News & Updates
Dirtbag Music Partners With Independent Label Group
March 3, 2010
(San Diego, CA) – March 3rd 2010. After starting its new record label 9 months ago, 15 year old music apparel company Dirtbag Music, Inc. is finding success where others have failed. Breaking through at rock radio is Seasons After. Their first single “Cry Little Sister” is #22 and climbing on the BDS active rock chart, putting Dirtbag Music on the map. In January, Dirtbag officially partnered with Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group (ILG), East West Records, to become Dirtbag/ILG/Warner further establishing the new label’s competitive resources. “The decision to partner with ILG and the Warner Music Group family was based on the forward thinking structure of ILG and its understanding of our changing industry,” states Dirtbag Music CEO, Douglas Whitsitt. “This relationship allows Dirtbag Records to continue to develop new talent while maintaining the resources and expertise to market that talent when it is ready.”
Dirtbag Music has established its brand name through endorsing mainstay acts such as Guns ‘N Roses, Disturbed, Megadeth, Korn, and Mudvayne, which bodes well for its newly signed artists as well. In the case of Seasons After, Dirtbag partnered with Legacy Management (12 Stones) to co-manage the band’s career. “I feel the partnership with Dirtbag is unique due to how similar they are to our beliefs and understanding of today’s industry and tactics. They are a brand that is not afraid to think outside the box and take a risk on creating new avenues for artists,” states Legacy’s owner and founder Jason “JD” Fields.
Seasons After hails from the Air Capital of Wichita, KS. They are a five piece rock/metal band comprised of guitarists James Beattie and Chris Dawson, Vocalist Chris Shlichting, drummer Tim Rails, and bassist Michael Byers. Their radio-ready sound of blended guitars and vocal harmonies has been classified by some as nu metal with classic commercial radio sensibility. The band formed in late 2006, and in just three short years, Seasons After has performed on The Vans Warped Tour, Taste of Chaos, the Jagermeister Music Tour and The Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. In 2009, the band signed to Dirtbag/ILG/Warner. Their debut album “Through Tomorrow” will be released March 23rd 2010.
Seasons After Tour Dates w/ Janus 3/4 – Lincoln, NE – Duggan’s 3/5 – Wayne, NE – Riley’s Ballroom 3/6 – Lakewood, CO – Ecks Saloon 3/9 – Santa Rosa, CA – Last Day Saloon 3/10 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall 3/11 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Concert House 3/12 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House
Seasons After, Through Tomorrow (Dirtbag Records)cite: press release
Seasons After Find Success With Satellite Radio
Nov 11, 2009
These days, bands find a following by any means necessary. For a lot of new acts, that means online guerilla marketing. For others, the tried and true method of radio play actually works. For Seasons After, radio was the ticket to a whole new world.
"It's been great for us being on Octane and Liquid Metal," says Seasons After bassist Michael Byers of gaining airplay on Sirius and XM satellite radio. "They were one of the first to pick us up. Of course the album just came out, so there's a lot of stuff going on daily at this point. At Sirius, for Liquid Metal and Octane, they liked [the album], started playing it and it's been great."
Read more of this article at: noisecreep.com
Seasons After, Through Tomorrow (Dirtbag Records)
Seasons After Hits The Charts.
Sept 27, 2009
Seasons After debuts at #85 on the active rock chart last week and moved up to #79! On the FMQB Metal Chart they moved into #27 and gaining ground! Seasons After, Through Tomorrow (Dirtbag Records)
Seasons After was Added to Rotation on Liquid Metal. Awesome!!
Sept 22, 2009
Seasons was added to rotation on Liquid Metal. See below.
Liquid Metal ADDS -
Austrian Death Machine, Double Brutal (Metal Blade)
Despised Icon, Day Of Mourning (Century Media)
Echoes Of Eternity, As Shadows Burn (Nuclear Blast)
Every Time I Die, New Junk Aesthetic (Epitaph)
Protest The Hero, Gallop Meets The Earth (Vagrant Records)
Seasons After, Through Tomorrow (Dirtbag Records)
Shadows Fall, Retribution (Everblack/Ferret)
Vader, Necropolis (Nuclear Blast)
Check Out the Newest Additions to DBM Records
Sept 15, 2009
Dirtbag Music Records is pleased to announce the signing of Rallycar, Cool Kid Collective and Sachems Head. Check out these great new bands!
Rallycar - The Vancouver boys horsepower-driven rock and roll hit mainstream radio listeners after winning the 99.3 FM The Fox Vancouver Seeds Contest competing with over 850 other bands for the coveted spot. The FOX Vancouver Seeds Project has helped kickstart the careers of bands like Nickelback, Default, Matt Good Band and more. Rallycar's songs have been broadcast on radio stations across both Canada and the U.S. as well as playing on several TV ad DVD releases in the U.S and Canada.
Having toured across Canada regularly, the band has developed a dynamic live stage show. During their career Rallycar has opened for various high profile bands. This includes platinum record selling band Hedley, 54-40, Rockstar Supernova, Social Code, The Trews, Swollen Members, Faber Drive, Ill Scarlett and more. Rally Car has played over 900 shows at major venues all across Canada.
The band has had huge success focusing on high school shows throughout its career and has sold out their two CD releases, Death To Retro and Rallycar EP.
With the two sold out CD releases produced by Warne Livesey (The The, Midnight Oil, Matt Good) under their belt, the band recently recorded 4 new songs with producer GGarth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Melvins, L7, Kittie, Atreyu, Hedley, 54-40, Shihad, Biffy Clyro) in preparation for their 3rd release.
The response to the songs on myspace has been overwhelming and plays are closing in on 2,000,000…. The band is presently in pre production with many new songs and will be returning to the studio with GGarth to finish up the CD release.
Cool Kid Collective - The North Carolina native band, Cool Kid Collective, is a rock, acoustic hip hop band who are currently blowing up the airwaves. This amazing band consist of Matt Bowen (guitar, vocals), Frankie Goodrich (guitar, vocals, beat boxing), and J.D. Leath (percussion and vocals). The trio came together back in August of 2008, but has quickly built an amazing following . They consistently draw huge crowds to both their club and venue shows along with numerous high profile private parties, festivals, private showcases and events. The band has spent 2009 touring the East and West Coast on their first ever nationwide tours Also released in 2009 was their debut album, “Bad Decisions Good Stories” which was released in the beginning of 2009 and has been a major hit. It can be found on iTunes and other major digital media outlets. Cool Kid Collective recently signed with Dirt Bag Records (DBM) out of San Diego, CA. DBM Records is a division of DIRTBAG CLOTHING and is an exciting and dynamic record label for us to be partnered with . The guys have been in numerous bands prior to the Cool Kid Collective project including, but not limited to, O. Period, Kepteclectic, Shemoan, and Rare Breed to name a few. They have also collectively opened for such acts as Busta Rhymes, Incubus, Hed(pe), Rehab, Ben Harper, Bone Thugs N' Harmony, and Corey Smith. Cool Kid Collective is currently in the studio recording a new EP due out by the end of 2009. They will also be playing venues all across the nation so please stay tuned to their websites for further details and locations. Cool Kid Collective would like to thank all of their loyal fans nationwide for their support and encouragement. Bad Decisions, Good Stories could not have been a success without you!
Listen to Cool Kid Collective >>
Sachems Head - What is Sachems Head? Is it a band? A person? An album? Historically speaking, the mystery behind the real life “Sachems Head” is as accurate as it is mystifying. Each state in the northeast has its version of the urban legend; the Connecticut version dates back over 350 years to a time defined by violence. During a 1637 skirmish between the Pequots and the Mohegan Indians (allied with English forces), a Pequot sachem was beheaded, on a site known today as Bloody Cove Beach. But over time, all things change.
Today, Sachems Head has resurfaced in Connecticut, only now with a fresh start, and a cleaner history yet to rewrite. Sachems Head is more than a bloody remembrance, it represents a band of one, a magnum opus, a varied and eclectic collection of styles and music… it represents in all the ways possible the positives and the negatives, the struggles and the hardships, the triumphs and tribulations, the yin and the yang, the bread and the butter, the new and the old, and every nook and cranny that is the life of its creator.
But, really, what is Sachems Head? For many, Sachems Head might fall under the mold of active rock radio. But that categorization would be as great an injustice as the famed 1637 beheading. Sachems Head is more – it’s a music mixologist’s special blend of rock that takes its listeners to the outskirts of metal and brings them back with a modern twist of the grungy alternative. They are songs written specifically around a hook and chorus while seamlessly blending riffs and melodies. Sachems Head is a collection of heart-felt songs that deliver emotion and leave bloody hearts and broken relationships in its wake. Sachems Head is as much a story for all to hear, as it is a rite of passage for its creator.
Sachems Head was conceived and born of the mind of Christian F. Lawrence, better known as Opus from the national recording artist Dead By Wednesday (Eclipse Records). And while Lawrence’s past may not be as storied as the lore of the beheaded sachem surrounding the Connecticut area he grew up in, his story is as mystifying. For years, Lawrence has scratched and clawed at the face of major industry success. Although never reaching the pinnacle of super stardom many artists hope to achieve, Lawrence has kept integrity in his art while successfully making a healthy career out of his love for music and entertainment.
Prior to forming Dead By Wednesday, Lawrence was a part of the unsigned sensation Gargantua Soul. Although G-Soul was still unsigned when they disbanded in 2005, the band garnered multiple accolades fitting of national artists. G-Soul was the only unsigned act to play Woodstock 1999, and was voted the #1 Independent Hard Rock Band in the country by The Hard Rock Café.
But Lawrence isn’t merely the by-product of Gargantua Soul. In addition to his musical talents, he acted in the VH1 original movie At Any Cost featuring James Franco (Spider Man, Pineapple Express) and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, and he also appeared on the USA Network’s Farmclub.com, and various other television shows. Christian “Opus” Lawrence is recognized as one of the most genuine, honest and hardest working DYI musicians in the industry, and while he has a lot to say, he tells his story in many different ways. Even Sachems Head is as DYI as DYI can get.
Lawrence teamed with Enoch Jensen (East Lake Recording Studio in Shelburne Falls, MA) who handled all the engineering, recording and mixing for the record. And his help ended there. Lawrence performed the wide array of musical instruments exhibited on the album, including all vocal duties. Whether it’s the late 80’s vibe of “Too Little Too Late,” the modern rock infused “Hell and Back,” or the Sabbath-influence of “The Warming,” Lawrence’s success with Sachems Head rests in the strength of his songwriting and variety – a cursory listen to “Look Inside,” “The Truth” and “My Misery” exemplify this; and deeper subsequent listens reveal even more.
For Lawrence, the lyrical content of Sachems Head may be personal, but it’s also content everyone can relate to and appreciates. It’s an album about real life topics. It’s an album that longs to find truths in life. It’s the realization that no one is better than anyone else; that we all make mistakes and need to learn from them. It’s the realization that we all bleed the same. Sachems Head is not Opus of Dead By Wednesday or Gargantua Soul. Sachems Head is Christian Lawrence, and Sachems Head is his most sincere offering to date. Lawrence looked inside himself, and Sachems Head is what he found. Yup.
(Andrew Gargano)
Dirtbag is Now Signing Bands
Feb 3, 2009
It's Official! Dirtbag is now signing bands and solo artists to our own record and distribution label! Over the course of 18 months Dirtbag has been engaged in the design and implementation of a radical new record label concept.
First, we designed the label to specifically assist artists in making the transition from being an unsigned band to becoming a Major Label headline act. Music is a business, and as such, the first criteria Major or Independent labels look at are proven sales and revenue numbers: CD sales, single sales, demographic reach, market size, ticket sales, merchandise sales, satellite, terrestrial, and college radio play, touring schedule and so on. Taken together, these are elements of creating a great "band story." At DBM Records we want to help your band build a chart topping story!
Second , we have implemented 6 major marketing and distribution platforms into our record label for the sole purpose of providing a solid groundwork for artists and bands to build great stories.
- ONLINE DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION – LISTEN, LIKE , BUY
- MUSIC PUBLISHING
- PUBLICITY & TOUR SUPPORT PROGRAMS
- PROFESSIONAL YOUTH ORIENTED SPONSORSHIPS
- MOBILE, SMART PHONE & VIRAL MARKETING
- RADIO, COLLEGE & TV MARKETING
Lastly, at DBM Records, we value artistic development and more importantly we value artistic control. DBM Records is the first record company that will allow the solo artist or band the right to exit their record contract, retain master license control for all compositions AT ANY TIME! We call this model "CORE REVOLT." At DBM Records, we never own an act, we become the acts business partner!
DBM Records is currently accepting submissions from all genres and styles of music. Visit Artist Submissions for more details! Start building your band story today!