Dirty Heads

Those feel-good roots of the Dirty Heads are grounded in the Orange County community of Huntington Beach. Founded nearly a decade ago by Watson and guitarist/vocalist Dustin Bushnell, the Dirty Heads humble beginnings feature too many late night sessions in the garage with nothing but a four-track recorder and an abundance of great ideas. Watson met Bushnell during their freshman year of high school at a local party. Stumbling upon a quick rap tape that Bushnell had recorded, Watson became inspired enough to invite Bushnell to collaborate with him on ideas. While Bushnell had been playing in a punk band at the time, Watson had never been in a band, never wrote or sang – rather, his interests ran deep in the surf and skating culture. But he was willing to give this a shot. All of the Dirty Heads songs come from all angles of Watson and Bushnell’s lives. “Morning Light” talks about a three-day, up-all-night party, binging on booze, with gnarly days filled with girls, fighting, scouring across Huntington Beach’s bars and the band’s various trips to Mexico… for more partying. “Neighborhood” is just that — a song about the act’s vicinity, the environment and surroundings. To bring it all together and create just the right vibe, Dirty Heads recruited mixing engineer Mario C. “We loved the way the Jack Johnson and Beastie Boys albums sounded, and we asked, ‘Who mixed both of these albums?’” says Watson, “and surprisingly, Mario C. had mixed both.”