Matt Ochoa

Matt Ochoa

DIRTY HEADS

32 years old from Southern California, residing in Huntington Beach. Started drumming at the age of 11 by joining my middle schools concert and jazz band. Moved to Orange County by age 13 where I continued drumming in Marching band/ Drumline at Cypress High School.

After HS I played with many different rock/ alternative/ funk groups. A couple influences at that time were Tony Royster Jr., Marco Minneman, Stewart Copeland, John Bonham, Josh Freese and Jose Pasillas.

In 2007 I joined Dirty Heads. Ive been with the group since. We've recorded several albums, and have played hundreds of shows. Our style is Alternative/ Hip-Hop/ Reggae. My style of playing is simple but aggressive. "Play through the drum!"

I proudly endorse Vic Firth, Zildjian Cymbals, DW drums, Evans drumheads and JH audio.

Matt
Ochoa
IN 3

  • Most memorable Next-Level Performance

    Hometown show (One Love festival, Long Beach Ca) February 2017 Our biggest headlining festival date at home! We as a band have achieved so much by this point. We went all out on energy, performance and production. It was a sold out show at 12,000 fans. We had one of my favorite bands growing up supporting us, 311! Definitely a memorable moment in my career.
  • What Drives Your Creativity?

    I always try to think like a songwriter when it comes to creating drum parts. I like to do what's best to support the music, vocals and melody. Also playing with other musicians outside of my band makes you think outside the box and play something that might not be so comfortable.
  • Why do you choose Vic Firth?

    When I started playing drums, I wanted to try out everything. I played all the stick brands. No matter how many different types of stick I tried, I always came back to Vic. At first it was just the durability. Now I know that its because of quality. I don't feel right playing anything else!

BEHIND THE KIT

DIRTY HEADS