Like the image their name evokes, Dirty River Boys' music flows from dirty, raucous roots to self-described "outlaw folk" to straight rock anthems on their latest self-titled album, out October 14.
Inspired by 200,000 miles of cross-country touring and living between two culturally different worlds in the border town of El Paso, Dirty River Boys enlisted GRAMMY-nominated producer Chris "Frenchie" Smith for the album (Meat Puppets, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Ringo Deathstar) and recorded at Sonic Ranch, a spot that's appropriately bordered by the Rio Grande and Old Mexico.
The album also personifies the band's myriad musical influences taking cues from their heroes ranging from Hank Williams to the Rolling Stones to Rancid. Co-written with Cory Morrow, lead single "Thought I'd Let You Know" is a hammering four-on-the-floor rocker laced with gorgeous harmonies. Other standout songs on the album include opener "Down By The River", a dark driving tale of drug war violence on the border that was co-written with country singer Ray Wylie Hubbard, and "Loser" which captures the band's adrenaline-fueled punk tendencies.
Nino Cooper and Marco Gutierrez's shared lead vocals are intertwined across the album and often form a double-edged sword layered with harmonies from bassist Colton James and percussionist Travis Stearns. Together the quartet have written and recorded a raw foot-stomping sing-along that bursts with Texas swagger.
Country Weekly is now streaming "Thought I'd Let You Know", the first single from this "raucous Texas-foursome" - http://www.countryweekly.com/
In 2012, Dirty River Boys raised over $30K for their self-released debut album 'Science of Flight' and with its release established their arrival on the Red Dirt music scene in Texas. The band immediately drew comparisons to Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers earning praise for their "ballsy temperament" (Lone Star Music), "whiskey slamming, foot stomping energy" and named Austin City Limit Live's 2012 Band of the Year.
