Inside the chaotic world of The Dirty Turkeys
At the Fox Theater in Boulder last August, The Dirty Turkeys frontman Brad Hansen looked out at a crowd that didn’t just watch — it breathed. Then he dove in. The audience caught him, carried him through the venue and delivered him back to the stage with his microphone still in hand.
“It felt like a lung,” he said, describing the room’s energy pumping back at the band.
It was more than just a stray moment. It was proof of what The Dirty Turkeys do best: they turn a crowd of strangers into a scene of absolute chaos.
The band itself was never intended to become a structured project. Instead, it began like many college bands do: organically, obsessively and without expectations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, bassist Sam Baker picked up guitar to pass the time since sports seasons were cancelled. That spark spread quickly. Russ Hansen swapped his lacrosse stick for a guitar, and as the jams grew louder and more frequent, the group realized they needed a singer. That role fell to Brad Hansen, who had never been in a band before.
They became addicted to late-night basement jams with the lights off, playing purely for release. Eventually, the band added their final piece drummer Ty Tullar. Around the same time, Boulder’s music scene was shifting away from EDM and house toward more band-driven sounds.
“There was just so much opportunity to play shows and backyard events, and then the Fox Theater shows, and local little venues,” Hansen said.
There was no master plan, just momentum and a constant hunger for the next live performance.
What makes The Dirty Turkeys stand out is their sense of brotherhood, both literal and earned. Brad and Russ Hansen, brothers, share a creative chemistry that carries from the studio to the stage.
“I can tell what he’s thinking on stage, when he’s about to go into a guitar solo or when he needs more space,” Hansen said.
Years of shared experiences have created a musical language that doesn’t need explanation.
That same bond extends to Sam and Ty as well. After months of living together, touring together and playing night after night, the group’s connection runs deeper than a typical band dynamic. One defining moment came during a run of shows in Telluride, Colorado.
“We would camp in the mountains, go down and set our stuff up, jump in the river before the show, play a killer show, and then grab a bottle of tequila and go back down to the river,” Hansen said.
No one wanted out. The lifestyle fit.Brad and Russ Hansen co-created Electric Honey, a music festival held in the desert outside Moab — an extension of the community-driven chaos that defines The Dirty Turkeys’ live shows. Built around the same DIY spirit, Electric Honey brings together artists and audiences in a setting that strips away industry polish in favor of connection, movement and shared experience. Like the band, the festival exists less as a product and more as a gathering.
The transition from college band to touring act became real when Ty booked the group a DIY tour. They played three-hour bar gigs every other day, in places ranging from Encinitas, California to Telluride, Colorado and cities in Alaska.
“We planned it all ourselves, and that just made everything much more legit,” Hansen said.
The grind taught them endurance, sharpening their sound through repetition.
Genre for them is a form of freedom rather than limitation. Punk roots and high-energy beginnings blend with acid rock, psychedelia, and country influences. Growing up in Colorado gave the band a deep love for country music, leading them to coin the term “acid cow punk,” a term encompassing their rejection of neat labels and expectations.
The band’s goal is simple: stay true, and let the audience find it when they’re ready.
“We’re not making music to satisfy anyone,” Hansen said. “We’re making music that we think is cool and that we would listen to.” That intention carries into the studio. Rather than chasing perfection, The Dirty Turkeys focus on capturing the energy of their live sound. They prioritize recording together, limiting chopped takes, and keeping the band visually connected throughout the process.
“We always make sure that we can see each other,” Hansen said.
Live, that energy explodes. The Dirty Turkeys shows are less concerts and more full-body experiences.
“People always come up to us after and ask what kind of drugs we’re on,” Hansen said, but the insanity isn’t an act, “it’s very authentic,” he said.
Each member feels the music deeply, and that intensity spreads quickly. Often, the first few songs are met with curiosity. “After the third song it’s just complete chaos,” he said, like the band has unlocked the crowd’s ability to get loose.“Live chaos” as Hansen described it, is exactly what audience members can expect to see from their next live performance in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, Feb. 12, at Libertine Brewing Company in collaboration with beach rock band, Trestles.
