The Dirtbombs

Imagine an instructional video distributed to rock bands across America that would explain how to properly rock. It'd no doubt be lame, but it would likely include tips for proper instrumentation, how to approach the live show, and what not to do on stage. And if this video used examples to hammer home points, one Detroit band could probably be the poster children for bad examples.

Mick Collins, founder, lead guitarist and vocalist for The Dirtbombs, said the band tries to incorporate simple ideas like set lists into their shows, but after about 20 minutes they get bored and start playing anything from the band's decade-old library to covers of songs they don't really know. At a recent Ann Arbor tour stop, Collins said they attempted a Marvelettes cover, but gave up after about 90 seconds.

"If you do that at home, it probably goes over a lot better," he told Recoil, laughing heavily during a recent phone conversation. "If we do that at a show in New York, where we've played a lot and we have a really big audience, or Los Angeles or [on] the west coast, which is the same thing, it probably goes over a lot better than if we did that someplace we've never been before."

Don't think the Detroit rock veterans are a joke, however. He won't admit it, but Collins is in many ways becoming a grandfather of Detroit's rock music culture. "I'm still too weird," he countered. The rest of the band is sort of an all-star lineup of area musicians, including bassist Ko Shih from Ko and The Knockouts – which brings us to broken rule number two on the imaginary "How to Rock" video: minimize gear. It makes touring much easier.

Collins has been hauling gear around Detroit since 1980, which is one reason he doesn't really like touring and being on stage. "We have so much [gear] now. I doubled all the heavy stuff. I couldn't be in a band with two piccolo players or something. No, I have to be in a band with two bass players, and two drum kits."

So that's four rhythm players, and Collins in the middle. It isn't difficult to rehearse and find a common sound because Collins writes all the material and teaches the rest of the band how to play it. On stage they individually get to show off their skills, which goes back to broken rule number one about having a set list. Sometimes they just jam.

However, this brings up something the Dirtbombs do right, which is making albums. Collins said he loves being in the studio, but doesn't feel impelled to capture the frenzy of the band's live show on an LP.

"It doesn't make any sense," he said, again with a big hearty laugh. "I mean a lot of bands try this and it's like when you're in the studio it's a completely different environment. If you're going to capture your live show, just get up onstage and record it."

The Dirtbombs have three full-length albums and dozens of EPs and seven-inch singles. The band's next offering will actually be all of these singles packaged together, with a few new songs added. "So it's like an album and a half of all the singles, plus another half-LP of new stuff," Collins said.

Broken rule number three may apply solely to Collins: If you don't like being on stage, fronting a rock band probably isn't a good idea.

"I'm not that big on playing the shows, but the audience response with The Dirtbombs has been so great that it actually makes it fun," Collins said. If this were true, one would never know. The entire band infuses the crowd with the energy to dance, jump and sing, and then turns it up a notch.

"I really only really started playing guitar to have something to do with my hands, because I feel like a complete dork when I'm standing there [singing]," Collins said. It's easy to assume he's just being coy, but the man really seems to underestimate his talent.

So, the lesson from the imaginary instructional video is that maybe up-and-coming rock bands shouldn't take notes when The Dirtbombs play Kraftbrau Brewery in Kalamazoo on Feb. 12. On the other hand, many of the band's U.S. and European tour stops quickly sell out, and they have built a loyal fan base despite their eccentricities. Bring a pen and notepad just in case.

February 2005