Dirty Heads’ Jared Watson and his dedication to storytelling through music has helped expand the reggae rock scene to new heights
Photo courtesy of The Dirty Heads. Photo credit: Sam Scarce.
Daily Reggae caught up with Dirty Heads’ Jared Watson to discuss the amazing reggae rock band’s new music like the “Midnight Control Sessions: Night 2” EP, their headline tour this summer and creative process in and out of the studio.
We’ve been huge fans of Dirty Heads for years, and had the chance to see your headline show two years back at Bayfest in San Diego! We were amazed by your band’s energy and ability to match the sound of your recordings at a live show, especially a festival! With the “Island Glow Tour” now underway, we wonder what rehearsals are like and how do you choose what songs to play at concerts?
It’s a balancing act of a lot of factors. We are all fans of live music so we think about how we would feel if we were going to see our favorite acts. What would we wanna see? Also you have to tell a story with energy through out the night and how that energy flows from song to song. All while trying to keep it fresh and original. For us and the fans. There are gonna be new fans, also people that have seen you a dozen times.
You’ve got such a great lineup for your headline national tour including Lupe Fiasco, Yelawolf, G. Love & Special Sauce, Tropidelic, Little Stranger, and Bikini Trill all on select dates. How do you find the balance of rap and reggae when picking openers? Over the years, have you seen more and more excitement for reggae and reggae rock across the country?
We have and the scene has grown so much. But it’s still pretty small. And what we are worried about is playing with the same bands on the same bill over and over. So to expand the scene and bring in other acts and different styles of music we think it’s healthy. And by suporting younger smaller acts really giving them a platform to grow. And hopefully out grow us!
Your 2022 album, “Midnight Control” was next level good! I can’t think of any band that blends reggae, rock, hip hop and pop better than Dirty Heads and this album showcased your unique sound so well! What are some of your favorite songs from the album to play live? Are any particularly challenging to play live? I’m curious how the band is able to transform songs during your sets!
Island Glow is def the fav to play live. And it’s all just getting in the studio and rehearsing. Some songs translate well, some not as much. So you just gotta play them with the band and make adjustments if needed.
Speaking of new music, the “Midnight Control Sessions: Night 2” EP is super rad and the single, “Rescue Me” is our favorite. Could you tell us more about how that song come about? For the new EP were these songs that didn’t make the first album, but that the band still wanted fans to hear, or were any new tracks worked on?
No, all the songs from night one and night two other than John Linen were done. We just wanted to hold off some and extend this album for the listeners and because we think it’s a cooler way of releasing things with how streaming is now a days.
