So you think you know what a Dirty Sanchez is? Something so wrong and yet such a hot topic when it comes
up in conversation -- What better name for a band that's been getting attention throughout the 'Burgh for a range of covers
you'd never expect to fit together, the silly to the sexy, the resting to the rocking?
Dirty Sanchez have been making the rounds for a few years now and are poised to make
the jump to...
Who knows? As all four members agree, they're not looking to nestle up to
A&R lackeys or be the next American Idols. They just want you to have as much fun as they're having.
The story of the Sanchez dates back to the turn of the last decade, when Brian "Swanny"
Swantek was playing guitar in a band called Highwater and singer Denny Steiner and guitarist Jack McCombs were leading a cover
band called 10 Cent Wings. The two shared a bill, friendships were formed, and when both bands dissolved, Swanny formed
the Sanchez with drummer Jamason Wiant, singer Todd Kostelac, and bassist Mitch Duda. When Todd exited,
Denny was a natural choice to replace him; months later, Mitch's departure led Jack to exchange his guitar for a bass,
learn 75 songs in a month, and join the fold.
In less than two years, the foursome have formed tight bonds while retaining their looseness
in performing. This looseness should not be confused with sloppiness: Jamason, whose Dad was also a drummer, values
precise timing in the style of the Stones' Charlie Watts, while Swanny notes that Jack's "rhythm guitar feel" of bass
playing allows him to stretch out and innovate his solos and lead lines. And above that rhythm section, the charismatic
Denny, who handles a setlist ranging from the Stones' "Honkey Tonk Women" to Pearl Jam's "I Got Id" to the recent Weezer
smash "Beverly Hills." Four unique people with complementary personalities: Denny, the focal point of live performances
who reaches for a new height with each show; Jack, "proud owner of the only 34-inch waist in D$," who frames
pictures and designs adult greeting cards when not learning bass lines; Jamason, whose most valued recognition
is his "Best Dad Ever" trophy from his kids and who enjoys breaking auto glass in his free time; and Swanny, whose beloved
deepfryer serves as an apt mascot for the band: so bad yet so good.
The guys share a love of classic-rock acts like the Beatles, the Who, and Pearl Jam,
but have divergent influences as well : Jamson's favorite albums include Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and N.W.A's
"Straight Outta Compton," Jack counts Bowie and Veruca Salt among his deserted-island picks, and Swanny -- who originally
envisioned the Sanchez as a ska band! -- draws influence from the most emotive of today's rock bands: Deftones,
Incubus, and Soulfly, just to name a few. From this rock spectrum, the Sanchez distill a sound familiar yet all
their own, merging songs into unexpected medleys (who knew that "Helter Skelter" logically follows
from Outkast's "Hey Ya"?) and keeping the party going 'til the wee hours. Their status as a cover-band-for-hire
allows them to escape genre limitations and play songs because they're fun, not because they fit a category.
As a result, the Sanchez have been invited back for repeat engagements at such
venues as the East Belle Vernon Athletic Club, the Charleroi Slovak Club, and Christian's in Finlyeville. Wherever they
go, capacity crowds follow, to the band's unending delight. Says Jamason: "It may not seem like a big deal, but
when people choose to come see us on a Friday or Saturday night, when they could be anywhere else -- it's a big deal to me."
So you still think you know what a Dirty Sanchez is?
Don't be so sure................
