What they said

“Drinking Good Beer With The Dirty Souls”

Interview by Will Brown · the first thing ever written about the band

Will Brown ran a local music blog and put this up seven months before anyone else wrote a word. The blog is long gone and the link is dead. This survives only because the band emailed their answers back as an attachment, and that email was still sitting in an inbox fifteen years later. All four of them answer.

Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us what you do…and don’t do.

AlexWe’re The Dirty Souls, a 4-piece rock band from Atlanta. We like to play original music with the occasional choice cover thrown in. Our songs are mainly based on catchy guitar riffs and vocal melodies with a tight rhythm section. What we don’t do is listen to the radio very much unless the Braves are on.

Your name is rad and totally fits your style. Is there a story on how it came to be?

MattAfter months of vetoing terrible band names Adam came up with it on a late night road trip. We figured this music thing was a good way to clean up our act so we thought The Dirty Souls seemed fitting. And in our minds we like to think we sound like an old soul band… although it probably doesn’t come out that way in the finished product.

What’s the one song you wish you had written?

MattThere are so many from Bob Dylan to The Stones to The Beatles that I could choose from. But lately I’ve really been feeling “I Second That Emotion” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. I was raised on Super Gold so I guess you could my heart is always with Motown.

Do you have a pre-show ritual? Are you superstitious about anything?

AdamI think someone has managed to throw up before every show we’ve had so far. We still get nervous before every show but if you’re not a little nervous then it wouldn’t be as fun. The one time someone didn’t throw up and Jason almost did it on stage.

For people who have not heard your music, what’s the one song you suggest they listen to, and why?

AdamI would have to go with “Confession’s Not For You”. It was the first song that we felt defined our sound and I think it would make for a great track 1 on our first album. Matt wrote the original version in about 15 minutes but everyone’s put their own spin on it and turned it into something even better.

Pick one: Paul McCartney or John Paul Jones.

JasonPaul McCartney. They both wrote sick bass lines but who wouldn’t want Paul’s voice. It’s magical.

What’s the one stage you dream of playing?

AlexThe Fillmore in San Francisco. It’s big enough to pack in a good crowd but small enough to still feel connected with the audience. We don’t really think of ourselves as a stadium rock type of band so we’ll leave that to U2.

When you’re not making people shake their asses all over Atlanta with your tunes, what might we find you doing?

JasonWe have a habit of frequenting the finest beer drinking establishment the metro area has to offer. Life is too short to drink cheap beer. Since three of us (Matt, Adam and Jason) live together, we spend many a night listening to vinyl. Playing music keeps us busy but if we come across a lazy Sunday, you might find us honing our skills on the disc golf course.

If you had to do a remix for one of your songs, what rapper would you choose to work with?

AdamOutkast, without question. I’m a huge fan of their older tunes and it would be nice to work with another group from Atlanta. Sure Jay-Z would be a great choice but he doesn’t have the soul like Outkast.

Your sound makes me think of Otis Redding fronting a rock & roll band. What are your thoughts on that?

MattI’d say that’s really flattering. Old R&B and Soul music definitely has a big influence on us and if we can be included in the same sentence as a legend like Otis Redding we’ll take that as a huge complement.

Anything else you’d like to add?

AdamUntil the iPod commercial comes out we’ll be practicing our shadow dancing in front of a pink back drop at our house, and playing shows all over Atlanta. So Please, Please, Please come check us out. We’ll do our best to live up to this interview.