The Dirty Hearts

El Paso, TX 9/17/08 Zepplins

2008-09-30T01:43:00.008-05:00

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

2008-09-30T01:38:00.010-05:00

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

2008-09-30T01:34:00.005-05:00

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

2008-09-30T01:29:00.008-05:00

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

2008-09-30T01:19:00.008-05:00

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

2008-09-30T01:16:00.005-05:00

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

2008-09-30T01:11:00.009-05:00

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

2008-09-30T01:04:00.007-05:00

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

2008-09-30T00:55:00.007-05:00

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

2008-09-30T00:50:00.006-05:00

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

2008-09-30T00:41:00.006-05:00

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

2008-09-30T00:30:00.009-05:00

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

2008-09-30T00:22:00.011-05:00

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

2008-09-30T00:04:00.008-05:00

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

2008-08-22T13:54:00.010-05:00

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

2008-08-06T10:12:00.016-05:00

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

2008-07-22T14:20:00.014-05:00

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

2008-07-13T22:11:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-10T21:25:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-30T13:23:00.003-05:00

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!

The Austin Sound "Record Store" review 6/21/08

2008-06-29T18:54:00.004-05:00

Austin Sound
The Dirty Hearts turn it up a notch on their upcoming sophomore album, Pigs, which will be released next month. Chances are that you might even be able to find the album online before it's available. Well, the Dirty Hearts have something to say about that.
Filmed at End of an Ear and around town, the video for lead single "Record Store" takes on the filesharing folks with a parable of its real-world equivalent. Don't think Frankie Medina and Calida don't understand the realities of digital era - after all, the thief in the video inevitably gets away, but with one helluva twist!
The video was made by Jose Jones, also responsible for Lomita's "Broken Boy" video. Catch the Dirty Hearts' cd release show at Emo's Lounge July 26.
Video: The Dirty Hearts: "Record Store"

Seattle Times digs "Record Store" Video! 6/18/08

2008-06-29T18:53:00.001-05:00

By Marian LiuSeattle Times staff reporter

Check out some fun punk about stealing music by The Dirty Hearts. Here's their video "Record Store" — www. youtube. com/watch?v=9Zo9JWpS5A0.Shot at Friends of Sounds Records in Austin, Texas, the band used its own gear and posters for the set. And for the sake of the video, the Austin punk band even destroyed some vinyl in the store. Their album "Pigs" comes out July 22.http://seattletimes. nwsource. com/html/musicnightlife/aedispatch. html

The Register-Guard "Record Store" Writeup 6/18/08

2008-06-29T18:51:00.001-05:00

The closest the Dirty Hearts come to Eugene in their tour for the new CD "Pigs" is Portland on Sept. 11, but I thought this was an interesting idea for a song. This little indie video is pretty well done, obviously on the cheap, and the concept intrigued me.
The Austin band's frontman Frankie Medina explains in a news release that the concept behind the video "was not only to pay tribute to the record stores of the world, but also to poke fun at the idea of stealing music."

The Register-Guard

Wired Mag 6/17/08

2008-06-29T18:50:00.002-05:00

Video: The Dirty Hearts Fete Music Theft
By Scott Thill June 17, 2008 | 2:44:45 PMCategories: Music News, Videos

..Austin, TX garage thrashers The Dirty Hearts would love to make money making art. But they not only understand why fans would steal it, they made a music video about it for their Stooges-like single "Record Store," from their forthcoming July 22 effort Pigs.
"The concept was not only to pay tribute to the record stores of the world, but also to poke fun at the idea of stealing music," explains Dirty Hearts front man Frankie Medina. "In this particular case, the character is not downloading illegally but instead wants the highest quality so bad he is willing to go on a high speed chase to get it."
The video was directed by Jose Jones -- no relation, at last report, to the Pixies' Jose Jones from "Crackity Jones" -- and shot inside and outside Austin's Friends of Sounds Records. "As sinful as it sounds," Medina adds, "we even destroyed some vinyl for a scene that didn't make it."
While the video doesn't directly address illegal downloading, it does address the real-time version, following a music thief who pockets a disc of Pigs -- no relation, at last report, to the hyperpolitical 1977 Pink Floyd album of the same name -- and outruns a cop in a Raising Arizona-like foot chase. The fact that the thief gets away shows that while The Dirty Hearts consider their product valuable, they consider its production to be more important.
"Even though it would be nice to be rich," Medina says, "some of us do this foremost for the love of music."

New Video and Song - Record Store 6/17/08

2008-06-29T18:47:00.001-05:00

Hello Boys & Girls, Just wanted to invite you to come on over and check out our new video for our song "Record Store" from our upcoming, July release. The video was shot in Austin, TX at a couple of our fave record stores. If you wanna be where we've been, then go caress the walls and vinyl at End of Ear and Friends Of Sound Records. You can view an empty beer bottle I drank from in a display case. Seriously!....Feel free to post the video or the song on your page and tell all your friends to spread the word. Gone Git it!

The Dirty Hearts mention on CMJ.com 6/12/08

2008-06-29T18:46:00.002-05:00

Hello Boys and Girls, Just wanted to point out a short article about our new upcoming release "Pigs" at cmj. com.Also, at some point today we will be launching www. thedirtyhearts. com along with our first video single "Record Store". At last we'll have our own home! We love being on myspace. It's like living in a tiny apartment with a crap load of people. There are lots of swell people and only a few roaches. Oh and there's that guy with the cologne. At least with our own page we can finally walk around naked. You know what I'm talking about.We'll update you as soon as the video and site launch.

Socyermom Records/Video Shoot 5/07/08

2008-06-29T18:45:00.003-05:00

We are proud to announce that we will be releasing our new album with Albuquerque's, Socyermom Records. Leonard Apodaca, the owner has been a friend of the band for awhile and we thought it was time we join forces against high gas prices, police brutality, illegal border crossings (from Canada) and…oh yeah, together releasing rock n roll record.In other good news, we shot a video for our new song "Record Store" with Austin's own JJ Castillo. He's a bad man. We checked out some early footage. It looks great! We almost look attractive. Almost…..We hope to be releasing the video in mid June.Regarding the new album "Pigs" release date, we will be dropping it on July 11th with a cd release at Emo's Lounge. This album rocks! I'll give you hint of what it sounds like. It's a soundtrack for sex, voodoo masses and grocery shopping.

SXSW Parties & The Austin Music Magazine 3/11/08

2008-06-29T18:44:00.002-05:00

Well I guess I should go ahead and make it official and let you know that we had to make some changes and feel refreshed as a result. Well............We finally changed our underwear! You see we had a contest and it got really......Interesting. Besides this, everything is the same. We're still working toward getting out our new album tentatively entitled "Different Kinds of Pigs". Oh wait! Yes. There is one other new thing. The nice chap that is rocking the bass for The Dirty Hearts, Keith bought a bitchin new bass. Ok. I'm glad I got that off my chest.In other news, we will be performing two SXSW parties. We will first hit the stage tomorrow at 4:30 pm Trophy's Bar . Later on in the evening we will be playing The Chain Drive at 10:30 pm. Make sure to wear you leather buttless chaps for that one. Last on the list, check out the profile on us in the spring edition of Austin Music + Entertainment . I wore a cod piece with a special name on it in the photograph. I feel I've said what was on my mind. Now you are free to go. Run piggies run!

New Album last show 10/12/07

2008-06-29T18:43:00.006-05:00

The Dirty Hearts would like to invite you to what is probably going to be our last show of 07. The show is this Thursday November 15th @ Emo's. (inside) with some really great Austin bands. The show starts at 10pm in this order The Boxing Lesson, The Action Is, The Dirty Hearts and Murdocks. The order doesn't particulary matter because this line up is solid from start to finish as far I'm concerned. So put on your rock n roll shit kickers and show us your love.
In other news The Dirty Hearts will be entering the Bubble Studio. in December to record the follow up to our 06 self-entitled release. I can tell you right now we are very excited about this collection of songs. We think you'll understand why when release it it in late February. The new release is tentatively titled "Chinese Democracy". Ha Ha Ha. I hope you got that one! We really don't know yet feel free to send us suggestions. We'd love to hear them. BTW "Shit Sandwhich" has already been suggested so you'll have to do better than that one.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing your beautiful faces at the show! We'll keep you posted.

The Andy Dick "Shit Show" 7/30/07

2008-06-29T18:42:00.005-05:00

Just thought we would share one of our coolest experiences on our recent road trip. We we're invited to be on The Andy Dick Show, aka "The Shit Show" on Sirius radio. Our great friend (DJ) Christopher "The Minister", met us down at the Sirius studio along with Frank, producer of "The Ninja Cheerleaders" , movie to promote our Silver Lake Lounge Show. Going into the studio we weren't quite sure what to expect but we'd been warned. First, we squeeze tightly into the room and then entered the man, Andy Dick. Right from the get go he's got some funny ass shit to say. He immediately asked us if we thought he was gay. Surely, the man doesn't think we believe he might be straight. Either way we are unaffected by this as we love all races (I think bush said this once or twice). First on Andy's agenda was a story of a violent encounter with comedian John Lovitz. Allegedly, He jokingly told Lovitz he was going to put the Phil Hartman curse on him. Lovitz then rammed Dick (Andy) up against the wall. I guess this incident happened a day or so before. We heard an earful about it. Andy asked me if he looked like a witch and I told him I'd been accused myself so I understood and I really couldn't tell by looking at him. I told him maybe he should try casting some spells or something. This was pretty freaking funny. Anyway, after imbibing in some alcoholic beverages and making small talk for a bit more he asked me to pick up this old acoustic guitar and sing. Well I refused but he insisted. In fact, he said, "Nobody comes on my fucking show and doesn't sing live." I told him we had some tunes cued up from our cd but a lovely lady in a red dress handed me the guitar and said, "Please sing!" Well I couldn't really refuse a lady so I busted into our song "In Your Room", as this is the only song of ours I could arrange acoustically on the spot. I gotta tell you the performance went really well and the lady in red started backing me on vocals. This woman, by the way, turned out to be the late great James Brown's widow, Tomi Rae Brown. The woman can sing! Andy was pleased. After this we shot the shit some more and plugged our show and the movie. We then took a couple of pictures with Andy. As we're saying our goodbyes he tells our girls to get away from him because they are confusing his sexuality. Andy then stops Tomi Rae on her way out the door and tells her she looks hot and then tells everyone in the room "can you believe this woman made an 80 year old cum" Poor Tomi. It was hilarious though. This was our Andy Dick experience as best as I could remember it. I highly recommend "The Shit Show". Great talk radio. We will let you know if they replay the show. Thanks Andy and Christopher!

We on iTunes 12/03/06

2008-06-29T18:41:00.004-05:00

You can now download the "New One" song featured on (KROX) The Next Big Thing and (KLBJ) ATX, Local Licks Show via iTunes. As a matter of fact, the whole album is available. You can click on this link: or visit our myspace page and link up from there. Find a way to put it in your Grandmas stocking. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Austin Chronicle Favorite of 2006 1/10/07

2008-06-29T18:40:00.005-05:00

Well, Well, Well.....
After all the blood, sweat and beers....somebody likes us.
The Dirty Hearts LP was mentioned as a 2006 favorite by (Austin Chronicle)Christopher Gray. The Austin Chronicle
We knew it was a good idea to get him a hooker for his birthday.
Thanks Chris!

The Dirty Hearts LP Austin Chronicle Review 1/25/07

2008-06-29T18:39:00.003-05:00

Texas Platters
BY CHRISTOPHER GRAY
The Dirty Hearts
The Dirty Hearts are either good at being bad or bad at being good, but good luck divining a definitive answer from their naughty New Wave. The local quartet's debut strikes such an alluring balance between contentment and catastrophe it's almost impossible not to get swept along, and its breakneck pace renders petty details like who did what to whom almost irrelevant. If you can catch them, there's some salient observations on modern relationships here, accentuated by taunting boy-girl vocals and disguised by sugary hooks that conceal their sharp edges until long after Romeo is bleeding. Try robotic love poem "The Body Song," Spoon-like "Style," and fluid "Take Her All Around" for starters, bearing in mind the Pixies' smirking specter is never very far away. If anything, this baker's dozen guitar-keyboard concoctions is a shade monochromatic, but so were the Thin Man movies, and they've held up just fine.

The Daily Texan Weekend Feature 2/02/07

2008-06-29T18:37:00.004-05:00

The Dirty Hearts Hard work pays off as local punk band kicks off tour Friday at Hole in the Wall

By Patrick Caldwell

The Dirty Hearts, as the name implies, have paid their dues.
Since forming in 2005, the local foursome has spent their share of time in the trenches, performing in dive bars across Austin. And those months of slowly but surely earning a reputation as one of the city's most engaging rock acts is beginning to pay off. With a well-received self-titled LP warming the shelves at Waterloo Records and End of an Ear, songs getting airplay on KUT, KVRX and 101X, and their tour throughout the American Southwest kicking off at the Hole in the Wall this Friday, the Austin nightlife has clearly smiled upon the Dirty Hearts.
"One thing I love about doing those dive bar shows is that you don't know what's gonna happen. You could be walking out with your teeth in your hand," joked guitarist and lead singer Frankie Medina.
"Besides," he added, "the audiences have more personality. At some of the more dedicated music venues, it's like the crowds are trying to out-cool the band."
The sense of pride in their choice of venues serves the band well. After all, the sound of their self-titled effort sports plenty of gritty, hard-edged charm. Equal parts pop, punk and alternative rock, with clear influences including the likes of Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Ramones and The Clash, it manages occasional darkness while never betraying the band's ethos as identified by keyboard player and vocalist Calida: "We're a fun band."
"The key ingredients of the Dirty Hearts were rock 'n' roll with memorable hooks and bringing back the fun element," Medina agreed. "Because a lot of bands are just, 'whine whine whine, and I hate myself, and I wanna kill myself.' We love punk rock, but we're thinking early punk rock: The Ramones, The Stooges, The Clash, people who played filthy, harder rock 'n' roll but were always having fun with it."
Variety and accessibility coupled with a lack of pretension have the Dirty Heart's first album a local success, garnering healthy airplay on Austin radio and bringing out larger and larger crowds to the live shows.
"Now we don't have to just invite our friends anymore," Calida said.
That success has made the group's first tour a reality. They depart from Austin for a week of shows throughout Nevada, New Mexico and California — including homecoming shows for Medina and drummer James Sheeran, Santa Fe and Las Vegas natives, respectively. The tour will include a brief stop in Los Angeles to shoot the group's first video, for album opener "New One," currently planned to be filmed on the former set of "The West Wing."
"Yeah, we'll be shooting it in the Oval Office," Medina said. "We're not a political band, but of course when people see a band playing in the White House and singing 'I want a new one,' the audience is going to assume something right away. Hopefully, when they see the video and how playful we handle it, they're gonna see something different."
Despite the recent release of their first LP, the Dirty Hearts are already in the stages of working on their next album, with plans for a 2007 release. The band cites the desire to sustain momentum as the rationale for such a quick turnaround, as well as a fervent hope to not fall into the ruts that can sometimes plague initially popular local bands.
"I think it's important to follow up relatively quickly after a success. In a city with such massive overload of bands and things to do, people have short attention spans. So in order to survive and keep that momentum going, you need to introduce something new and something fresh," Sheeran said. "You don't want to sit on an album for two or three years and have audiences get bored with the songs and bored with the live show."
When their tour is behind them and their video released, the Dirty Hearts will be back in Austin, playing the same venues where they built their fanbase. From the sound of it, that suits them just fine.
"One thing that's sort of magic for any band is the dynamic between its members. And you can't just build that up from scratch. That chemistry has to come naturally," Medina said. "There are lots of great musicians who, for some reason or another, never find that other person who makes their sound work. We feel really lucky to have this opportunity with this band."
The Dirty Hearts will be playing at Hole in the Wall Friday at 9 p.m.

Music Video and Movie Soundtrack 2/13/07

2008-06-29T18:36:00.003-05:00

We got back from a short tour (long ass-drive) and wanted to let you all in on some news. First of all, we shot a music video for our song "New One". As we get more details regarding the video will let you know. All we'll say for now is it was a full-blown production shot by X1FX and directed by Mark Larranaga. It was off the hook! This company recently shot the latest Janet Jackson video and has worked on many other big production movie/tv/video (Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Will Smith) . We can't wait to share it with you!

Secondly, the band has been asked to contribute "The New One" song to a Hollywood movie production. Apparently, it will be the background music for some beautiful dancing women.

CW Network & SXSW07 3/27/07

2008-06-29T18:35:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to say our experience with SXSW07 was a great one. Our showcase and other shows were amazing. The band rocked. The other bands on the bill were kick ass and the The Stooges blew everyone away. As a result of our participation in SXSW, we were asked to represent Austin people and the events around town in a CW network promotion called "C What's Good". Our song "New One" is the song being used and the spot features a photo from one our live performances at one of our favorite clubs, "Trophy's Bar & Grill". This promotion will be airing for the next 10 months or so. Pretty fucking cool. We think so. Anyway, check it out! If you look hard enough you might even see that I've got a King Size Snickers bar in my pocket.

We Rock The Oval Office 4/13/07

2008-06-29T18:33:00.004-05:00

Ok the cats out of the bag! Our video will be posted anyday now. Unless the CIA has something to say about it.....

For Immediate Release 4/13/07

Austin, TX band The Dirty Hearts rock the Oval Office

Washington, D.C. - While posing as a national news crew to cover a presidential address on stem cell research, an Austin band called The Dirty Hearts managed to sneak their instruments into the Oval Office and shoot the first ever Oval Office video for their song "New One". The Oval Office operation was led by director Mark Larranaga (Karma Kollective/Neurotica Pictures) who was thought to be covering the press conference. They were subsequently found and arrested by White House secret service, prompting a security lock down on the White House compound. The regular White House briefing was delayed until the area was secured. The band was released and charges were dropped after the personal intervention of Jenna Bush, a frequent visitor to the Austin music scene. President Bush met with the band and immediately announced a change in his position on stem cell research. He was quoted as saying "I support anything that might help mentally disadvantaged people like the Dirty Hearts live a normal life of normality." On April 27th The Dirty Hearts will be showing the video footage for the first time at The Mohawk followed by a performance. The show starts at 10pm with Stock Market Crash and The Burning Hotels. The Dirty Hearts will hit the stage at 12:30 followed by DJ Markus (Flashlight Party).

Austin Radio 10/20/06

2008-06-29T18:31:00.003-05:00

Radio Shows Featuring The Dirty Hearts
Tune in and Request!!!!!!
101.5 Andy Langer's The Next Big Thing Sundays 6:00pm-10:00pm
93.7 KLBJ Local Licks Tuesdays 10:30pm-12:00am
91.7 Koop Around the Town Sounds Fridays 3:30-4:30
90.5 KUT Music with Laurie Gallarado Fridays 11:00pm-Sat.3:00am

Review by Austin Sound 10/17/06

2008-06-29T18:30:00.005-05:00

Our new cd reviewed by Austin Sound

Not to judge an album by its cover, but it's worth mentioning that the picture of Frankie Medina and Calida on the inside of the Dirty Hearts' self-titled debut release is damn sexy, and smacks of more than just a little cheap motel grit. But then that seems to be the line that group is working throughout the album. From the opening riffs on the first track "New One," there's a definite raw surge of energy in the sound that is coupled with a palpable sensuousness. Calida's sultriness mixes in with Medina's blitzkrieg of punched-out verses to keep the song torn with indecision. There's a strutting beat that kicks lyrics like "You look so beautiful / Walkin' down Congress suckin' on a red bull / I see them stop and stare / Everybody wants some, I've already vacationed there" into high gear, and the song ends with the Calida's intentionally perky and cloying call out of "Hey Frankie!" and the singer's dismissive and indifferent response "Oh no, not you again / It's just so boring. / I think I'll just put on / My old shirt."
"New One," especially with its abrupt ending, works perfectly in playing off of the dynamic between the core duo of the group. The songs are at their best when they're exploiting that play between Calida's and Medina's vocals, as in "The Body Song" or "Take Her All Around." But just as "New One" leaves us with the feeling that Frankie is bound to settle once again with the admittedly sexy girl that he nonetheless detests, the album also seems unwilling to commit to either its second-wave punk tendencies or its more mainstream alternative fallout. Not that the result isn't sometimes spot-on perfect (and you can tell the songs must be explosive when performed live), but you get the sense through much of the album's second half that the Dirty Hearts aren't quite willing to make the push in either direction. Like the picture on inside cover, it's seedy and sordid enough to hint at that classic degenerate punk edge, but also doesn't really seem to want to go there.
Despite this somewhat ambivalent pull, most of the tracks still work extremely well between those two veins. In fact, if taken individually, the songs are often exceptional - in no small part due to the group's ability to create some of the most readily addictive choruses around. "Take Her All Around," for example, is the farthest removed from the rest of the album with its more pop-styled sound, but it is also one of the best cuts. And then the group is just as likely throw in garage blasts like "Sinner's Safari," howls reminiscent of the Offspring like on "Play Dead," or synthesized flourishes like "The Body Song." Figuring out exactly where the Dirty Hearts are trying to go is perplexing, and maybe, as with most debut albums, even they aren't exactly sure yet. But it seems that they could easily excel down any path they choose. Of course, they may just as easily determine to keep defying those expectations around every corner, but as a definite band worth keeping an eye on, they could nail something pretty damn spectacular with either a little more dirt or a little more heart. - Doug Freeman

Green Chili 8/17/05

2008-06-29T17:07:00.006-05:00

Gone to New Mexico to eat green chile, we will be back ready to rock for our Halloween CD RELEASE party OCT. 29th. Come dressed to impress!

Revelation 1:1

2008-06-27T17:40:00.004-05:00

Hello, my name is Frankie and I'm the singer/guitar player for The Dirty Hearts. I'm going to be one of the people who will be filling you in with all things regarding the band as well other topics we feel the need to share with you. As some of you may know we are based in Austin, TX and I suppose should be classified under "rock". We like to think of ourselves as a rock-n-roll band but have been called punk, cow punk, post punk, garage, new wave and pop. We really don't mind any of these labels as most our our favorite bands come from these genres. Oh, I guess that would be my cue to name a few. Speaking for myself, I would name PJ Harvey, The Pixies, Sonic Youth and X. I could go on and but since music will be one of the major topics in our blog I'm sure I'll name several others in time.

Regarding my band, we are gearing up for the release of our latest album "Pigs". In the next few days I'll be updating the blog with some of the early reviews for the LP. Also, just over a week ago we released our new video for the album opener "Record Store". Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zo9JWpS5A0 until I we post it here.

While writing this first entry, I got summoned away to rescue a baby bird in the back yard. I caught the little guy/girl for fear that my neighbors dog would feast on him/her. I put the chick in a box high on a tree to see if the mother will feed it until it can fly. Anyway, this may be symbolic of our blog. Let's hope it flys!