Everyone Is Dirty: DYING IS FUN
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By Walter Price
Come on and experience the dirty noise. The killer noise coming out of Oakland, CA from the art, the players and the music are all-in-one collective known perfectly as Everyone Is Dirty.
Direct, honest, quirky, dirty, spellbinding, murky, sarcastic, right-on and salty tales set to a backdrop of chunky, crunchy brilliance that causes one to understand why the world needs an underground music scene in the first place, a glimpse at why every aspiring player should invest in a 4-track recorder and let their freedom expose itself. A sound that can and will (if need be) kick the ass of any sugarpuff that stands in its way. A band full of charm bubbles and vinegar springs…
I wrote not long ago, right before EID hit the road on their first tour of the US South, “Everyone Is Dirty is a uniquely delicious collective of artists accomplishing a dynamic, playfully murky all over the place, certainly interesting experience that should be explored, bathed in before you take anyone’s word(s) for granted. Form your own needy lust for something new in the depths of Everyone Is Dirty.”
I agree with me.
Before the band unleash their debut album on 2 September DYING IS FUN (Tricycle Records) I sat on the computer and modernly spoke to the voice and wielder of the ancient stringed instrument behind your favorite new band, Siva Lioncub and she is a shy one.
You just got off your first tour of the US Southwest, how was it?
I learned a lot about our country. I never realized how free we are in California. We almost got in big trouble in Oklahoma. Santa Fe was pretty special. We played at The Santa Fe University of Art and Design. It was a small space run by true believers. They took us in and we shared some beers and some pizza. Someone gave me a fuzzy ball. Albuquerque was full of lightning, and a kind soul gave me a black sparkly violin as a gift.
I followed you FB updates and seemed you had a few mishaps along the way.
I ran over a mudflap on the very first day of our tour and poked a giant hole in our trailer. But Chris said we needed an air hole anyway.Then in Denton Texas I accidentally knocked my violin off the stage and watched it smash on the floor. I cried. But it only had a broken arm.
We got stopped by the police in Oaklahoma and that didn’t go over too well but at the same time it could have been way worse. A cloud hung over us in Oaklahoma, but it melted away in Tulsa. The nice people of Tulsa had us over at their bonfire after the show and gave us some dear hospitality that made us feel hopeful & safe again.
Dirtbag Side-Effect is a good song to skate to. In this song I’m putting a hex on a monster . Its also a victory song because the hex worked.
What did the band learn about itself on the road?
We learned that we can co-exist in very small spaces quite peacefully.
How was the reception?
Going on tour made the world feel small and warm to me. Every day we meet the people who came to see music. People who go out to see shows are fucking rad.
People get really excited when they see a violin player wailing like a lead guitarist. It’s so different. In Albuquerque someone gave me a black glitter violin as a gift after he saw us play.
Speaking of your FB page, you call EID art-rock and then there is a quip about grunge-pop, which one do you favor?
I like the term art-rock because it’s vague and doesn’t feel restraining. It feels creative and different. Grunge was a moment in time. Although a lot of bands from that era are still super influential to me like Nirvana and Sonic Youth, we aren’t in the ’90’s anymore. The word grunge feels kind of silly to me.
What’s in the band name?
Everyone is dirty is a comforting thought that reminds me that we are all human and no one is better than anyone else. When I’m feeling small, hurt, guilty, or when I’m looking at myself through the eyes of others and I don’t like what I see, remembering that everyone is dirty helps me accept myself. We are all sinners, we are all freaks, so we might as well embrace it. It reminds me of what Jimi Hendrix sang, I’m going to wave my freak flag high, HIGH.
Bedroom recordings is a killer way of describing DIY home recordings but how much of the new album DYING IS FUN was recorded at home?
Everything but the rhythm section on 2 tracks which we recorded at Decibelle Studios in SF.
Some of the tracks on the new album have been kickin’ for a while. What was the album track selection process?
It was easy to choose which songs were meant for this album, mostly because they are the ones that are ready.
We have a whole bunch more songs that we are planning on releasing soon.
What’s the story behind the track Cheesecake II?
I was working in a dispensary called Sparc SF. This evangelist would come in every day right before closing and rant, then purchase hundreds of dollar’s worth of hash and concentrates. We always let him linger even though we were trying to close up and go home, maybe because he spent lots of money, but maybe because the things that came out of his mouth were miraculously absurd. This song is one of his rants pretty much word for word.”
Let’s get dirty and or honest. A pro & con about the band members individually: Sivan Lioncub, Tyler English, Christopher Daddio andTony Sales?
Whaaaaat? That’s not how my brain works. Next question.
How did the relationship with Tricycle Records happen?
Julie (Schuchard owner, Tricycle Records) came to our last Bottom of the Hill show in May. It was a supremely fun show, The room was packed, I was wearing my bloomers and felt like I was floating. After the show, she came up to me and gave me a giant hug and said, “who are you guys and why have I never heard of you?” Now we talk every day and Tricycle is releasing our first album on vinyl. I’m excited about what will happen next.
You have a pretty grand sense of humor, how much tongue n’ cheek is needed when writing EID material?
Lots of tongue and a plump pair of cheeks.
What do you hope happens when DYING IS FUN hits the masses?
I hope we get to tour the world in a hot air balloon.
What are 5 things the world needs/should know about Everyone Is Dirty?
- Our record should be listened to from beginning to end.
- We want to tour Europe.
- One of us is a cancer survivor.
- One of us has an extra set of nipples.
- One of us has a trick hole.
In a battle of the bands: Dinosaur Jr. vs. Sonic Youth?
Is that happening next Monday night at Milk Bar on Haight?
Mama, No!! This is a memory song, it’s made out of crocheted blankets and rag dolls. It’s a childhood scene and people are not who they seem to be.
Hey, thanks for chatting with me today. EID for city council!
Fly us to Germany!!! Ich liebe dich Schatzi!!!!!