a '90s band. We're still progressive in our music, even though we do have a vintage sound sometimes.

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

inspire us to have warm sounds that have a lot of soul in it, but still be new and relevant."

Other projects

Starting in 2017, Dirty Heads collaborated with Four Sons Brewing, a micro-brewing company in Huntington Beach, California to create a limited-edition " Session Ale" in a specially designed container featuring album cover art. Named after the band's song "Vacation", the beer is brewed with real pineapple.

Members

Current members *Jared "Dirty J" Watson – co-lead vocals (2006–present) *Dustin "Duddy B" Bushnell – co-lead vocals, guitar (2006–present) *Jon Olazabal – percussion (2006–present); drums (2006–2007) *David Foral – bass (2006–present) *Matt Ochoa – drums (2008–present) *Shawn Gonzalez – keyboards, backing vocals (2012–present) *Mark Bush - trumpet, backing vocals (2020–present) *Ruben Durazo - trombone, backing vocals (2020–present) Former members * Josh Freese – drums (2007–2008)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:120 top:0 right:5 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:2006 ScaleMinor = increment:2 start:2007 Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:percussion value:claret legend:Percussion id:keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards id:trumpet value:yellow legend:Trumpet id:trombone value:coral legend:Trombone id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_Albums LineData = at:23/09/2008 color:black layer:back at:19/06/2012 color:black layer:back at:29/10/2013 color:black layer:back at:08/07/2014 color:black layer:back at:15/07/2016 color:black layer:back at:13/10/2017 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:jared text:Dirty J bar:dustin text:Duddy B bar:david text:David Foral bar:jon text:Jon Olazabal bar:josh text:Josh Freese bar:matt text:Matt Ochoa bar:shawn text:Shawn Gonzalez bar:mark text:Mark Bush bar:ruben text:Ruben Durazo PlotData= width:3 bar:dustin from:01/01/2006 till:end color:vocals bar: jon from:01/01/2006 till:17/11/2007 color:percussion bar:shawn from:01/01/2012 till:end color:backing bar:mark from:01/01/2020 till:end color:backing bar:ruben from:01/01/2020 till:end color:backing width:11 bar:jared from:01/01/2006 till:end color:vocals bar:dustin from:01/01/2006 till:end color:guitar bar:matt from:23/09/2008 till:end color:drums bar:david from:01/01/2006 till:end color:bass bar: jon from:01/01/2006 till:17/11/2007 color:drums bar:jon from:17/11/2007 till:end color:percussion bar:josh from:17/11/2007 till:23/09/2008 color:drums bar:shawn from:01/01/2012 till:end color:keyboards bar:mark from:01/01/2020 till:end color:trumpet bar:ruben from:01/01/2020 till:end color:trombone

Discography

* ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Home – Phantoms of Summer'' (2013) * '' Sound of Change'' (2014) * ''

Dirty Heads Dirty Heads is an American reggae rock band from Huntington Beach, California. Their debut album, '' Any Port in a Storm'', was released on September 23, 2008, by Executive Music Group (Fontana/Universal). Their newest album, '' Midnight Contro ...

'' (2016) * '' Swim Team'' (2017) * '' Super Moon'' (2019) *'' Best Of ''(2021) *''

'' (2022)