From Feed Store to Stadium: This Is Dirty Bynum

During my daily hours-long scroll through TikTok, I stumbled across a video made by a guy named Bucky showing off his bands’ music. Immediately, I knew I was going to be a fan. The rock-inspired guitar riffs, punchy lyrics, and cleverly-marketed video were all signs of a quality band ready to amass a following. Come to find out, I wasn’t the only one who thought that; a little over two weeks later and the video is nearing one million views. 

Unpublished: Walk me through your creative process. How do you guys write songs and where do your lyrics and sounds come from? 

Tanner: Songwriting is really just a feeling. They're all like individual feelings, so I don't know that there is a process. At least, a super defined process. I'm just into whatever is really speaking to me that day and I just try my best to let that feeling pour out of me. I write a lot and I have a more seasonal sense of writing. I love writing during the winter months a lot, too. I’m really a writer before I’m a guitarist. I guess there’s really just something about the atmosphere of the world that kind of weighs into it regardless. It’s all very much engrained in personal experience, who we are as people, and where we’ve been wanting to go in life. 

Unpublished: Where did you guys meet?

Joe: We actually all went to high school together. I was a freshman when they were seniors and we all ran cross country together, so that’s how we really met. But, then we became close friends through music. They wanted me to be in their band but for the longest time, I said no. Eventually, they asked me to go on a run with them and I said yes. And, here we are three years later. 

Unpublished: Is it difficult to create rock music in Texas, where country music is the dominant genre? 

Tanner: I think, at first, it was definitely an uphill battle. But, I think people have really taken notice of what we’re doing and have started to accept it. 

Bucky: That’s kind of what we’ve been pushing. Playing shows around Texas is kind of bringing rock and roll back to East Texas. 

Joe: People our age have been surprisingly open to rock and roll. It seems like rap and hip-hop are the most prevalent types of music, and that’s really been the bigger obstacle. Especially with older people, our style of rock takes them back to the good old days and gives them a bit of nostalgia.

Unpublished: Do you guys tend to embrace the country music influences or stay away from it completely?

Tanner: We're really influenced by everything. I think that's why so many people can kind of take to it regardless. I mean, it's rock and roll, but it’s influenced by country, rap, 70s progressive experimental music, 90s alternative rock, 80s synth, it’s all in there. It’s just our take on it. 

Bucky: I grew up listening to Southern rock and like certain country songs, but I really hated “stadium country.” I really wanted people to write old country music and folk songs like Arlo Guthrie and Bob Dylan.

Joe: I think we’ve kind of taken it upon ourselves so if anyone’s going to save rock and roll it might as well be us. 

Unpublished: The lyrics to your single “Moth Man” are really interesting. What is it about and where did the inspiration come from?

Tanner: It’s funny, there was a moth about the size of two fists perched up on my doorstep for about a week. I just thought it was really interesting and very captivating, and I already had some lyrics from prior experiences. I just kind of thought about what life was worth living for and what I was going through at the time and I just put it all together and made a banger out of it. 

Unpublished: What’s your biggest goal in terms of touring and live shows, even though it’s going to be pretty difficult in the coming months?

Tanner: It’s very interesting because right now, we’re really grinding and pushing for live shows. We’re playing as much as we can. By the time there’s a demand for it, we’ll really be ready to go wherever. We’ll play for five people at the local coffee shop or a stadium, there’s nothing off-limits. 

Bucky: The crowds are comin’. We’ve got a nice little following. 

Joe: It’s been great seeing it compared to the first show that we played. We had our very close family and friends there, but now we have people coming because they really enjoy our music. TikTok really helped a lot.

Tanner: We’ve got a small following across America now-

Joe: Also in Sweden! 

Tanner: Yeah, we get messages all the time from people that say, “Listening from Minnesota!” And I’m like, damn, I didn’t even know that place existed!

Unpublished: Where does the name Dirty Bynum come from?

Bucky: Me and Tanner kind of started this whole thing when we were sophomores. 

Tanner: We learned to play guitar together and that’s kind of what sparked this whole journey. We were daydreaming one day about what could be, planning out the future. 

Bucky: I was throwing out silly band names, using a band name generator.

Tanner: We were talking about how AC/DC has a giant blow-up figure on stage and Bucky said, “It’s called something… I think Dirty Betty.” And I said, “Dirty Bynum” because Bynum was our Spanish teacher’s name. She was the sweetest, most influential, respectful woman and we kind of gave her a rock alter ego. 

Unpublished: I see you guys cover a lot of bands at live shows and on your Instagram. Your cover of Brazil by Declan McKenna was so cool, so who are some of your other favorite bands to cover?

Tanner: We covered “Black Sheep”, a Metric song that’s in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. We like doing really obscure stuff like that. There’s a band called Ween and Pavement is a 90s underground indie-alternative band that we play. We really just play everything we love to listen to.

Unpublished: Where do you guys see yourselves in three-to-five years?

Joe: Minnesota!

Tanner: Yeah, definitely. I think within the next year we’ll have an album. I mean, we’ve gained a lot of traction since the EP released, and we don’t plan on stopping. I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to say we’ll be touring across North America, at least a small tour. We’ll be out there. 

Unpublished: If our readers could know anything about you guys, what would it be?

Bucky: The only thing I ever wear is Crocs. No, but really. We’re just really overwhelmed and happy by everything happening. 

Tanner: And, I think finally to be reaching everyone with our message and our love and appreciation for music and our craft means the world to us. I think I speak for all of us on that.