Dirty Zen

Hailing from Olympia Washington, DIRTY ZEN rips through the distortion-drenched anthems of the ‘90s with raw energy and zero apologies.

Channeling the angst of Nirvana, the dark, haunting grind of Bush, and the sultry allure of Garbage and Veruca Salt, This six-piece cover band is a loud love letter to the golden era of grunge and alt-rock. Whether it’s a dive bar or a packed-out festival stage, DIRTY ZEN brings back the flannel-clad glory days—one fuzzed-out riff at a time.

The contrast of Kirk Giberson’s gritty, and powerful male vocals paired with Carolyn Ammons Malanowski’s soaring, emotional melodies adds a powerful depth to the DIRTY ZEN sound, blending aggression with vulnerability.

With a mix of primal energy and technical precision, Kim Mount pounds out the chaotic heartbeat of aggressive, relentless rhythms that feels like a storm breaking on drums.  She is the backbone of the band, driving each song into the ground with explosive cymbal crashes and thunderous tom fills. Anchoring that chaos with heavy grooves and unapologetic attitude Justin Cowling cuts through the noise with thunderous riffs on bass.

All of this gets wrapped in a thick blanket of, fuzzy chords with raw intensity and a loose, almost reckless feel as Chris Gizzi lays the foundation with muddy textures and sludgy riffs on rhythm guitar, while Andrew Kroschel cuts through the haze with jagged solos, feedback-drenched wails, and eerie melodic lines.

Together, DIRTY ZEN creates a sonic wall that’s equal parts chaos and catharsis—perfectly unpolished and unapologetically loud.

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