Dirty Shrines Bassist Drew Johnson Talks About The Creation of Black Numbers Debut Digital Ego (The Witzard Interview)
Dirty Shrines is a Rock band hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado founded in 2018 by long-time friends and musical collaborators and members of Elway, Chumped, and Gregory Alan Isakov's band. Dirty Shrines owe their sound to a sprawling medley of influences as far-reaching as Steely Dan and Hall & Oates to Jets to Brazil and The Killers. The result of a few years of tactful tinkering is Dirty Shrines' debut LP, Digital Ego: a begrudgingly self-aware commontary on the terminally-online world, via a 10-track flight of fancy that dabbles equally in 70's Rock, Power Pop, Punk, and Indie Rock. Dirty Shrines' Digital Ego is strongly suggested for fans of Everclear, Free Energy, The Menzingers, Red City Radio, The Strokes, and Thin Lizzy.
Digital Ego is an unabashedly confident debut that finds the members of the band stepping out of the Punk realm and exploring 70's Rock, Power Pop, and Alternative. Here, you'll find stacked guitar leads, layers of vocal harmonies, and infectious hooks for days. Digital Ego is now available everywhere courtesy of Nashville-based imprint Black Numbers. Digital purchases and vinyl pre-orders are available directly from Black Numbers. We recently got a chance to speak with Dirty Shrines' bassist Drew Johnson (@margaritaville_official) about Dirty Shrines' origins story, the inception of Digital Ego, and much, much more. Please, note: our conversation, below, has been lightly edited for general clarity.
ONE. Please, introduce yourselves and describe each of your roles within the confines of Dirty Shrines.
Drew Johnson: Tim Browne plays guitar and sings. Brian Van Proyen, also, plays guitar and sings back-up. On the rhythm section, we have Max Barcelow on drums and bull whip, and Drew Johnson on bass and back-up vox.
TWO. When and how did Dirty Shrines initially form?
Johnson: Tim was living in Philly, at the time, and sending demos to Drew out in Colorado. When Tim moved back, they got to working on songs mostly on Drew’s couch and mostly with a lot of beers. Tim & Brian have been playing music together for over a decade, so we knew he’d be a perfect fit for the stuff we were writing. We tried out, like, five different drummers who were not the right fit and, finally, convinced our dear friend, Max, that when he [was] not touring with his much larger and more successful band, to come play with us. As soon as that happened, we knew we had a band.
THREE. What went into the creation, writing, recording, production, etc. processes behind your debut album, Digital Ego? Especially, during these strange COVID times!
Johnson: Most of Digital Ego was written before "the world shut down." This record was truly collaborative and is the amalgamation of whatever we wanted to write, at the time. The best thing about starting a band in your thirties with no expectations is that nothing matters and when you have a completely open canvas, you get to make whatever art you feel like. We are all cut from a pretty similar music cloth and can't fully get away from our Punk roots, but we all listen to a lot more music now and feel like this album, in particular, is a fine representation of where we are at.
FOUR. What would each of you cite as some of your greatest sources of personal inspiration and influence while creating Digital Ego?
Johnson: While this record wasn’t intended as a concept album, it kind of became one. So, people perpetually being online and on their phones is probably the greatest singular source of inspiration. Other than that, I think, just finding kicka$$ parts in older Rock songs and knowing we could do modern takes on them. Take the rhythm of Fleetwood Mac and write a song about current gun violence and disassociation problems. Take "The Purdie Shuffle" from Steely Dan and incorporate our interpretation of that into a Pop Rock song. Again, just making whatever we feel like with no singular sound or image in mind.
FIVE. How and why did you decide to join forces with Jersey City, New Jersey-based imprint Black Numbers to release Digital Ego?
Johnson: Because we hate Bruce Springsteen and like taking the p*ss out of Jersey. Only kind of kidding. We've known Dave [Frenson] for a long time and have a lot of friends who have been part of his label. Dave's band, Banquets, and Drew's old band, Chumped, used to play shows together in Brooklyn quite often. They seemed like the right match for what we were trying to do. I think from the get go, Dave understood our band and what we were going for.
SIX. What is the intended meaning or significance behind the album title, Digital Ego?
Johnson: The term "digital ego" is a reference to a lyric on the opening track of the album, "Vainglorious Bastards." This, also, happened to be the first demo song Tim sent Drew long before Dirty Shrines started. We thought it sounded alluring and encapsulated a lot of what we were writing about. So much of what people put out into the world today is curated through a sh*tty app only designed to make people feel perpetually worse about themselves. Digital Ego is a critique on that.
SEVEN. What would you recommend checking out for fans interested in checking out 1970's Rock, Power Pop, Punk, Indie, and Alternative music as sonically referenced throughout Digital Ego?
Johnson: The 70's were definitely a huge source of inspiration for this record. You have the more obvious albums, like Thin Lizzy's Jailbreak or Steely Dan's Can't Buy A Thrill, that we definitely drew from quite a bit. But anything Elvis Costello & The Attractions-related, Nick Lowe, Big Star, The Flamin' Groovies are all whip-a$$ Power Pop. Honestly, I think, for our next record, we straight-up just want to sound like The Killers. We, also, made a Spotify playlist for this exact question of Songs That Inspired Digital Ego.
EIGHT. How did each of your past experiences playing in bands inform Dirty Shrines in its earliest aughts as a newly-formed band?
Johnson: I think, we all knew where we were at in life with this band. We have all done extensive touring and understood that that would not be a primary focus. We just want to write records and play some shows with friends when it’s convenient. Tim & Brian still play in Elway and tour when possible. Max currently drums with Gregory Alan Isakov and before COVID, was touring a lot. Drew just hangs out with his girlfriend, dog, and cat and is cool with that.
NINE. What was it like working with producer Collin Ingram at TBC Studios, mixing engineer Justin Yates, and mastering engineer Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room on Digital Ego?
Johnson: Collin is truly the fifth member of this band. We trust him with everything and he is always down to try whatever dumba$$ idea we have. I think, we spent over an hour in the studio trying to get the perfect whip crack noise from Max. We've known Justin for a long time and Elway recorded their first two full-lengths with him at Atlas Studio. Justin took everything Collin captured and made it sound huge. He understood what we were going for and absolutely crushed it. And, then, Collin Jordan takes everything and makes it all sound balanced and "Smooth" [-Featuring Rob Thomas.] This record would not have been the same without the help of all these dudes.
TEN. What are your best/zaniest musical-themed D.I.Y. Halloween costume suggestions?
Johnson: I don’t know, but figure out a way to incorporate The Dave Mathews Band's Chicago River Incident.
ELEVEN. Now that Digital Ego has been unleashed into the terribly unsuspecting world, what's next for Dirty Shrines?
Johnson: Hmmm, maybe, practice? lol. Play some shows, write some more songs. Record a Killers rip-off album. Wash, rinse, repeat.
TWELVE. It's not quite exactly the end of the year just yet, but what would you cite as some of each of your favorite musical releases of 2021?
Johnson: Claud - Super Monster
Julien Baker - Little Oblivions
Wild Pink - A Billion Little Lights
Kali Masi - [laughs]
Strand of Oaks - In Heaven
Sincere Engineer - Bless My Psyche