Sunday 15 March 2015

Up & Coming Pop Punk Bands | Dirty Goals




Dirty Goals who hail from the US, only began their journey in July 2014 but have already released some killer songs. After only releasing a few tracks, it is evident that Dirty Goals have the potential to do great things. We asked them a few questions to get to know them a bit better...

WHERE ARE YOU GUYS FROM?
We all grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and we are still spread out across the Chicagoland area. Paul was from Northbrook, Pierce from Winnetka, Chase from Glencoe, Chris from Bannockburn and I (Jamie) was from Deerfield.

HOW DID YOU FORM?
 Chris, Paul, Pierce and I were in a previous band together and decided that our sound was changing to the point that a new name was necessary. We also wanted to avoid having to use backing tracks with our new sound and decided to add another member to fill the missing tones/dynamics. Chase’s band had just broken up and he was telling me how bummed he was that he wouldn’t be playing music for a while. Pierce and I both had played in a band with him in high school and Paul had been friendly with him throughout that time as well. We all knew he was a dedicated musician and friend so we told him to come in and try out so Chris could have a say. Sure enough, Chris thought he brought a new energy to the band that we were missing and from that point we were a band.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOU BAND NAME?
 We had been contemplating a name change for months at this point as we were already not too happy with our previous band name being so generic (Universe) and that there are probably a ton of other bands called Universe today. After months of brainstorming, trying to create and agree on a name, Chase said how about Dirty Goals. I asked why Dirty Goals? He said, well we are from Chicago and our Hawks (Referring to our state’s NHL hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks) are unstoppable with all their dirty goals. We thought it was really cool that the name ties back to our hometown, but could also tie to other people’s favorite teams  and that these words weren’t just meaningless. Some people have pointed out that Dirty Goals may come off as inappropriate but we see it as something much deeper than the dirty minds out there. We think of dirty as slang for good/awesome/kick ass/etc. and encourage more people to keep up with times.

WHO INFLUENCES YOU THE MOST AS A BAND?
 Personally, I am influenced by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Daniel Johns (Silverchair), The Beach Boys and pop punk music in general (New Found Glory, Blink 182, Fireworks, too many bands to name). I love trying to write unique, intense and melodic melodies topped with harmonies, heavy guitars and catchy choruses. I feel like my own personal ambition to be unique but still fall under a sortable genre has me less worried about who people will say/think I sound like or am influenced by and more worried about writing a hit song with unique and catchy sounds that captivates a listener and encourages them to play the song over and over. You could say writing any hit song or writing my own hit song is my biggest influence or my driving ambition as a musician.

DO YOU PREFER RECORDING OR PLAYING LIVE? 
 Good question. To me they are two different beasts. I find that being in the studio is rather relaxing and laid back. If you need to take a break, you can just take a break. There’s no pressure or anyone forcing you to continue through your mistakes. I feel like I could live there like a home being in the studio has become so comfortable to me and luckily most studios treat you like you are at home. Being on stage is polar opposite; It is exciting and high energy. I get butterflies and goose bumps walking onto some of the stages and most the time my nerves come with me. It’s not that it isn’t relaxing, its just real. There is no time to go back and fix a mistake in a song live or if someone throws something at your amp and it stops working… you just have to roll with the punches. I consider myself to be a half introvert, half extrovert and I find my emotions to be the determinant between whether I feel like going out (playing live) or staying home (recording). It all depends on your mood in my opinon.

IF YOU COULD PLAY A SHOW WITH ANYONE WHO WOULD IT BE?
Foo Fighters hands down. I am a huge fan of Dave’s voice and his persona (very down to earth and appreciative). I respect his story and his determination after all the hardships he dealt with throughout life so far. As a follow up question, living or dead? If I had to choose a person/band from the grave I would say Jimmy Hendrix just to watch him play and to share a stage with another legend who also has an incredible musical journey and interesting life story.

WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN GOALS AS A BAND?
 We strive to be unique, professional and create catchy hit songs. It is our dream to tour the world one day and hopefully our efforts will show us around one day. We are optimistic and driven as individuals so it is only a matter of putting in our 10,000 hours and being at the right place, at the right time. Timing is everything. Our goals this year are to secure more shows out of state and hit up more parts of the USA by the beginning of winter. We also hope to get back into the studio to record another EP at some point.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FIVE FAVOURITE POP PUNK ALBUMS?
 It is very difficult to narrow down to five albums, but I must say that these are probably my most listened to:
1.       Sticks and Stones by New Found Glory
2.       Enema of the State by Blink 182
3.       Dookie by Green Day
4.       Bleed American by Jimmy Eat World
5.       Good Mourning by Alkaline Trio

Check out the video for 'Dance With Me' here:


Dirty Goals' Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Youtube

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