DIRTWIRE -

Dirtwire stands poised between ancient Mother Earth and modern technology, a blend of ethnomusicology and the psychedelic trance state, gut-bucket delta blues and what the band variously dubs “back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang.” It’s a sound informed by Dirtwire’s travels and performances around the globe, where East meets West and North joins South. From the favelas in Brazil, Femi Kuti’s Shrine in Lagos, Tokyo’s bluegrass clubs, Ayahuasca ceremonies in Central America, Gamelan performances in Bali, desert festivals in the Australian Outback, and the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s modernized new capital Astana, the band spreads its message by building bridges across musical cultures in their own unique way.

Dirtwire plays an array of instruments both ancient and modern, including West African kamale ngonis, jaw harps, space fiddles, whamola basses, Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitars, bowed Banjos and mouth harps from around the globe, all interwoven into modern laptop beat creation. Hailing from the underground west coast electronic bass music scene Dirtwire finds itself at the forefront of experimental electronic music production mixing in their wide array of world instruments with sampled beats and 808’s. Dirtwire’s live shows are a communal psychedelic journey, ranging from down home boot stomping get downs, to bass and blues electronic mashups, to ethereal cinematic beat driven soundscapes. Woven into each is the exploration of where live instruments meet computer production, and where tradition meets experimentation. 

FREE CREATURES -

Umami Music is When Emily Turner’s voice poured over smooth upright bass blends effortlessly into Marv Ellis’s vocals and beats on MPC, and emit a high energy set full of vintage everything from shlumpin’ dance beats to playfully uplifting lyrics and harmonies. Skyler Squglio on electric guitar is the secret ingredient with his harmonic sauce and upside down left handed shred. 

This power trio melts face and is rapidly gaining a following everywhere they go. They survived Quarantine by working on the music and came out firing on all cylinders April 2021. Since then haven’t stopped, performing their 87th and 88th shows in Hawai’i September 2022.

Fresh off a tour in Alaska, the good vibes are all they seek.  And destiny has brought them here. For which they are grateful. When they return from Hawai’i, they will embark on a National Tour from PDX to NY , and from NEW ORLEANS back through California and up to PDX. One of the hardest working independent bands out there right now on the west coast, the trio also has a reservoir of unreleased material awaiting their fans, old and new.