OC Music Magazine

This week's issue features an interview with the Dirty Heads, our first video band feature with Silent Treatment, Shakespeare and the Music Business, How to serve the song, Brianna Harley, Garcia Unplugged, Album reviews from Johnny, Mark and the Ricks and Rally For One, and the battle at the Queen Mary!

 Cover Photo by: Myspace.com/

David Sachs

The Dirty Heads have simply exploded onto the local scene, earning a tight relationship with Sublime, KROQ and of course, their fans.
“We want to make sure all of our fans know we appreciate the support they’ve given us – we owe them everything,” vocalist and guitarist Dustin “Duddy” Bushnell said in an interview Wednesday.
The theme of humble appreciation was present throughout the interview with Bushnell and fellow vocalist Jared Watson.

David Sachs: Tell us about how you guys got together as a band.
Jared Watson: We both [Dustin and I] went to High School together and met through our older brothers and mutual friends at parties. I really wasn’t into music at the time, I was more into skating and surfing. Duddy had this sound proof garage in his house and they’d always go in there to party and play music and I was like, I want to do this!
So we’d go in the garage and write acoustic songs and do raps, you know all the stuff. We’d do reggae songs and we started really writing songs together and they actually stated coming together in a sound we hadn’t heard before; it was kinda a mixture between reggae and hip hop and we didn’t really plan it, it just started that way.
Then we got Jon-Jon, who was playing percussion in Dustin’s older brother’s band and we just started playing acoustic shows at bars with just two singers, a guitar and a bongo percussion set-up.
So that’s how we got started: we were just a three-piece acoustic act right at the very beginning.

DS: So how did the band grow from there?
JW: People started coming to our acoustic shows! At first we had our friends going, then we started to actually grow a fan base and we were packing these tiny 100 person, 200 person bars and people started coming and coming. Duddy was always very passionate about music and got me more into music and this just proved from there--we could probably really do this.
I’m sure that Duddy was always gonna try to be a musician but I had no idea at the time. Once people started showing up and we wrote more and just how fun it was, we just kinda took it up from there, stepping up to the next level trying to find a band, a full band so we could play full shows.

DS: So how’d you guys build the full band?
Dustin “Duddy” Bushnell: Well a lady working for our management company had a son who played drums and he came and tried out. First day he tried out we were just like, ‘God damn this kid is killer!’ The bassist we have now was in anther local band that we knew when we were younger; we’d heard they weren’t playing anymore and we needed a bassist so I hit him up, asking if he wanted to come jam with us.

DS: You mentioned earlier that in the garage you created a sound you hadn’t heard before; how would you characterize that sound and does it carry over into what you do today?
DB: I think the different sound comes from the fact that we never actually got together and said hey let’s start a band and play reggae music or let’s start a band and play rock music – we never even said let’s start a band in the beginning. Everyone was just hanging out and playing music and this is just what came out; all the sudden we started to really write songs and they came out with that party vibe and it’s all having fun and a carefree-feel of music.
JW: On our first demo there were no drums; it was just bass, guitar and percussion and a rapper and a singer and it was like reggae influence and hip-hop influence and that was different and caught a lot of people’s attention.

DS: When was this demo released?
JW & DB: [Laughs] We were 20 or something, it was right after high school.
JW: That’s when we didn’t even know we’d become this band
DB: When we first released that demo, we burned the CD’s from my computer at home and I have a CD label maker…it was as cheese ball as it can get [laughs].

DS: What was the first big catalyst to push the Dirty Heads up a level?
JW: We started playing the Roxy and I think we sold out the place our second or third show up there.

DS: In your latest release, Rome contributed on the single Lay Me Down. What was it like to work with him and on the album itself?
JW: We actually knew Eric from Sublime for a while—we worked at the studio down in Newport and those guys would always stop in. Rome started coming to the same studio and working with Eric and those guys so we automatically became buddies: he’d come in when we were working and put down some ideas or do some harmonies or we’d come in when he was working on a song and we’d do some harmonies and we became friends and we were just sitting at Duddy’s house and were like, we should write a full-blown song together. We just chilled out in his backyard over some beers and that’s the song; it was really cool working with him.
It was really easy and it came naturally--took us a day or two.

DS: So when’d you guys start the whole album?
JW: We went through a lot of stuff with Warner brothers, but we started the album four years ago and it took us a little while to do the album, so we didn’t put it out until last year.

DS: What are you guys up to right now?
DB: A lot of touring. I wanna get out to all the new fans we’ve probably made through having a song on the radio, get out there and play shows and just build our fan base.
And play good shows, too – we’re slated on the tour with Sublime and that’s really exciting.

DS: Let’s talk about hearing yourself on the radio! What was the process in getting the single on KROQ?

Photos by: Myspace.com

David Long and David Sachs

Rhiannon Janee 

Briana Harley and Taylor swift have a couple things in common. Both taught themselves how to play the guitar. They both wrote their first song before the age of fifteen.

Briana is only 17-years-old, already writing her own music and performing all over Orange County. A southern California native, she has spent the last three years branding herself as a musician.

When she was eight, her dream was to “rock out” on the drums; her mother had a different idea. She wanted her daughter to learn the classic guitar- which Briana absolutely despised--lessons only lasted for six months. From there, she started focusing on her singing ability and musical theater.

When Briana was 11, she moved with her family to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She considers this to be one of the worst experiences in her life. Though out of this “tragedy,” as she refers to it, she was able to meet Ms. Kathleen, a local voice coach. Briana believes she had to move to South Carolina to meet Ms. Kathleen. Briana explains, “I would be nothing without her. She taught me so much about my voice.”

Three long years later, Briana and her family returned to Costa Mesa, California. It wasn’t until age fourteen, she picked up the acoustic guitar and fell in love with it. The move back to Orange County inspired Briana to write her first song, “Where The Heart Is.” She soon composed five songs which sent her mother into momager mode by getting her into a record studio to begin recording. Later that year she began learning the drums and piano.

After a few visits to the recording studio, her parents began searching for different open mic events. Briana’s first performance was at the Vault in Santa Ana. From there, she would go on to perform at the Gypsy Den, Alta Coffee Warehouse, and many more.

From the age of fourteen, she has been homeschooled. This has helped launched her music career because she is able to devote more time to practicing. Whether it is practicing with her band, Briana Harley and the Styles, playing bass in a Christian worship band, or just playing for fun. Even in her spare time, she enjoys recording covers and tutorials on YouTube.

Listening to Briana’s music is like listening to a blend of alternative rock, indie rock, country, r&b, Christian pop, etc. Briana is a fan of every genre and it shows in her music. “I listen to every kind of music and some people find that odd, but I’m influenced by every type of music,” Briana says. Since Briana exposes herself to so many different genres of music, it has helped her create her own personal style of music.

Despite her age, Briana displays such motivation and maturity. She is one smart cookie, not only is she trying to break out in the music industry, but she is also waiting to hear back from universities; specifically Vanguard University in Costa Mesa. To increase her college fund, she occasionally plays at Newport Beach with a tip jar.

Photos by: Aaron Huniu

Nisha Sharma

Carlos Garcia is a solo artist born and raised in Orange County, California. Under the name Carlos Unplugged, Garcia is a mastermind on the electric and acoustic guitars, singing his own lyrics as well.

Since the age of 16, Garcia has loved the sound of the guitar. He taught himself how to play on a Fender-Stratocaster, and four years later was inspired to begin writing songs as well.

Garcia would start off writing poetry. He would later think of a chord progression and start harmonizing. Once his poetry and melody were completed, Garcia would pull out his notebook, cutting and pasting his lyrics into the music. Garcia still uses this method today.

Under the Alternative/Progressive banner, Garcia used to be part of a band called Man-Made Lines.

"The feeling you get when playing in a band is like nothing else. It's a great feeling," Garcia said in an interview. However, Garcia said that one of his greatest challenges was trying to keep the band together. After two years the band broke up due to creative differences.

Garcia is now on his own, playing a multitude of various electric and acoustic guitars; his favorite instrument is a Gibson J-160E. Garcia enjoys writing songs about everyday life and love and whatever he's "feeling at the moment."

Garcia wants his audience to feel like they can relate to his songs, since the lyrics are mostly about things that happen in everyone's lives, no matter who they are.

Garcia describes his music as "90's influenced" and leaves it up to the listener for images that the music might convey.

His main instruments are either the electric or acoustic guitar playing in the background of his singing. Sometimes his songs are akin to rock, other times it's a bit slower. It just depends on what the subject of the song is about.

His own musical influences include Thom Yorke from Radiohead, Beck, Ian Mckay and Jon Forshante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. These are his favorite groups because Garcia feels they write their songs based purely on their love for music.

"These groups are not trying to push any products. They simply keep it as art," he said.

Garcia's non-musical inspirations include his uncle, his parents and his partner. They enjoy serving as critics for his music and tell him what sounds good and what can be improved upon. "Overall they're proud of what I've done so far," he said.

Until recently, Garcia didn't think of music as a career, but more as an outlet, an exhaust from daily life. He explained, "the real definition of success is being satisfied with your own art."

 

Garcia grew up modestly - taught himself to play and sing his own music. Because of this, Garcia appreciates the sound of music and how it can make himself, and others, feel. To him, it's not just about selling the music and making money.

Garcia's main belief is that music made purely for the love of music is what's important - not just commercializing it. With that said, Garcia still would like to earn an independent label in the future, as making music is his dream.

With Man-Made Lines, Garcia used to play at bars all over Orange and Los Angeles Counties. As solo artist Carlos Unplugged, he still performs at diverse venues, including the West Side Bar & Grill in Costa Mesa. He is currently working on a solo album consisting of songs about everyday life, love and relationships. He hopes to have this album completed later in 2010.

Images Courtesy of Carlos Garcia

Madlen Hulme

Four-man alternative pop band Rally For One is best known to their steadily growing fan base as a group of bubbly vocal harmonizers, heavy on spirited guitar rhythms and solid percussion. Drummer John Humphries, lead guitarist Brett Maline, rhythm guitarist Blake O’Brien, and bass guitarist Marty Sage originally hail from all over the country, but the members, who met in the non-profit performing arts group “The Young Americans” back in 2004, are now based out of Fullerton, CA. Rally For One recently released their second album, Four Sides to Everything, for sale at live shows and on iTunes.

The album opens with “Bob Ya’ Head”, an uppity and, at times, goofy dance tune that features all four members on vocals. The harmonies are tight, as they are throughout the album, and the melody is ridiculously catchy, but it’s the lyrics that throw a wrench in the whole, toe-tappin’ thing: “I’m B-rett, I bleed red/ I’m a Husker fan until I die/ Give me corn-fed steak and apple pie.” This trend of cramped, semi-rapped cheesetastics is present throughout the album, and it detracts from the credibility of these otherwise talented, likable fellows.

Despite this downfall, Four Sides to Everything is a catchy little son of a gun. You have to hand it to them: while the rather frantic Four Sides to Everything sounds like the collaboration of a group of goofy white guys with guitars at first listen, spin after spin, these tracks have serious staying power. Instrumentally, the album peaks with the electric and acoustic blends of “Left Unsaid,” and the groovy rhythm guitar riffs of “Moves So Slow,” tracks that showcase where Rally For One’s solid base lies: in clean, wholesome pop rock flavored with all kinds of delicious harmonies. With a little more production and a little less cheese on the lyrics, these guys could have one hell of a commercial album.

Image courtesy of MySpace

Chantel Donnan

An eclectic mix of soft rock and Carolina beach music, Johnny, Mark and the Ricks is the sort of music I expect to hear at a weekend barbeque. The summer air is buzzing with bugs and conversation. Electric guitar lingers in the air as cousins in fluorescent swim trunks run back and fourth through the sprinklers and uncles argue over who gets to wear the “kiss the cook” apron (meanwhile, the burgers and hot dogs they’ve thrown on are charred beyond recognition). Mothers and grandmothers present a lunch spread, with bowls of potato salad bigger than the blow-up kiddie pool in the front yard. The music of Johnny, Mark, and the Ricks embodies all that is carefree and easy about summer in Orange County.

JMR2, a group comprised of alums from Lakewood and Jordan High Schools, just released their first album, entitled By the Lights of the Pike. This 15-track collection harkens back to artists such as Oingo Boingo and The Smithereens, with distinct influences from the Beach Boys. Songs like “Time of Your Life,” “Negativity,” and the title track “By the Lights of the Pike” offer listeners relaxed and mellow melodies paired with the hauntingly intriguing vocals of Johnny “JJ” Delray. On the other hand, the group channels a more upbeat, surfer-type spirit on tracks like “Livin’ With the Devil,” “Eatin’ Out Your Heart,” and the instrumental “Seven Minutes from Hanalei.” The musicianship is, I must admit, a tad rudimentary, but JMR2 compensates by the truckload with something many artists forget about on their quest to be the most impressive: love for their music and the spirit of fun. On the band’s Myspace page, they refer to themselves as, “just four guys banging on guitars and drums howling like scorched monkeys!!!” Such a carefree attitude, I suspect, would make this foursome not only great to watch perform, but also the sort of guys to have a drink with afterward.

Image courtesy of MySpace

David Hooper

James Lee Stanley