SxSW 2009 Preview: Dirty Epics

Dirty Epics are Dublin's newest indie-rockers to enter the musical scene and stir things up with their catchy yet brash motives . They happen to have a slot at this year's SxSW Festival so we thought we'd grab a quick couple of minutes with the quartet and see how they're feeling about their performance.

Answers by Cormac Farrell (guitar), SJ Wai (vocals) and Richie Power (bass)

1) How many times have you been to SxSW?

Cormac: Just this once. Sorry i couldn't help it.

SJ: This will be our first trip which is obviously very exciting for us. We're like coiled springs ready to....spring I suppose.

Richie: This will be our first. Really looking forward to it though. It's a total institution at this stage and anyone who has been has great things to say about it.

2) What's the best thing about being in Austin? or if you've not been before.... What are your tourism related plans?

Cormac: Apparently there is a place called Cactus where they have cactus cocktails we really have to have on of those. And a town nearby where you can go sit down in a bar with the boys who are working on the farms and grab a big plate of real chile and a beer for next to nothing. I'd say a lot of that and obviously try to get to as many gigs and get as much free beer and food as we can. We have Mark Gault hosting us so we are really lucky, I'm sure he'll be able to show us to a few places of interest to a group of Irish musicians.

SJ: Recently I've been bowled over by the amount of great reviews that friends and acquaintances have been giving. I personally would love to get out to a ranch and check out some authentic Texan Longhorns and then I would like to purchase a mount for my wall back home!

Richie: Having never been I'm looking forward to visiting. It has a reputation as one of the best towns in the US and everyone we've dealt with from Austin so far have been super nice and friendly. Personally I have a bit of a penchant for cowboy shirts so I'm hoping to get around to some souvenir shopping at some stage. And Cormo is addicted to hats so hopefully we'll get him sorted too.

3) Why are you playing SxSW? (Cos we hear the money isn't too good)

Cormac: Well we did have to pay for flights over alright and its a tough question to answer. Why is any band playing here. For one I suppose it helped that we applied for a showcase and got selected. This is our first trip to the US as a band, its a big deal for any band to play at the Festival and being from Ireland its an even bigger deal and we'll play to anyone who wants to listen. Seriously, just ask, we'll play for ya. Its more for our egos though. But really, it would be great to meet someone who'd like to give us a hand with some more gigs/distribution etc in the US. In short to show what are music is like, to show that we are a fucking great band and for networking.

SJ: To play SXSW is, I think, a step that every band wants to make in their quest for the big time. To be involved in an international festival of such acclaim is definitely a reason to be proud. To be able to soak up all the musical talent and have a proper knees up is of course another bonus.

Richie: I think everyone involved in the music industry across the world have heard of SXSW so I guess we feel like it's the place to be for up and coming acts. We've had good success in Ireland at this stage and just reckon the time is right for our attempt at world domination!

4) Who are you showcasing for, and where and when can we expect to see you?

Cormac: We are showcasing at the Music From Ireland Showcase in the SOHO lounge on Saturday 21 @ 9.30PM. We are really looking forward to the showcase gig. it'll be a nice 45-50 mins of pure balls out rockin. And it being Paddy's day on the day we get there we are gonna be in SOHO at 4pm and BD Rileys at 7pm. And we'll be around until the Monday so we're really looking forward to meeting some music fans there. Do you think there will be any?

Richie: We are showcasing as part of the Music from Ireland organisation. The Irish have always had a strong representation at SXSW and we are delighted to be part of this years crew, particularly considering some of the other Irish acts here. We'll be playing in the Soho Lounge on Saturday the 21st. Don't know much about the venue to be honest but the name sounds promising!

5) Which other bands/artists are you most looking forward to seeing over music week?

Cormac: I'm really looking forward to DEVO, Ladyhawke, The Von Bondies, Bishop Allen, Aqualung, Dan le Saq vs Scoobius Pip (Brilliant), and thats only the start. I just hope i get to see them all. Its such a massive festival for music.

SJ: I'm really looking forward to PJ Harvey and John Parish and Primal Scream

Richie:  I'm looking forward to seeing a couple of the Irish acts who are over, outside of that I'll be looking out for The Come on Gang from Edinburgh, Dan Le Sac, Dinosaur Jr, Echo and the Bunnymen, GLASVEGAS and PJ Harvey. Looks like I am gonna be busy!

6) Will you visit the Film or Interactive sections of SxSW this year? Or is time tight?

Cormac: Time will be a little tight but you never know. i'd love to get to see the Film sections alright and maybe if I get up off my arse I might get to go. there'll be plenty of schmoozing and boozing to do though so we'll have to wait and see. I'll be keeping an update on our myspace blog about everything we get to do so watch out for it on www.myspace.com/dirtyepics.

Richie: Time will be a bit tight alright - we head to LA on the 23rd for a few gigs so not much time to hang about.

7) What does the rest of 2009 hold for you?

Cormac: Plenty more gigs, playing in the UK and Europe, hopefully back to the U.S. again before the year is out. We are working on songs for the next album also so we'd hope to have it finished before the end of the year or at least have the bones recorded.

SJ: More gigging in Ireland the U.K and hopefully the US and writing more songs for album 2.

Richie: By the looks of it 2009 will be a busy one for us. After our US trip we are back to Ireland for a couple of gigs and then are in the process of lining up a few shows in the UK prior to the festival kick off. Then summer will be spent festivaling our way around the UK and hopefully Europe and then we'll top the year off by heading back to the studio for Album number 2!

Further Information:

  Dirty Epics: Myspace / Official Site

VIDEO: Dirty Epics - The Cure

Playing:

March 21 - SxSW Music From Ireland Showcase // Soho Lounge, Austin // 21:30