By: Anand Harsh

Despite the fear of retribution at the end of a dusty rope, I'll play right into Dirtwire's hand with an eye over my shoulder.

These bandana'd banditos have been pilfering and pillaging the world's finest folk traditions and plundering a museum's worth of ancient, forgotten, and exotic intruments for their own devilish delights, producing a prolific array of tunes spanning the oceans with a total disregard for time period or tempo.

The result? Blaze fashions bangers out of the banjo. David Satori, Evan Fraser, and Mark Reveley have stashed their arsenal of stringed, plucked, and bowed toys in far-flung traditions, pulling deep, bluesy Americana into the same room as trap, and taking West African melodies to new heights with soaring beats. Blaze follows the release of Showdown, which dropped back in March, and echos that same blend of “desert blues meets beats and bass.”

A motley cast of characters join the fray as Jed and Lucia, Moontricks, and balafon maestro SK Kakraba lend their talents to the album. Standouts like “Kalimba Gaida,” “Blockchain,” and “Romare” (a tribute to the Ninja Tune icon) are lush, inviting fare, but a select few from the album, led by opener “Stranger” and reiterated by “The Sideshow” featuring The Tailor really get blood flowing.

Dirtwire has already been touring behind this new pack of tunes. Next week the boys saddle up and shoot down the west coast before taking the road show to the midwest alongside Headphone Activist. Fans will be able to snag themselves a copy of Blaze tomorrow (December 1).

Dirtwire Fall/Winter Tour Dates:
12/5 Atrium at Catalyst (Santa Cruz, CA)
12/6 Slo Brewing Co. (San Luis Obispo, CA)
12/7 La Grange (Yucca Valley, CA)
12/8 Globe Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
12/9 Winston's (San Diego, CA)
12/14 Studio B at Skyway (Minneapolis, MN)
12/15 Miramar Theatre (Milwaukee, WI)
12/16 Concord Music Hall (Chicago, IL)
12/17 The Stache (Grand Rapids, MI)
12/21 The New Parish (Oakland, CA)