Matthew C.X. Langford, AOL
Alex Zhang Hungtai, the one-man band dubbed
Dirty Beaches, is out to prove that glossy production values and expensive musical equipment don't necessarily give you an advantage.
With his moody, blues-based, distortion-heavy rock, the self-taught Vancouver-based musician has been steadily earning fans who are drawn to his down-and-dirty aesthetic. He's also managed to get the critics on board, too, (especially in Canada where his debut, 'Badlands,' recently
nabbed a
Polaris Prize Long List nod). Spinner recently sat down with the lo-fi troubadour to get to the bottom of his Dirty Beaches persona, hear about his early days (when catching a beer in the face during his set wasn't out of the ordinary) and the ego-boosting encounter he had with a gentleman in the South.
Watch our exclusive video interview below.
Watch Spinner's Video Interview With Dirty Beaches
Photos: Best of Spinner @ NXNE
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=1003027&pid=1003026&uts=1308770196
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
NXNE 2011
Cults singer Madeline Follin performs for the NXNE fans at Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday, June 18, 2011.
Matthew C.X. Langford, AOL
The Canadian Press
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Members of the group Metric arrive at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's Nfld.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
The Barenaked Ladies pose on the red carpet at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's, Newfoundland.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Members of the band Hedley ham it up with some Mounties as they walk the red carpet at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's Nfld.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Hip-Hop artist Classified poses with some Mounties as he walks the red carpet at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's Nfld.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Hip-hop artist K'Naan poses for the cameras at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's N.L.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Hip-hop artist Drake poses for the cameras at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's N.L.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber poses for the cameras at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's Nfld.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Singer Michael Buble arrives at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's Nfld.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
Carloyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle play for the cameras on the red carpet at the Juno Awards Sunday, April 18, 2010 in St. John's Nfld.
2010 Juno Awards: Red Carpet
See Spinner's Complete Coverage of NXNE 2011
Follow @Spinner on Twitter | Like Spinner on Facebook
