| Over the course of
his career Dirk has been called a lot of things. For his live performances he has been
compared to the late great Freddie Mercury, for his singing ability he has been compared
to the legendary Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson and David Bowie. Never satisfied with
what a conventional rock singer should sound like, Dirk always strived to be as versatile
as possible all the while retaining a trademark sound - something only the great's
possess. “While all the comparisons are flattering, It makes you think… I've
never been in a cover band ever, I have always tried to be true to myself." Dirk began his career early playing with local bands at age
12. "My textbook was the concert stage - my sister took me to my first concert,
KISS at Madison Square Garden in 1977. I was a little kid, but seeing what was possible
made me know what I wanted to do." After that epiphany, he made his sister take
him to all the great rock shows - QUEEN, BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN. There he studied
his heroes and made a game plan. By 14 he was rehearsing with Anthrax (then a local
Queens, NY band.) While it didn't work out in the end, he saw the light at the end of the
tunnel. A few years later he joined a band who were to become HITTMAN. Over the course of
10 years and two albums, dirk honed his voice and stagecraft in front of thousands of
people.
Dissatisfied with industry fads , a re-fashioned
Dirk retreated to his home studio. Free from outside influence he started writing and
recording what would be his debut "solo" album. "I have to laugh at the
term ‘solo’ album... While it’s true that it's your name and your dime, It
takes the hard work of many people to make an album happen. While I did the bulk of the
work myself, I also in the process, assembled an incredible band of talented players. You
realize the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. This is a band through and
through.”
With that spirit in hand Dirk is about to unleash
‘LIFE IS NOW’, an album of classic rock style. Diverse songs that echo the
feeling you got when you first heard "Destroyer" , or "A night at the
opera". Real rock, Real Playing, NO auto-tune or modern studio fakery. "I
assembled this record the way Bob Ezrin or Roy Thomas Baker did honing the songs and
painstakingly recording them In the tradition of the rock album era. I think we have come
full circle. All this technology was invented to make things better, but in the end the
technology took over from the music itself. People are now tired of the buzzy auto-tuned
vocal sound and unrealistic lip-synched protools live shows. More than ever artists need
to give the people what they want, and that's what I'm out to do." |
DIRK Line up is:
Jai Es'-drums
Ivo Antanasov-keys
Russ Tyler-bass
Xino Siu-Guitar
Khalid Superstar-Lead Guitars
Kelly Ingram-Vocals
Dirk-Lead Vocals |
