Rock, funk band Dirty Blonde to play Northside Saturday Nights

There's more than one band dubbed Dirty Blonde.

"Yeah, there's another Dirty Blonde out there, and it has two women in the band and they're doing pretty well," vocalist-guitarist-bassist Eamon Reed said from his Iowa City home. "There's a little bit of a conflict."

Typically the band who is most successful claims the name, and other acts who share that moniker must choose another sobriquet. However, neither Dirty Blonde act has become a household name yet.

The rock trio, which started the band four years ago while they were seniors in high school in their native Des Moines, aren't worried about their name as much as their music.

The members of Dirty Blonde, which will perform Saturday at the Englert Theatre as part of the Northside Saturday Night series, features Reed and drummer Charlie Bell, who both attended the University of Iowa. Vocalist-guitarist Nick Jackson is a senior at Drake University. The band, which delivers rock, funk and a dash of R&B, has a unique sound, just like one of its biggest influences, the Police.

"Charlie has been impacted by the Police and particularly (Police drummer) Stewart Copeland," Reed said. "Charlie has a jazz background, and there is a marching band influence in there as well. Watching videos of Stewart Copeland has had a big impact on him."

Bell is an inventive percussionist, which jibes with the playfulness of Dirty Blonde. Pinback, the underrated San Diego rock act that crafts lush, complex pop-rock has also influenced the band, particularly Jackson. Jazz guitarist heroes Wes Montgomery and George Benson have left a mark on Jackson and Reed.

"We also love the work of Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke of the Smiths," Jackson said.

All of those musicians have helped make for a compelling sound that emanates from the young, emerging band that has cut its teeth performing at local venues, such as Gabe's.

Dirty Blonde will preview a collection of new songs it's working on when performing at the Englert.

"We're recording new songs for an album that doesn't have a title yet," Reed said. "It's very raw. Our older stuff is more produced. The new album might be out in the fall. The new stuff is more poetic and socially conscious. In the past, we would tell stories about relationships and things like that. But the new material is a lot more nuanced. It's more jangly."

Well, there's the aforementioned Marr influence. "We love the jangly sound, and what I love about the new songs is that there is a darkness to it and it's a little heavier at times."

Dirty Blonde is also recording more acoustic material and incorporating some samples and utilizing a drum machine. "We're not leaving Charlie behind," Reed said. "We're adding different elements to our music. It's exciting moving in new directions. We're excited since with the new songs there are elements of jazz fusion in there. We love trying new things."

When the forthcoming album drops, Dirty Blonde hopes to play more gigs outside of Iowa.

"We're going to try and branch out," Reed said. "We're trying to schedule something in Minneapolis. We play a lot in Des Moines. We love playing in Iowa City. It's a really nice college town. Iowa City is full of artists our age. Since we played our first gig at Gabe's (in 2021), we've made a solid group of friends. There's a great DIY (do it yourself) scene in Iowa City. We'll see what happens when we branch out and go to other places."

When Jackson graduates from Drake in May, he hopes to move in with Reed and Bell, who share a home in Iowa City.

"It would be nice for all of us to live together in Iowa City," Jackson said. "That would be the ideal situation. But for now, we're focusing on our show at the Englert. That should be a lot of fun."