Fans gathered at Momo's on September 25th to celebrate the debut release of Dertybird's album Pure Analog. This nine-song album is the band's first full length album after releasing a three song EP several years ago.
Clayton Colvin and JT Holt came together to form Dertybird after working with Malcolm “Papi Mali” Welbourne three and a half years ago.
“We both worked for (Welbourne) at different times,” said Holt. “After a pretty grueling session on the road, we settled back and listened to some songs. So we started playing together... and we've been doing it ever since.”
Recording Pure Analog
The recording process for the album took fourteen months to record. This was largely due to the fact that these two guys decided to refrain from using the easy and convenient way of recording through a digital medium. So they ditched the Macbook and Pro-Tools, and just like the album's title states, they went Pure Analog.
Because the ease of cutting and deleting errors was removed from the process, laying the tracks down between these two members was tricky. Luckily, with the help of some friends such as Douglas Jay Boyd, Lee Brock, and Nick Summers, contributed their talents for the rhythm section and additional vocals. The goal was to make this album as live as possible without adding too much production in the studio.
“It's a very real recording. It sounds like a band, sounds like us,” said Holt. “We spent a lot of time and effort to keep it real like that.”
And they succeeded. The end result is that these songs are raw and gritty performances that makes you feel like you're actually listening to a live show recording with flaws and all. While most bands strive for perfection in their finished product, Clayton and Holt embraced the imperfections.
“(The songs) are not perfect. They're beautiful in a non-perfect way,” said Holt. “It's just not us. We're humans. We're not a fabrication. What you hear on the record is what you hear live.”
Pure Analog Album Art
A nice little embellishment to Pure Analog is the accompany album art. The design reflects the theme with the actual CD resembling a 7 inch reel. When the CD is inside the case, it appears that the reel is mounted on a reel-to-reel spindle because of the way the clear backdrop tray is designed. These small attention to details really add to the overall tone of the album.
Second Album in the Process
While the release may have been about a year in the making, Holt and Colvin are already working on the follow up album.
“We got record #2 ready to go. We're working on it right now,” said Colvin. “So just about the time people get tired of hearing (Pure Analog), record #2 will be right there for them to experience and grow with us.”
Sarah M. Vasquez - I'm Sarah Vasquez and I've been writing about music for over six years with my own website SoManyBands.net. A friend of mine made the ...
