You ever wonder what your favorite band is doing behind the curtain just before they come out on stage? Some bands have a pre-show ritual and as it turns out, the Dirty Heads are one of those bands who actually have a Pre-Show Lore courtesy of one particular member.
The Dirty Heads pre-show lore helps get the fellas pumped up and ready to perform. Immediately before going on stage, most of the band grabs a glass and prepares for a shot, accompanied by a toast from Shawn Hagood, the band’s keyboardist. The toast has been referred to as a type of lore that is custom-written during the day of each show. The toast is often based on the locale of the upcoming show, a recent inside joke, or just something funny that gets the group loosened up.
[Related: Exclusive Interview: Matt Ochoa, Dirty Heads]
During a past interview with drummer Matt Ochoa, he tells The Pier: “Shawn does this lore every single day and we kind of have to do it now because if he doesn’t do it then we feel off and the show usually doesn’t go right.”
When asked if other members ever get to contribute or hear the toast ahead of time, Matty enthusiastically replied, “Oh no! He writes it during sound check, and then a few minutes before we go on stage he says the toast, and that’s it; we’re ready to start the show! It gets everyone pumped and excited.”
Bassist David Foral goes on to tell The Pier: “Yeah, so he’s got a couple different characters that he’ll act out. One of them is more of a hip-hop guy, another one is like a medieval guy. And he’s pretty clever with it. We were talking about one day making a coffee table book. I think he has it all written down and he puts the date and where we were. They all rhyme and sometimes he’ll be like, ‘Give me a beat!’ And we’ll put down a beat box and he’ll do the lore. I’ll pour shots, we’ll toast and then we’ll go onstage.”
The Pier was able to obtain one of the toasts that was used to ready the guys for a show in Kansas City on July 19th, 2016:
“Smoldering fire
This Missouri heat
We rise from these ashes
Revenant defeatShare your whiskey
For me – I’ll have three
One for me, KC
And my brothers, hail to thee!”– Shawn Hagood, Dirty Heads, Keyboards
This summer, Dirty Heads will host Iration, The Movement and Pacific Dub on a national tour that includes 28 total dates across 23 states on a early summer tour that begins May 18th in Chula Vista, CA & concludes on June 30th in Irvine, CA — This may be one of the first tours where the band has both started and ended a summer tour in southern, CA. Find dates and links below.
Watch: Dirty Heads – “Celebrate”
Related Links:
Exclusive Dirty Heads Blog
Dirty Heads Website
Dirty Heads Facebook
Article By: Mike Patti
Photo By: David Norris
