DIRTY RIG – Rock Did It

Music doesn’t have to be complicated to be fun; for further proof, just look to the likes of AC/DC and Motorhead, who have been pleasing fans for decades by playing no-frills Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Not much subtlety or tons of style, but it’s loud, full of sleazy attitude, and great to listen to after a hard day of doing whatever.

Dirty Rig is another band that just wants to rock out with some gritty, ballsy music of their own. The foursome’s second album, Rock Did It, is 10 tracks of no-frills, unpretentious Heavy Rock. A DVD of the band performing several live songs is also included in the package. The best-known member of Dirty Rig is probably vocalist Kory Clarke, who fronted cult Metal band Warrior Soul for a while.

Rock Did It is very down and dirty, uncomplicated, and has a take-no-prisoners attitude: Dirty Rig just want to rock out and be as loud and in-your-face as possible. So expect big fuzzy riffs, a metric ton of noisy attitude, and plenty of salacious lyrical content, delivered with lots of raspy enthusiasm by Clarke, who seems to be having some fun on this disc. Dirty Rig wouldn’t sound out of place playing in a noisy, packed club full of rowdy bikers.

Most of the songs on Rock Did It pay tribute to the time-tested “Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll” ethos in some way, albeit in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek fashion; most of the songs are fairly humorous and don’t take themselves too seriously, although “Cities, Scenes, & Thieves,” plays it a bit straighter than the rest. Other than that song (which is one of the better ones), it’s mostly all about sex, partying, boozing, violence, and general naughtiness. All noble pursuits to be sure, and fairly far-removed from the political leanings of some of Clarke’s other projects. The songs are catchy and fun, and while the musicianship isn’t jaw-dropping, the guys know what they’re doing, and they earn big points for enthusiasm.

Highlight tracks on Rock Did It would include the energetic, riff-heavy “Suck It,” which leads off the album. “Hot Porno Star,” “Throw Down,” and “Dogs” are good dumb fun songs, and “Drunk Again” has some rather clever lyrics. At two minutes in length, “Just A Star” probably could have used a bit of fleshing out; it’s not bad, but ends almost as soon as it starts.

The DVD included with Rock Did It is a no-frills affair, consisting of seven Dirty Rig performance videos recorded live in a club setting. Two of the songs (“Hitch Hiker” and “GTO”) are exclusive to the DVD. You’ll probably only watch the DVD once, but it’s still nice to have.

Rock Did It probably won’t make too many “Best Of” lists, but it’s still a good time anyways. Kick back and crank it up!