Up & Coming New Nashville- The Dirt Drifters

They met in Nashville, five musicians from four states with backgrounds from across the spectrum and a hunger to make music that matters. Their growing suspicion that they had something special was confirmed over and over as they took to the road. Fans in one club after another reacted as they always do in the presence of the real thing, and the Dirt Drifters began attracting a rabid and loyal following.

By name and position they are lead singer/guitarist Matt Fleener, vocalist/guitarist Ryan Fleener, vocalist/guitarist Jeff Middleton, bassist Jeremy Little and drummer Nick Diamond. They bring resumes that embrace country, rock, funk and R&B to bear on a gritty, lyrical roadhouse country that offers something substantial to the heart, the mind and the dance floor. One of the best summations of their brand of magic came from the last member to join the group. Bass player Jeremy Little saw the others live and, he says, "I was floored. I knew this was where I belonged musically. It was fun. It was entertaining. I thought Matt was one of the most charismatic people I'd ever seen onstage. It was everything about music I wanted to be a part of."

After several years together, road-tested, club-polished, they signed to Warner Bros. Records, which is turning them loose on a full-scale national audience with a soon-to-be-released CD called This Is My Blood. Produced by Justin Niebank, the phenomenal musical talent known for work with Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, among others, it comes from that place where world-class songwriting weaves compelling stories from life's good and bad—stories all the more riveting for their truth.

"Everything on the record is our life," says Matt. "Not only are we playing all the music on the album and writing the songs, we've lived them."

“Luckily,” adds Ryan, “we had the opportunity to do our own thing. We weren’t pigeonholed and we’re very happy to be in that position.”

“We’re a country band,” says Jeff, “and I think that comes from the songwriting. We’ve all lived out the lyrics of these songs, struggling from paycheck to paycheck. I think that’s one of the main reasons audiences connect with this music.”