David Satori of Dirtwire recently joined KGNU’s Iris Berkeley to discuss the band’s upcoming Colorado tour, which includes stops in Durango, Buena Vista, Aspen, Boulder, and Fort Collins. Satori shared insights on the evolution of their latest album, Pyrochrome, and how the band is incorporating new songs into their live performances. He also spoke about his break from touring to focus on family, the inspiration behind Pyrochrome, and his ongoing work with Sunrise Studios Collective, a nonprofit that builds recording studios in underserved communities worldwide.
Iris Berkeley: David Satori of Dirtwire. Hey.
David Satori: Yeah, how you doing?
Iris Berkeley: Good.
David Satori: Thanks for having me.
Iris Berkeley: Oh, it’s always a pleasure. You’re gonna be in our neck of the woods on Friday, April 25th. KGNU presents Dirtwire with Banshee Tree at the Boulder Theater and LVDY. Truthfully, I know it’s only the end of April, but to me, this sort of feels like a kickoff to the summer. This is part of a big run of Colorado shows for you, right?
David Satori: Yeah, we’re starting tomorrow in Durango. We’re doing Durango on Tuesday, Wednesday in Buena Vista, Thursday in Aspen at the Belly Up, and then Friday in Boulder, the 25th, this Friday. And then Fort Collins after that.
Iris Berkeley: That’s a lot of dates. And you’re just starting off this run, right?
David Satori: Yeah, we’re heading out to the West Coast. We’ll be going through Idaho, Montana, Washington.
Iris Berkeley: Oh my gosh. So we just heard “Cantaloupe,” and a little bit earlier, we heard “The How.” Both of those are from your latest album, Pyrochrome. Is this like the official Pyrochrome Road tour?
David Satori: This is the official Pyrochrome tour. This is the end of it.
Iris Berkeley: Mm-hmm.
David Satori: This is the end of the Pyrochrome tour. Check it out.
Iris Berkeley: Yeah, part two. I’m so curious. What’s it like taking a record on the road like that? Especially if you’re on part two of a tour like that.
David Satori: It’s good. The songs are getting more comfortable. We’ve been playing them for a while, and we’re able to stretch out a little more, do some different things. We’re going to add some new songs on this tour that we’ve never played before too. So, we’re looking to get into some new stuff as well.
Iris Berkeley: Yeah. All right. What did you love about—’cause, I mean, gosh, what number record is this for you guys?
David Satori: Oh man, I’m losing track. I think it’s close to 11, maybe 11 or 12.
Iris Berkeley: All right. So, what did you love about this particular album? What’s this one for you?
David Satori: This one just felt like we hadn’t made an album in this way in a while. The way the three of us were writing together felt unique. We were going back and forth, and the flow was just really good. Each record is different. Sometimes someone brings more songs to the table, but this time, we all brought an equal amount of songs and were able to fully collaborate. It was interesting to see how each one was very different.
Iris Berkeley: That’s awesome. It’s a very distinctive record. Really digging it, really loving the sound. Very different from your other work, especially since you also started Beats Antique, which some people might not know. But you’re going to be with them at Red Rocks on June 4th, right?
David Satori: I’m not. I might sit in. We’ll see. You might see me there, you might not. I never know.
Iris Berkeley: What is that like—being with two bands that have such different personalities?
David Satori: It’s been a wild journey. I feel really proud of what Beats Antique has done. I just took a break for the past two and a half years of no touring, and then I came back with Dirtwire this winter, in January. I started a family, so now I can’t tour with both bands at the same time. I’m focused on Dirtwire, touring and still rocking out. They’re playing Red Rocks on June 4th with Fevery and Moontricks. That’s going to be a great show. Who knows what’ll happen?
Iris Berkeley: Yeah, I was curious about that because you did step away from touring for a while—like, two and a half years, I think you said. What’s it like getting back on the road?
David Satori: It feels really good. It’s given me a whole new perspective on touring and an appreciation for it. I got a little burnt out after doing it for so long, so it gave me a fresh pair of eyes—looking through my daughter’s eyes. I recommend people take breaks if they can. Even if it feels scary at first.
Iris Berkeley: Yeah. Your little one’s really little, right?
David Satori: She’s almost one and a half.
Iris Berkeley: Wow. Watching a kid get into music—that’s gotta be incredible.
David Satori: It’s the best thing ever. Watching little kids have no inhibition—I love that.
Iris Berkeley: If you’re talking about record number 11 with Dirtwire, where do you find inspiration after that much recording? Where does it come from?
David Satori: We never really have a hard time coming up with ideas. Each one of us—Mark, Evan, and myself—are all writers and producers. There are so many sketches on the board between the three of us. It’s more like, “Which ones do we want to get out now?” We’re also doing a lot of collaborations. Look out for a lot of collaborations with other artists this year.
Iris Berkeley: That’s a bit of a spoiler. We’re going to play our chat out with Trevor Hall. How do those collabs happen for y’all?
David Satori: They happen naturally. We meet people touring, on the road, at festivals. Sometimes, we’ll hit up an artist we’ve never even met before to see if they’re interested. It’s really the golden age of collaboration because it’s so easy to connect and work remotely.
Iris Berkeley: That’s gotta be so much fun.
David Satori: Yeah, it’s always a blast.
Iris Berkeley: Tell us about that nonprofit you started.
David Satori: Oh, cool. I helped start a nonprofit about three years ago called Sunrise Studios Collective. It’s a nonprofit that builds recording studios around the world. We have over eight studios from Brazil to East Africa to Pine Ridge Reservation in the U.S. We’re working on building more in West Africa and just built one in Gambia. We basically give out mini-grants to organizations to build recording studios. We have two solar-powered recording studios in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. You can follow us on Instagram at Sunrise Studios Collective.
Iris Berkeley: That’s amazing. Just hearing what comes out of that must be incredible.
David Satori: Yeah, it’s really inspiring. You can look on Spotify under Sunrise Studios Collective and hear one of our songs about water, which was a collaboration with multiple artists from South America to Africa.
Iris Berkeley: That’s so cool. You’re going to be at the Boulder Theater with Banshee Tree. What would you want the KGNU universe to know about that show?
David Satori: Just expect a good time. We’re excited to share a bunch of new music. Banshee Tree is a great live local band, and LVDY is opening the night. We’ve got some really great production and visuals, and there might be some special guests. Tickets are moving quickly.
Iris Berkeley: Anything else you want our listeners to know?
David Satori: Yeah, just check out Dirtwire on Spotify and give us a follow. It actually helps more than people realize. It’s the age we’re in where those metrics help artists move forward.
Iris Berkeley: Good to know. Thanks so much for your time. Have a great trip to Durango, and thank you for joining us.
David Satori: Appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Iris Berkeley: Take care.
