Watch Dirty Heads Perform Reggae-Rock Set at the Rolling Stone Office
The Orange County, California crew Dirty Heads have been making mellow reggae-rock to college towns for 15 years. But lately, the band’s buzz has grown since Adam Levine became a fan and covered their track “Visions” on Maroon 5’s 2017 album Red Pill Blues.
Dirty Heads performed their own version of the song during a recent stop by the Rolling Stone offices, stripped-down take that highlighted the band’s striking vocal blend – plus a tasteful groove by their indoor shades-wearing bassist Dave Foral. The group – which also includes vocalist Jared “Dirty J” Watson, guitarist Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell,” percussionist Jon Olazabal and drummer Matt Ochoa – also performed a short set of other songs including “Vacation,” which they’ve also named their own craft beer after in their hometown of Huntington Beach, California. The songs are from their sixth album SWIM TEAM, which includes collaborators like Blueprint (Kanye West, Eminem, Jay Z) and Jonas Jeberg (Demi Lovato).
“We didn’t have any pressure to put out new music,” said Duddy. “It’s a lot more ambient and simple. We went heavier on the hip-hop, which I love. After the first song, we agreed to just finish a record. We were all inspired.”
Dirty Heads kick off their fall tour on September 8th in Oceanside, California, a tour that will include several dates with Jukebox the Ghost.