Artists

Dirtywings hails from Australia! You may ask – why the name Dirtywings? Lead singer ‘Bec’ answers our question:

“Let me clip your dirty wings” is sung by Kurt Cobain in my favorite Nirvana song, “Polly”. It’s a chilling line that always resounded in my head. The idea behind the name appealed to me too: something with dirty wings can still fly and rise above adversity. The message to me was, even if you’ve gone through hard times, you can make it through.”

The band is currently gigging around the Gold Coast and Brisbane areas building up their fan base. They have just completed their first album, which they are shopping around in hopes of releasing it through a publisher or record label later this year. Over the last few months they have placed well in several music competitions, and their song “Superglue Myself” will be featured on Perisher Blue’s upcoming compilation CD.

Q&A with Dirtywings:

Is this your first record?
Yes

What other artists would you compare yourself to – if any?
I think it’s hard for any artist to compare themselves to others! If I had to say, I’d guess we’re a mix of The Veronicas’ pop sensibilities, Liz Phair’s candid lyrics and Ladyhawke’s electro effects.

What’s the craziest band story that you can think of?
When we were recording our album, we were all staying in a tiny flat together. The only toilet around was outside and a long walk away, and as it was raining a lot at the time, we had little desire to venture out. So the boys came up with the idea of peeing in a big bucket in the back room. As the only girl, I was unfortunately voted down in my opposition to this idea. We would carry the ‘pee bucket’ out in the morning and empty it into the toilet. It smelled horrible. Disgusting, but there you go! Don’t tell the studio!

What is your creative process regarding songwriting?
Usually I’ll get an idea (whether it be lyrical or a guitar riff) and create a vocal melody to match it. I work out the basic guitar riffs and chords, and then finish the song lyrics. Verses are easy, but sometimes it takes me a really long time to write a good chorus. When it’s done, I take the song idea to Ross and Patto, who work out more complex guitar parts and keyboards, and any electro parts. We all experiment with song instrumentation together in Patto’s home studio. Finally, Luke and Ben work together to create bass and drum parts.

Dirtywings
Rebecca “Bec” Wolfers: songwriting, vocals, occasional guitar
Ross Pridham: rhythm guitar
Paul “Patto” Patterson: lead guitar and synth FX
Luke Ellis: bass
Ben Lemberg: drums

Visit their myspace to keep up to date with Dirtywings news!
www.MySpace.com/dirtywingsmusic