El Paso, TX 9/17/08 Zepplins

So we finally arrive in El paso, our final destination. We all talked about how much we'd love to keep touring at least for another couple of weeks. The problem is when you are an indie, diy, hipster band the money runs out. I'm telling you, the value of everything has gone up except for the value of a touring band. If you are not already blowing David Geffen or getting serious tour support from a large indie than it's tough. I'm not complaining either I'm just being honest. The gas moidoid us.




So at the last show tired as fuck but happy to be headed back to ATX we just get drunk and blow up the stage one last time. We had a full page write up in the university paper so I'm sure that helped because we had a nice audience this night.



When we started making stops in El Paso a couple of years ago people were against it. We would hear El Paso doesn't have a scene and the bands suck. Bullshit. Everytime we stop it gets better. The bands and fans in El Paso are working hard to make a scene happen. People genuinely enjoy music there. Please keep pushing forward EP. We heard some cool stuff in your city.



Next morning, we got up and went for a swim in the lovely pool. Just kidding! It did look cool though.





We ate at this bad ass diner everyone recommended inside the Budget Inn. Damn! The best Machaca plate I've ever had.




We saddled up and said good by to El Paso and to our road experience. We laughed. We sang Billy Joel songs loudly and we even fought over a three dollar hamburger at DQ. That's what I like about Texas!





Home sweet home.

Phoenix, AZ 9/16/08 Hollywood Alley

Mi familia. I love my family. everywhere we went they were there with open arms and open houses. Aaron and his family are special though. Every time we stay with my primo, people in the band comment on what an awesome bunch they are. I couldn't agree more.



I always feel extra secure in Phoenix because my little cousins are such big boys.





Next time I go to Phoenix I want to go see them fight in the cage matches they compete in.



After enjoying some catching up with my family and one of Keith's good friends.
We pulled our yawning band together and plowed through the set.



This night we were not playing last. Thank God. We got to drink and enjoy the sounds of my friend Chris's band The Cremains. They rocked! Even in the impaired state I was in I really had fun watching these Krank Amp fiends.



I met Chris in Austin at one of our shows. He was in town for the NAMM show. Not only did he hook me up with some passes to the convention, that guy came out to three different shows we had that week. He's a great guy.

Las Vegas, NV 9/13/08 Dive Bar

Back to work kids! Time to play some down home.....metal? Yes I said metal.




Well not us of course but every other band on the bill was that. What a freakin blast we had that night. When we first arrived we were told that we weren't even on the bill. This bullshit always happens at least once when you tour. Anyway, it turns out we could play but only if we headlined after The Sin City Sinners. This band is ran by a former Faster Pussy Cat member, Brent Muskat. What a thrill! I remember watching those guys on Head Bangers Ball when I was a kid.

After they played to a packed house full of Suicide Girls we got on stage played possibly the best set of the tour.



We got so drunk that night hanging out with our new Canadian friends we made at The Mirage show that I guess we just didn't give a fuck that people were there to see metal. Lets see. I broke my guitar after tossing it over my back. I fell into Terry's drums and oh yeah! Keith showed his nuts to the crowd at the end of the set. Somebody yelled "look at those little balls!" That was some funny shite. I can't forget to mention that some drummer of ours had a really cute make-out session in the middle of the dance floor. What happens in Vegas......I'll blab about in our blog. =:)>

Las Vegas, NV 9/16/08 Day Off

The day off in Vegas was much needed. Imagine drinking every single night for several days with only a couple hours of sleep. Actually, thats the fun part. The tough part is driving several hours a day from one city to next with a hang over.



Anyway, Calida and I took in some sights and a $50 hamburger.



We roasted are asses off in the 150 degrees weather while taking a tour of old casino neon signs. I'm sure most people don't look for this kind of stuff in Vegas but I gotta tell you it was very cool despite how hot it was.

Leave the hookers alone for an hour and look up sign graveyard next time your in Vegas.



The rest of the day was just a whole lot of lousy casino buffet and sleep.

Las Vegas, NV 9/15/08 The Beatles Revolution Lounge

Leaving LA without much sleep and without a shower was rough but when we finally got settled into our rooms at The Mirage we were big pimpin.



Las Vegas was most definitely my favorite part of the whole tour. Not only did we get to spend three days there, we tore some shit up. The show at The Revolution Lounge was awesome!



We were treated like royalty by the staff and got to hang out with our
buddy Tommy Marth.



We were put in a VIP area with a table that featured some amazing interactive art. It's hard to explain. The moving pieces of art were themed on The Beatles cirque du soleil, Love. This was all very shaggadelic. I'd better not forget, we also had bottle service handled by a lovely waitress.



After getting pretty saucey with Keith's woman, Marissa, we did the rock-n-roll deed.






While we enjoyed LA band Beatmo, some magician came along and some how tossed our name from the magic table on to the wall. I think he was a witch.



In the wee hours I got so drunk I became a baby in Terry's arms. Wa!
Terry I know you wanted to change my diaper.

Los Angeles, CA 9/13/08 Knitting Factory

Yes. Jimmy Hendrix is probably my favorite guitar player of all time . It was amazing to finally meet him. I hope the tip I gave him went to a burger not bomber.



The Cluster fuck that is Hollywood Blvd.



I can't really say much about LA with enthusiasm. I always have a great time when I go there but this time was not so. I did get to see a couple of friends though. Frank our buddy from the Ninja Cheerleaders movie showed with his really nice associate. Oh yeah the sound lady at the club, Oh my God, she looked miserable. She was watchin movies on her laptop through the entire set. It was freakin hilarious and sad equally. At one point, I went up to check on her because she had her head in her hands and looked liked she was weeping.



Ok. I guess I do have a couple of cool things I can mention and one of them was that we slept in the X1FX office. They worked on our "New One" video. The office rocked! We all had seperate leather couches and the boys and girls had seperate bathrooms. Keith could finally squeeze one off without getting busted. The best part about this office was the Tron arcade game. Keith and I could not stop playing that fucking thing. I was so tired I thought my eyes were gonna pop but I still kept playing Tron.



Here you go Calida. Del Taco. Yay!

Stockton, CA 9/12/08 Blackwater Cafe

Stockton, California was a trip! We booked the eighth show of the tour here simply because the venue we had lined up in San Jose backed out on us just a few weeks before we hit the road, leaving us with our pants down. The Blackwater Cafe in Stockton was the best we could do on such short notice. Lucky for us, because this place was cool as fuck. Stockton felt like having one foot in Gary, Indiana, and the other in the Twilight Zone.



Stockton doesn't seem to belong in California. The whole nine hours we drove from Portland, we saw some gorgeous country. Northern Cali: mountains, rivers, ocean, greenery, vineyards. What we saw of Stockton seemed entirely incongruous with it all.



And then, we pull up to the Blackwater Cafe without a second to spare. By the time we loaded into the tiny coffee shop with hardly a stage to mention and a PA smaller than some boomboxes we've seen, the opening band was finishing their last song.



Most places you play in America, the audience does one of three things. They ignore you, they dance, or they stand around with drinks at their chest like highschoolers around a keg. At the Blackwater Cafe in Stockton, California, they sit and listen at full attention. All eyes on the band. And then they clap between each song. Strangest thing, man. They were enthusiastic, no doubt, but they had an odd way of showing it. Like you're performing for your family in their living room. That's it--that's exactly how it felt. Not ideal, but strangely comforting.



We made a few friends, and my best friend, Matt did the long-ass commute from the pretty part of Cali to see us. We drank, ate some of the food they make at the cafe, which was delicious. We met a gradeschool teacher who asked us if we had a joint. (She didn't ask us for marijuana. She wanted a joint.) And during the following band's set, her best friend screamed out, "I love this place! If it weren't for the Blackwater, Stockton would suck!"



Hell yeah. If it weren't for the Blackwater Cafe, Stockton would probably suck. We'll definitely be back.

Keith

Portland, OR 9/11/08 Red Room

We noticed right away that even though Seattle's less than 150 miles away, Portland has a completely different flavor from the Emerald City. It seems a little less polished and a bit smaller. Definitely the type of place we could see ourselves coming back to.

One of the highlights of our stay here was hanging out with my friend from the days of yore, good ole Erin Leben. She took us to this restaurant/hotel that'd been built in an old high school. And while she seemed to think the place was cheesy, Frank, Calida and I were impressed.



The show that night at the Red Room was awkward. One member of the band that was supposed to open for us apparently felt that they were wronged by their place in the lineup, and dealt with it by storming out of the club before we even arrived. We played our portion of the show to about a dozen or so people and were paid $6. That's right. $6.



By the time we'd driven into Portland, some cracks were starting to appear in the machinery. Frank's amp was exhibiting some voodoo side effect of being on the road, Calida's keyboard had been acting up, and I'd lost the cable running between my head and cabinet. Luckily, a fine young local was kind enough to donate one to the Dirty Hearts cause.



Portland was the only city where all four of us knew someone. Terry had some friends she stayed up all night with. Erin put the rest of us up at her place. And Frank and Calida had a friend at the show who'd recently moved to Portland from Albuquerque.



This is a picture of Erin and I on her porch. After the show, she and I spent the rest of the night catching up at a local joint she frequents. And then I crashed out on the most comfortable couch in the world right there on her porch. It was like camping, but without the bears.



Keith

Seattle, WA 9/09/08 - 9/10/08 The Fun House

You can tell by this photo that it's my first time in the North West. We had to stop a few times to admire the beauty.



When we arrived in Seattle we attempted to camp in a KOA but it turned out to be a costly endevour. Before finding this out we had some great food that sent me to the crapper faster than....I'll stop there before it gets ugly.



So it turns out that with my fabulous iPhone I was able find us a great deal on a nice hotel a couple of blocks away from the club and all the cool tourist stuff.



We gotta good nights rest and after a day off it was time to hit the town. Seattle was gorgeous that day. We enjoyed Pike's Place, The Space Needle, the Monorail and Experience Music Project all in just a few hours.



Keith was always trying to pick up on the fattest chicks. He swore he was only trying to make friends. A picture tells a thousand words. Liar!





Later that night it was back to work. We rolled into the club rolled up our sleeves and did the work. I really liked this club. We had a nice turn out considering it was a Wednesday. Seattle people definitely love their music just like us Austinites.

Boise, ID 9/08/08 The Smoke House

When driving to Boise, ID we passed through WY. Wow! What a beautiful place even with all the gay cowboys passing us on the highway.



It was about this time that our healthy diet started to go down the shitter. Literally.



The show in Boise was a blast. We met some really cool people and just rocked the fuckin casbah. It didn't matter that it was a BBQ joint in a strip mall.

Salt Lake City, UT 9/07/08 Urban Lounge

Salt Lake City was another city I was really excited to visit because I have a bunch of family there. We barely made it to the club in time to catch half of the first bands set.



We loaded in and rocked a pretty ferocious set. I ordered a couple of beers and wasn't catching a buzz. I thought maybe my tolerance was going up. Yes! I remembered immediatley after that thought that the beer is about half as potent as the beer anywhere else. I may as well save my money and just dring water.



By this show I will admit I was feeling a little beat. It's hard work drinking and hanging out in the bars every night.



After the club we drove back to my cousin Benita's. I was freaking exhausted but she insisted that I play a song for her and her friends before we go to bed. She gave us her bed and house and I appreciated it. I performed "The Beautiful Ones" by Prince and sang us all to sleep.



Before splitting SLC we worked on the pain in the ass trailer that kept giving us issues. The only positive thing is that it gave us an opportunity to hang out with Yazzik and his family.

Denver, CO 9/06/8 Bender's Tavern

We drive up to Bender's and the first thing we see is this bad ass mural. I'm not gonna tell you who he is. You can guess. I will tell you though that if he were still alive he'd kick your ass.



The show tonight revolves around a punk rock fashion show. We have no problem watching these attractive gals strut their stuff.



Tonight during our performance we started to experience the first technical difficulties of the tour. We had some loud static blanketing the sound. It actually made us sound like we were on vinyl. No reason to fix that!



We played our little dirty hearts out and then watched a nice bunch of guys in a band called Buford T. Justice.



We woke up to bacon and eggs by Michael Medina. No. He's not my cousin. He's Calida's.



After trying to figure out what the hell was going on with our gear from the night before and hanging out with Michael's boys we got on the road again.


By the way all the great show pictures in Denver were taken by Michael Medina. Check out his website www.lonestarphotogallery.com.

Albuquerque, NM 9/05/08 Atomic Cantina

Albuquerque was a highly anticipated show for us. We always have a great enthusiastic crowd full friends and family. We also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some great bands. The show opened up with ABQ's own, Lousy Robot, followed by our friends and one of my favorite Austin bands, Mr. Lewis & The Funeral 5. I hadn't seen them in awhile. They didn't disappoint.



After we blew our load. We had the opportunity to watch my cousins new band Beautiful Stupid Radio. I'm going to be mixing their first album so it was awesome getting to experience the live performance. I can't wait until these boys get their stuff out there.



After the jams we finally hung out as a big happy family. I got hugs not drugs from lots of peeps that night. It will always be a thrill to play my hometown. I should mention Leonard did a great job with the stage. I highly recommend Atomic Cantina to any touring band looking for a cool music dive. Nevermind the big grouchy bartendar. Just kill him with kindness. He WILL smile.



Before we leave town we always get the star treatment at my Mama's house. We had the best breakfast and probably meal by far that morning. At least in my opinion.



We then sat there and listened to my playful Dad harrass the band about George Bush and other political commentary. I'm sure the band now know how I got to be such a pain in the ass. Like Father like Son. :)



Time to get outta town. See you later Squidward, Mom, Michelle & Dad. I love you!

El Paso, TX 9/04/08 Cincinnati Bar

So here it begins. Get good look at this picture. We packed and unpacked this trailer probably over 50 times. I'll admit I got pretty damn precise at playing Tetris with this stuff. The cool thing about packing it in and out is it probably kept me in shape since most days were about sitting on my ass for hours on end, eating truck stop food and drinking like a swine.



It felt like Deja Vu playing the Cincinnati Bar since we'd only rocked that place a few weeks before. We did the best we could with a small ass stage. We just got alot "closer" as a band and screeched and squealed through our set. It was a great start with a kinda stand off-ish bunch.



I even got booed when I asked if there were any UT fans in the house. Oops. I guess I figured all of Texas loved the Long Horns. Sorry I'm not a jock strap.

It worked out we loosened the crowd up and made some new friends. I think this was the first time Terry arm wrestled for a kiss. I think she won. Mmmmwwaa!



See you on the way back home El Paso.

Alamo Drafthouse, Beauty Bar, KLBJ, & Keith Herrera

Busy times for the Dirty Hearts...


Keith Herrera update . . . Just wanted to let everyone know that our good friend Keith Herrera is up and about, though still recovering a bit. He's not yet returned to work, but will be soon. Big love to all who sent their good vibes his direction.

The Platforms video release party at the Alamo Drafthouse . . . On August 15th we had the pleasure of opening for The Platforms at a party celebrating the release of their video for "Hot Little Ride." Hot it was. Great crowd, great video, lots a fun.

Live performance on KLBJ August 9th we performed a couple of songs for the Local Licks segment on KLBJ. Loris was a great hostess, as always. For those of you who weren't able to tune in, you missed out on some pretty lurid conversations regarding raw meat, sexy demonic possession, and freaky CD covers.


Beauty Bar . . . Last night we tore it up at The Beauty Bar. Opening up were DD Dagger, Jefferson Colby, and AJ Vincent. Unfortunately, we missed the gorgeous DD Dagger, but the other two bands were fan-fuckin-tastic. We hope to play with them again soon.

So, for now, we're pretty much taking it easy till we head out on the road for a two week tour, starting September 4th at the Cincinnati Bar in El Paso. Keep in touch, and we'll see you around. (Oh, and by the way, the performance photos used in this post were taken by the talented Jenna Tonic.)

CD Releases, on the Road, and Keith Herrera

So, we made the mistake of waiting too long since our last post, and the past two weeks have marked a pretty intense chapter in the life of The Dirty Hearts. This will be a long post for sure...

About two weeks ago, an old friend of Frankie's from New Mexico named Keith Herrera flew out from Albuquerque to play drums for our CD release party at Emo's. Keith's a pretty interesting guy. He's toured with bands like The Detonations and The Drags, opening for the likes of Fugazi and Rocket From the Crypt. He also owned Resin Records, putting out a record by The Shins back when they were still The Flakes. On top of all that, the dude's a great drummer. He flew in on Tuesday, rehearsed with us a few times, and had our thirteen song set ready by Saturday night.


The CD release party at Emo's (August 23rd) went off without a hitch. A ton of people showed up, bought Pigs and some t-shirts, and rocked the joint. Keith Herrera performed like a champ, and we all had a great time. In addition to the festivities, we were blessed with a love letter from an ex. Crazy as it sounds, it's a little flattering when you know someone you've parted with is still obsessed with you, don't you think?

Five days later, after much tension and frustration with U-Haul, truck jacks, and Calida's vehicle, we departed for our show at the Cincinnati Bar in El Paso. It took ten hours to get there, and the show was a bit surreal. The whole atmosphere was chaotic to say the least, and the stage was about the size of a mid-sized bathroom. Our improvisational skills were put to the test when someone working for the club informed us that we needed to stretch our forty-minute set into an hour. Unsatisfied with the fact that we came in just under an hour, they knocked $40 off of our guarantee. Punks. But we still rocked and had a great time.


The next day, we headed to Albuquerque to play at Atomic Cantina. The show was basically a homecoming for Frankie, so we considered it a second CD release party. The other members of The Dirty Hearts met a truckload of good people there for the first time, including Leonard, owner of Socyermom Records and Atomic Cantina. Great turnout, great show, hell of a time.



Late Saturday afternoon, we said goodbye to Keith, Leonard, and Frankie's family, and headed east, arriving in Austin early Sunday evening. Later that night, we received a call from Keith Herrera's family telling us that he'd been hospitalized for internal bleeding, and was in critical condition. It turns out that he has a ulcer in his small intestines, complicating his liver and kidney functioning. It was sudden, unexpected, and terrifying news. Keith's a young guy. None of us were ready for this to happen, especially after having spent so much time in close quarters with him over the past two weeks. It's all too strange. As of right now, Keith's still fighting through it under heavy sedation.

"Pigs" Release Date and Party

Today's the official release date for Pigs. Woohoo! Pretty exciting stuff!!! So far, you can track down a copy at three retail outlets in Austin: Waterloo Records, End of an Ear (which you might recognize from the "Record Store" video), and Cheapo Discs on Lamar. Additionally, you can download the album using Snocap on our homepage or myspace. Amazon.com and iTunes are on their way as well. And don't forget about CD Baby.

The coolest thing so far about what's going on with the new album is the great reception we've had from the press. It's all been positive pretty much across the board. And while there've been almost a dozen reviews for Pigs already, two stand out as particularly well thought out and delivered: the one by Hillary Skaff of Austin.com, and the one by John Laird in AustinSound.com. Both really seem to get what the album means to us. As musicians, there's always this tension you feel between the delivery of the last note squealing out of the amplifiers, and the sound of that first clapping hand. You get out in public and do your best to just do your best, and pray that someone else gets it. They definitely got it.

So, if you're in Austin this weekend, come by to celebrate with us on Saturday, July 26th at the Emo's Lounge. We're playing with The Secret Weapons, Murdocks, and Sally Crew and the Sudden Moves. Should be a great fucking show! The whole thing kicks off at around 10.



Love on ya!

KM

"Out Of Body" directed by Mark Larranaga

Before we release "Pigs" in the next couple of weeks we have the opportunity to share with you one last video and song from our previous release. The video is for our song "Out of Body" featuring footage from perfomances of the last year along with some dark and sexy scenes shot with the lovely Tawny Mayhem. The video was directed by Mark Larranaga who was also responsible for our "New One" video. We love the results and hope you enjoy them as well.

Rock Sellout Pigs Album Review

I’ll admit it, I’m an energy junkie. I don’t sleep nearly as much as I should and my caffeine intake will surely be the death of me. Bands like The Dirty Hearts are the Cheech to my Chong…they shred what little is left of my hammers and anvils while making me jumpier than a meth addicted teen.

Will the other contributors of the site embrace the band with the same amount of enthusiasm? Keath might, but I think the others will cringe when they hear the stripped down sounds this band delivers. Do I care?! C’mon now! Heh. Like Nirvana or The Stooges? This lot might be up your alley.

The band’s new album, Pigs, hits the streets on July 22 via Socyermom Records.
rocksellout.com

Migrating our blog

Today I am going to be moving past blog posts from our old spot into this one. I am doing this for archiving purposes as well as to give people new to the band a little bit of our past. Dig!