Shaking things up with DiRTY RADiO, interview

Still fresh of the winds of their recent EP release, Lick, DiRTY RADiO is in and out of Toronto doing shows and tomorrow they will be playing a set at the CNE Bandshell. In light of this upcoming show we caught up with the guys for a quick chat about music, Vancouver, and tearing things up.

QUIP: You went to South Korea to shoot a video – how was that? And out of all the places, why South Korea? 

DiRTY RADiO: We received many different video treatments for our track “Lost at Sea” of our record, Cassette, but the one from South Korean directors, Digipedi, stood out the most. It was a completely different take on the song, and visually was the most interesting. Whenever we do videos, we always try to stray from what the norm is, and ultimately make something that does justice for the song. Shaddy flew to South Korea for 4 days to shoot it, while Anthony and Zack stayed back in Vancouver and shot their scenes with a green screen (kind of like Star Wars).

Q: Over the last year and a half you’ve gone from a band some people heard about to a band people see on Much Music, what would you say were your most memorable milestones so far? 

DR: We started recording in Zack’s basement apartment a few years back, so to watch DiRTY RADiO grow organically has been pretty crazy. Everything from our first show to moving into our current recording studio space, which is way nicer than Zack’s basement [smiles].

This year, however, it was amazing to play in front of thousands of fans at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre with Marianas Trench and Lights, and of course the release of our new EP trilogy Lick a couple months ago.

Q: How has it been trying to make it as a progressive pop band out of a city dominated by rock music?

DR: We feel like it’s our responsibility to change the current trends of what’s happening in music locally, or otherwise. It’s a fun challenge for us coming up with the craziest new sounds and ultimately re-establishing what Vancouver is known for. That’s our attitude whenever we hit the studio, which is everyday.

Q: You’re opening for Dragonnette on Sunday, which is not the first time this collaboration is going to hit the stage, how did that relationship come about? 

DR: We first played with Dragonette in Edmonton a few years ago. Besides being big fans, they’re awesome people and its an honor and pleasure to share the stage with them. We definitely wanna collaborate on a track at some point!

Q: What can people expect from the show on Sunday?

RD: High-energy craziness! We try and make the crowd get as sweaty as we are [laughs] because we’re all musicians before producers so we play as a full band and aim to tear the place up! No one shall walk away without dancing!

Q: Dream stage – where would you like to play and haven’t yet? 

DR: Madison Square Garden, The Acropolis in Greece, and on a floating air ship being shot into outer space!

Q: What’s next for DiRTY RADiO? Are you working on any new music?

DR: We’re ALWAYS working on new music. The second EP in our Lick trilogy will be dropping in the near future, but for now peeps can check out pickalick.ca to design their own custom album art, and hear everything we’ve released so far!

Expect the unexpected!