Three-piece progressive punk rock band The Dirt Radicals are looking set to penetrate new territory with their brand new album “Enter Destroyer,” adding a darker rock-infused edge to their signature punk sound. Leading vocalist, bassist, and song writer Sam Cooper was the one who discuss such a dark and edgy album and plans for these dirty rascals.
1. Can I get a backstory on the band/band biography?
Sam: We've been a band for 3 or 4 years now, and have done some pretty cool stuff together. Our main goal when we started the band was to keep things fun, as some of our previous projects got a little too serious and the nature of the music industry kinda sucked the fun right out of it. As The Dirt Radicals we've been to some pretty cool places and had the opportunity to share the stage with some pretty awesome bands!
2. How did you guys come up with your band name?
Sam: We wanted something positive, not too serious and a 'The' name. We kinda new we wanted some 'Dirt' and we really just sat around a table firing words at each other. I wish there was a better story behind our band name... Sorry guys!
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Sam: We are based out of London, UK. It's a pretty cut-throat, dog-eat-dog scene. And yeah, there are tonnes! We did a show in Japan a few months back with a great band called Deaf Havana, we're about to go on tour with another band called Go-X, and another good 'live' band would be Don Broco. We've never met the Don Broco guys, but we hope we do - they look like they know how to party.
4. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Sam: At first it was love and loss, but with our new record it's more geared towards humanity and our lack-thereof. One song in particular, called 'iHate' explores life in 2013, the Facebook 'iLike' era and how the earth isn't a particularly nice place to be anymore. I'd really like people to walk away from 'Enter Destroyer' thinking "Yeah, those guys have a point. The world is kinda f*cked right now!".
5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?
Sam: We have all grown up listening to the same bands, and as we've gotten older our tastes have varied. I'd say in the earlier years it was very much bands like NOFX, Sum 41 and The Ataris. Now we listen to all kinds of stuff like Elliot Smith, The Wallflowers, Madness, Travelling Wilbury's and Squeeze.
Sam: Oh yeah, there totally is. It's a really important title to me. I feel like at points in your life you meet people who you really get along with, and they lead you down (or you lead them down) certain paths which dictate the future. I feel people have lead me astray, and I feel like I've lead people astray. I feel like people have (knowingly and unknowingly) ruined my life, and vice-versa. It's a big part of what 'Enter Destroyer' is about. People carelessly ruining each others lives.
7. Who produced Enter Destroyer and what was it like working with them?
Sam: It was a really long and tedious process, and there wasn't ever one producer working on it at one time. Our good friend Ben Rosen (Unwritten Law, Marilyn Manson, 8mm) helped us out quite a bit, and it was Mastered by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room. I'd say it was more about working with each other - within the band - that was exciting this time around. There was lots more experimenting and we were all really excited to be taking the time to make something we were proud of. And we are proud of it!
8. Who did the cover art for Enter Destroyer and how much input did you have on it?
Sam: For my birthday this year, I received a pretty cool hand-drawn 'Voucher' from my friend Rick Nacinelli. He knew we'd just finished working on Enter Destroyer, so he decided as a special gift to me he'd design our album artwork. It was really cool. We all sat down together and nutted out what it should be like. I came up with the Panda idea, and Rick expressed how he wanted to do a certain animation style. Rick got his friend Stefano Tesei involved, and two months later... it's almost done.
9. Do you guys have any new music in the works as far as a follow-up release?
Sam: Nope, no way. Not at all. Not for a long time. This record was way too draining, and we're way too proud of it to move on from it anytime soon. One day I'm sure we'll want to do another one, but I think we're all too exhausted to think about it right now.
10. Will you be shooting a video for any of the songs off Enter Destroyer?
Sam: Yep! We have a bunch of video's in the can already. Our first single 'My Everything' drops early June, and then we have a lyric video and another single coming out a few months later.
11. What are your upcoming touring/show plans?
Sam: We'll be heading to Asia for a Promotional Tour early July, then for the rest of July and August we'll be touring the UK and Europe. I'd like to head back to Japan at some point this year too!
12. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Sam: Everything can be found at www.facebook.com/thedirtradicals and www.youtube.com/thedirtradicals
13. What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Sam: I think maybe to not be so A.D.D. with it? Give it longer than 15 seconds for a first listen, and also really think about the lyrical content. This is stuff that took a while to write, and it's all really honest. I think there is a lot of crappy, soulless music floating around out there these days; and if you give us a chance, we might just restore your faith in modern music!
Sam: Tours, Videos and Status Updates I'd say!
15. Any final words of wisdom?
Sam: Yeah, I'd like to say thanks for checking out the interview and thanks to everyone who has been supporting our band. If you could buy a copy of Enter Destroyer (Available for Pre-Order on iTunes from May 28th), you will be helping keep our band together and by doing so, restoring our faith in humanity. We worked really hard on the new record, and hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Thank you.
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