The Dirty Three forged from a need to pay the rent in 1993. The main concern was to try and take a band photo in a rehearsal, albeit brief. The band originally played background MUZAK in the corner of a bar, a bar probably not too dissimilar from your living room. The band's volume outgrew the venue, so they took on stages, stages with PA's. There was also some problem about a stolen mop bucket.

Dirty Three's music has been called lyrical, passionate, original, inspiring, and has earned them admiration and renown across the globe, from their home in Australia, to New Orleans to New York City and back again.