Dyrty Byrds

Sep 9, 2010 by Anonymous

In the widely diverse Colorado music scene, there are many types and styles of music and ban

ds.  There is a new band on the scene made up of a bunch of Colorado music veterans who are set on bringing the rock and roll back, the Dyrty Byrds.

The Dyrty Byrds join the forces of Tori Pater (guitar/piano/vocals), Eric Martinez (guitar/vocals), Mike “Spanky” McCluer (bass) and Mike Goletz (drums) with Outformation guitarist Sam Holt.

Guitarist Eric Martinez states that the Dyrty Byrds formation was a seemingly natural progression of events.  “Sam was coming out to Denver fairly often, and he would call up Tori and have him set up some shows, and I would play bass and just do it acoustic.  Then we decided to get Mikey involved and do it as a full band with drums.”

Holt, a co-founder the Atlanta based and recently disbanded Outformation, relocated to Colorado in early 2010 and has instantly become a big factor on the local music scene.  Upon his arriving in Denver, Martinez decided to move back to guitar and the band enlisted Spanky McCluer on bass, a move that solidified the current Dyrty Byrds lineup.

Holt seems to be very comfortable in the role of being “one of the guys” instead of “the guy” in this band.  Martinez claims that the collective experience in this band is one of its greatest assets.

“One of the great things about this band is that we have all have had experience in leading other bands, and we all know when to take the lead and when to hold back. None of us always has to be the leader.  I think Sam has embraced that.”

The Dyrty Byrds released a self-titled EP in June 2010.  The 6 song EP demonstrates the 3 main songwriters varying writing styles while somehow maintaining a strong cohesion between the songs.  And that is where this band differs from many of the “jam” bands on the scene…it all starts with the songs.  From the Stones-ish grit of the Martinez penned “Blackstone”, to the even grittier sound of Pater’s “Ten-Four” to the spot on country rave up of Holt’s “The Moral Decline”, these songs all stand equally.  Martinez credits that to years of playing together before this band was even a thought, “Tori and I have been playing together for years, and really we have been playing with Sam for years now also, and we all just kind of dig the same stuff.  You take a bunch of guys coming from the same influences who are going for the same thing and it will have its own unique sound.”

The band decided to give the EP away for free as opposed to selling it, as Martinez states, “to get it out to as many people as we can.”

You can download the EP for free at the band’s site on reverbnation.com/dyrtybyrds.

The band clearly wears its southern roots on its sleeve.  Pater and Holt both were raised in the southeast, and McCluer hails from Texas.  Martinez is originally from Maryland but has played with the Athens, GA based Bloodkin for half a decade now.  The guitar interplay between Holt and Martinez has become a signature of this band.

Martinez adds “we are all straight up rock and roll guys, and that is a big reason as to why we are doing the Dyrty Byrds, to bring that rock element to the scene here, a 3 guitar southern rock outfit.”

Martinez speaks very fondly of the Colorado music scene.  “There is a strong jam band scene here, and Tori and I have worked in that genre for a long time.  We have a small pocket of fans already and they are incredibly supportive of this band.”

The Dyrty Byrds have hit the Denver and mountain concert venues hard in 2010, and hope to take to the road later this year to do some dates in the southeast.  Upcoming shows include an opening slot for Tea Leaf Green at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on October 16.