Dirty Dirt & the Dirts - Self Titled 7inch

LAST WEEKEND OF MARCH- 2 months of the blog going strong...

When I think of late 90's hardcore from Los Angeles Dirty Dirty & the Dirts are one of those bands that come first to mind along with No Reply, Lifes Halt, & Carry On.
Punky hardcore and screamed vocals that occasionally go to monotone spoken words, with lyrics running the political to the personal; dealing with issues of isolation, individualism, and the absurd concept that the pinnacle of one's life could occur before their 18th birthday. It seemed like every other show at places like the PCH, Che, Koos, and the Smell had some combo of DD&D, Field of Fire, Lifes Halt, No Reply, What Happens Next?, & the Nerve Agents. I wouldn't say it was a magical time, but it sure was a lot of fun and DD&D was a large part of that reason for me.

Other than this 7inch, they had a track on the "As the Sun Sets" Comp (posted on It Follows HERE) as well as the Youngblood comp "Memories of Tomorrow" and the great "SK8 or Die" comp (which will be posted here later). I'd guess they had a demo, but ive never heard nor seen it. After DD&D's demise singer Rich turned up in Esperanza who were a bit more punk/fast hardcore. I know they had a pretty good song on one of the 625 Thrashcore comps.

DOWNLOAD: Dirty Dirt & the Dirts - "Self-Titled" 7inch

Various Artists - As the Sun Sets: A Southern California Hardcore Compilation

The best comp. of the early 00's that wasn't released on vinyl? Quite possibly. Compiled and released by Graham Donath for his label, The Association, and widely distributed by Indecision Records, this compilation almost reads as a who's who of early/mid 90's HC bands from Southern California.

Adamantium, No Reply, Show of Hands, Palpatine, Throwdown, Death By Stereo, Lifes Halt, 7 Day War, Dirty Dirt & the Dirts, Ignite, and more. Many of the tracks here are exclusive to this comp itself.

Even though it was only released on CD, the effort was made to create band "pages" in the CD booklet with lyrics, band info, and for some bands, pictures. It's a little something to put an otherwise great comp over the top. The tracks alone have staying power, but the layout and info. help distinguish it from the standard fare in an age when comps & "samplers" were a dime-a-dozen at best. Enjoy the download, it includes scans of the booklet.

Fsavorite Tracks include: Show of Hands, Dirty Dirt & the Dirts, Death By Stereo (earlier version of this song), Burning Dog, & Countervail- though, it should be said that, other than the Wrench track (sorry, never could get into them), there isn't a song I honestly dislike.

DOWNLOAD: "As the Sun Sets" compilation