Dirt: A Tribute to Alice in Chains
Bryson Lawrence, Michael Clark and their band live at the Iron Horse Pub
The Wichita Falls five-piece, Dirt, is a musical tribute to Alice in Chains. To be very clear, Dirt is not a tribute band per se, made up of musicians trying to mimic their idols. To the contrary, Dirt is made up of busy musicians with day jobs and other musical endeavors, so when you get a chance to see them play, expect talented artists having fun, not necessarily a Vegas-style show with guys in ridiculous wigs pretending to be Alice in Chains.
Lead singer Bryson Lawrence is one of the best in the city, and with Michael Clark at his side, I heard Dirt tackle most of the expected Alice in Chains favorites, including Them Bones, Nutshell, and of course, Rooster. Somewhat surprisingly, Dirt also did a few selections that I found unusual for a live gig, like Angry Chair.
Michael Clark is a great guitarist for Dirt and very active backing vocalist with a long pedigree in rock and metal bands going back decades.
If you ever get a chance to chat with Michael when he’s not onstage, he has a very interesting story about finding his biological father late-in-life and discovering that his musical gifts run in the family.
In the “which member of Dirt is the most rock & roll?” competition, I think guitarist Jaymes Jager takes the prize.
Not only does Jaymes look the part, he wails. At one point during the show, I heard someone soloing and expected to turn around and see Michael going to town. Instead, Jaymes was up there with his fingers blazing way up the neck, high notes cutting through the mix like a buzzsaw. I didn’t look away until the song was over and I was impressed.
Dirt bassist Kevin Wells also plays bass in Sarchotic, and just like in that band, he excels in Dirt. Solid, propulsive bass lines and he’s active on the mic, too.
Drummer Drew Fike keeps it tight without a ton of flashy theatrics, and it feels like an odd thing to notice, but I thought the dynamics in Drew’s drumming were remarkably consistent. Drew seems to hit the drums with the same amount of force every time, and it imparts a smoothness to his playing that I thought was perfect for Dirt. With Kevin Wells on bass and Drew Fike on drums, Dirt has an outstanding rhythm section.
Dirt: A Tribute to Alice in Chains
Bryson Lawrence: vocals
Michael Clark: guitar and vocals
Jaymes Jager: guitar and vocals
Kevin Wells: bass and vocals
Drew Fike: Drums
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