Dirtwire is a band of three musicians who met in their student days at the California Institute of Arts. Each are members of other bands, including Beats Antique, The Dogon Lights and Jed and Lucia.

As a result, they're steeped in the experimental world of electronica music.

As Dirtwire, the three bring the live stage experience a step further by playing a multitude of intsruments from around the world – melodicas, guitarjo, jaws harp, harmonica, kamale ngoni, megaphone, whamola, fujara, Siberian ghostcatcher and mouthbow.

These enhance the visual as well as audio experience of the live performance. The majority of the nearly sold out Top Hat crowd could only hear the vast array of instruments, which was more than enough for an evening intense, joyful movement.

The band said an “important part of this journey has been acknowledging and honoring the traditions of indigenous populations, working to raise awareness about the challenges they face, and calling attention to their musical traditions and how the band has incorporated and drawn influence from them.”

It's a lofty and vital mission.

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