The Dirty Bird story begins with its two founding members Angel McPherson and Nick Kirkham. After meeting in early 2003, they started writing music together and became close friends. The pair began playing with a host of musicians and bands before they finally decided to form Dirty Bird in Feb. of 2007. They recruited drummer Don Sjoeben and began playing a series of open mics and showcases as a trio. Eventually they rounded out their line up with Yura Vodyanitsky on guitar, and Josh Olenberg on bass. However, due to inner turmoil between band members, this line up would prove unsustainable. Angel and Nick would once again find themselves performing as a duo. After a lot of soul searching, they decide to take their time and find artists that were not only good musicians, but who fit into the DB mindset. They hooked up with Devon MacGougan; a talented bassist, and percussionist Chad "Big E-Z" Hughes, and shortly thereafter started playing shows again. They then called on Lance Wilkins, lead guitar player, comprising their recent line up. When it seemed that DB had rose to its pinnacle, drummer Glenn Hummel emerged to expose them in their purest form. Glenn's arena ready rhythms, merged with Nick and Devon's uncorked melodies, were sure to produce a sound highlighting acoustic rock for a new generation of fans. Heart-pounding drum lines, careening guitar riffs, and unconventional bass style, fused with the emotionally heavy anthems of Angel McPherson, appeal to rock fans and non-rock fans alike. Dirty Bird now feels as if they could take on the world, are booking gigs throughout the Pacific NorthWest, and now are ready to resume recording and shopping record labels. Evoking a genre defining product, Dirty Bird has busted down the doors of the local scene with standout tracks such as "Dreaming", "Feed On Emotion", and "Sippin' on Whiskey." Look for Dirty Bird in the times to come.
Drawing from rock, blues, jazz, and contemporary influences, Dirty Bird is one of those bands that is hard to pigeon hole into any particular genre.
Forget your preconceived notions. This band is like nothing else you've ever heard before. They stake out new musical territory, and compel the listener to complete the journey of the song.
With most bands, the vocals are out in front, and the instrumentation is relegated to a supporting role. With Dirty Bird, powerful and edgy vocals share the spotlight with intricate and aggressive guitar arrangements. Vocals that reach inside, and rip your heart out, and rhythms that start in a safe, familiar place, and lead you to surprise destinations, with skill and precise delivery.
The lyrics tell a story, and cling to the heart. Inspiring images and feelings, much like the ones in our own souls, that are hard to articulate.
Dirty Bird is made up of real musicians who carry forward sounds that they have lived and felt.
You could call them blues, or you could call them rock. You can call them anything you want. I call them the newest and freshest sound in the rising music scene.
Angel McPherson {Lead Vocals}
"The biggest fish in the sea got that way by never getting caught."
Angel began singing at the age of six, in his grandfathers church. While growing up, he was featured in several musicals, and choirs. Angel’s unique style and powerhouse vocals have been influenced by bands like Tesla, Black Crowes, and blues legend Jonny Lang. he has fronted such bands as Hammeron, Gypsy Blood, Dark Coyote, and Hitrio. Angel has become a seasoned veteran, and remains among the premier vocalists in the Northwest.
Nick Kirkham {Guitar/Vocals}
"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car."
After teaching himself to play guitar at the age of nine, Nick’s emotionally charged style was forged by bands like Alice In Chains, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Shinedown. In addition to being a talented guitarist, Nick has taught himself to play trombone, marimba, and harmonica. Nick cut his teeth in bands like All Your Fault, Pdk, and Hitrio. His melodic grooves, and soulful riffs, have become the backbone of the Dirty Bird sound, and without a doubt is one of the up and coming guitarists in the Puget Sound Area.
Devon Macgougan {Bass/ Vocals}
’’Don’t go to sleep ’tll tomorrow... if you haven’t seen the sun come up you haven’t had a good enough night...."
Devon began playing bass at the age of twelve, when he first picked up his fathers bass guitar.While growing up abroad, this second generation musician practically grew up in the studio where he developed his riverting bass style. He was influenced by such bands as Earth, Wind and Fire, Steely Dan, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Devon has become the foundation for the Dirty Bird sound, and a mainstay in the Puget Sound music scene.
Glenn Hummel {Drums/percussion}
"Minds are like parachutes, they only work if they’re open"
Glenn started playing drums at the age of 12 after receiving his first drum set from his grandmother. He took private lessons from Bob Meyer for 3 years, who was a student of the legendary jazz drummer Jack Dejhonette. He has been involved in school bands, and jazz choirs, and was a part of the green river performance entertainment. Glenn has rained down thunder for such bands as two ton gorilla, the Tommy Wall Band, and Dirty Cartoons. His heart pounding beats, and rock steady lixs have been influenced by bands such as Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Police an the godfather of soul, James Brown.
excerpt from Tacoma Volcano Weekly newspaper
ROCK dirty bird
A short visit to urbandictionary.com’s definitions of “dirty bird” tells me that this simple phrase means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. One thing is for sure, it’s a popular band name. A quick Google pulled up six bands with the same or damn similar names, two of which are within a 50-mile radius of Tacoma. You’ve got the Dirty Birds rockabilly band in Seattle, the Dirty Birds rock/southern rock/punk band in Olympia, Tha Dirty Bird hip-hop artist in Massillon Ohio, Dirtybird the techno/minimalist/crunk artist in Chicago, Ill., The Dirty Bird indie rock band in Lawrence, Mo., Dirty Bird blues band in Williamsport, Penn., and Dirty Bird Records in San Francisco. I personally think all of these bands should give that last one a call. Why did the Tacoma band choose this name? “It explained our attitude toward people, the dirty bird — the middle finger,” explains vocalist Angel McPherson. According to the band, their influences from rock, blues, jazz, and contemporary music make them hard band to pigeonhole into any particular genre. Dirty Bird consists of McPherson on Lead Vocals, Nick Kirkham on Guitar and Vocals, Don Shoben on drums, Yura Vodyanitskly on Guitar and Josh Olesberg on Bass. McPherson’s vocals could easily be mistaken for Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson. Acoustic southern rock is the closest genre match I could come up with. Either way, this band is headed in the right direction. They have a gig at Jazzbones Friday. They will also appear for the second time on “This Ain’t Karaoke,” a local television show, in May, and in a recurring spot on a live Internet radio show called “The Vic Mendosa Show” at WIRN in June, which you can check out at www.myspace.com/vmunderground. For more information about the Dirty Bird band from Tacoma, go to: www.myspace.com/dirtybirdmusic253. — Angela Jossy [Jazzbones, Randy Hansen headlines, 9 p.m., $10, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]
Excerpt from the Tacoma Weekly Newspaper
BIRDLAND.
From left to right, Devon MacGougan, Angel McPherson and Nick Kirkham at a recent gig. Photo courtesy of band
Local band welcomes one-finger salute
Tacoma band Dirty Bird has a rock style in an acoustic format, with elements of blues, soul and other genres in the mix. The band consists of Angel McPherson on vocals, Nick Kirkham on guitar, Devon MacGougan on bass and Glenn Hummel on drums. McPherson was born here and spent his teenage years in Alaska. He began singing in his grandfather’s church at age 6, and performed in musicals and choirs. Kirkham was born and raised in Tacoma. He taught himself to play guitar at age nine. He and McPherson have played in various bands for about five years. They met MacGougan at an open mic at Antique Sandwich Company, and a few months later recruited him for the band. “You remember those people because you never see anyone playing acoustic bass,” Kirkham observed. MacGougan was born in Seattle, and lived in places such as Chile and Japan growing up due to his stepfather’s job with Boeing. He started playing his father’s bass at 12. After going through several drummers, they asked Hummel to join. They knew him from jam sessions he held with his former band at Winfields. Hummel is originally from Seattle and moved to Tacoma about 18 months ago. Most acoustic acts in this area lean toward folk and singer/songwriter fare. Dirty Bird, in contrast, has an acoustic rock style. Kirkham said some people are intrigued by his style. “People don’t usually hear an acoustic guitar with effects,” he said. Using effects pedals adds new elements to what an acoustic guitar can do, he noted. McPherson said he was interested in doing acoustic music because of material he and Kirkham had that didn’t fit with other groups they played in. “We had stuff we couldn’t really do in a metal band,” he noted. The band does some cover tunes, including “Drops Of Jupiter” by Train, “Wanted Dead Or Alive” by Bon Jovi and “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman. For the original material, McPherson writes the lyrics and Kirkham writes the music. Many songs start with Kirkham coming up with a riff. McPherson will listen and wait for inspiration. “I close my eyes and go with whatever emotion it touches in me,” he said. Some songs are written in 10 minutes. Others might take a week or more. The band’s name came when McPherson was watching a pro football game on television last fall. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick made an obscene gesture to the crowd, and one of the TV announcers referred to the gesture as “the dirty bird.” He immediately called Kirkham and told him he had a name for the group they were forming. “Everyone likes the name,” McPherson noted. The band sometimes encourages “flipping the bird” from fans at shows. “When people flip us off, we take it as a compliment.” Dirty Bird recently recorded a five-song demo so they could provide recorded material to a record label representative who expressed an interest in the band. They plan to do more recording soon for their debut album. They recently played a Halloween party in Buckley with several other bands. One of them was X Box Boys, a group from Eastside suburbs of Seattle that has become quite popular in Europe. A film crew under contract to MTV was at the show to film X Box Boys for a documentary on the band. The members of Dirty Bird were a bit skeptical at first that anyone affiliated with MTV would be in Buckley. A bartender at the party suggested the film crew check out Dirty Bird, and they ended up filming the band’s set for possible inclusion in the documentary. For more information, go to www.myspace.com/dirtybirdmusic253. By John Larson Tacoma Weekly jlarson@tacomaweekly.com Published on: November 15, 2007