Artist Spotlight: Meet Dior Ashley Brown & The Filthy Animals
Meet Dior Ashley Brown and The Filthy Animals, a DMV-based band jamming with a unique blend of rock, soul, hip hop, and funk. Featuring the powerful vocals of Dior Ashley Brown, The Filthy Animals boast a talented lineup of musicians lighting up stages with piano solos to infectious bass lines and thunderous drums, this band knows how to put on a show.
NCF:
Where are you (all) from and where do you live now?
DAB&FA:
Dior Ashley Brown aka “DAB” is from DC and lives in DC.
Josh Walker aka Skywalker on Drums is from and lives in the DC/MD/VA (“the DMV”)region.
Charles White aka “Choc Doc” on Keys is from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Kurt Saintil aka “Kurt Danger” on bass is from the DMV lives in the DMV.
Johnathan Simmons on guitar is from Las Vegas, Nevada and lives in Northern,VA.
King Kai, our Hype Man/Support and Producer is from DC lives in DC.
NCF:
What inspired your band/performance creation?
DAB:
Growing up in DC, the Midwest, and overseas I (Dior Ashley Brown) am inspired by all types of music especially Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B, Go-Go and 70s Funk, and my band is a fusion of these things. You will hear sounds that are inspired by Nas, Lauryn Hill, James Brown, Chaka Khan, and many others, I love to keep it funky. I was looking for a band to back me coming out of the “Panini” and I ran into some fellow musicians on the scene at an outside jam on the roof top at Union Market that I was rockin’. After the jam session, we talked about getting together to see if there was a vibe.
During that time Charles White aka “Choc Doc” and his homies were planning a Christmas Party which they named ”The Filthy Animals Christmas party.” The party was a hit, bringing together a rack of musicians including myself. For a few months we jammed together creating a ix of my original music and some covers. We loved the vibe we all had together so we started regularly rehearsing and acquired a residency at Bossa Lounge. We had a lot of success at Bossa and began to pick up crazy gigs like DC Emancipation Day opening for CeeLo Green, Slick Rick, and the Fort Dupont Park Summer Series with Kenny Lattimore.
NCF:
What's your favorite song to enjoy with cannabis and/or for relaxation?
DAB:
Steve Wonder – Too High
NCF:
If you could invite anyone (the sky's the limit!) to guest perform with you onstage at NCF who would it be and why?
DAB:
Since I’m from the DMV I have to say Raheem Devaughn. I have a particular song I’d love for him to feature on, and though Raheem is one of a kind, his vibe is definitely the soul of DC and is so reminiscent of the late great Marvin Gaye.
NCF:
Any upcoming projects or shows we can make folks aware of?
DAB:
Yes! My next performance is February 28, 2024 at 7:30PM for the Hip Hop Listening Sessions: Love in Hip Hop at The Kennedy Center! Link here:https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/hip-hop/2023-2024/hip-hop-listening-love-in-hip-hop/
Folks should also know about the DC Music Summit 2024 Conference taking place from March 22nd to the 24th at Anacostia New Tech Highschool. The DC Music Summit is an award-winning 501(c)3 nonprofit and volunteer organization. Our annual music business conference is committed to providing resources through networking and education for creatives and organizations within DMV Music Community and beyond. Register, lead a session, and or submit to perform here : https://www.dcmusicsummit.com/dcms