Danko Jones is the kind of band you wish you could see live every weekend. They should be the go-to Rock music you turn to for most any occasion: rocking out on long road trips, pumping inspiration through your veins during an extra hard workout, or expressing all the things you wish you would have said when your ex-lover squashed your heart. Danko Jones has been shredding eardrums and winning fans over one by one for the past sixteen years. If you’ve yet to heard of them, consider this your lucky day!
The trio is lead by singer/guitarist Danko Jones, with fellow founding member John Calabrese’s on bass guitar. The combination of Jones’ riffs partnered with Calabrese’s loose and dirty bass arrangements gives each song a solid, unique Danko Jones identity. A la Spinal Tap, the band has hosted a half dozen talented, hard-hitting drummers. The band’s most recent percussionist is the lively Atom Willard (previously of Social Distortion, The Offspring, and his other project Angels & Airwaves), who has yet to write or record with Danko Jones but adds an extra-animated dynamic to the live set.
With seven albums of solid, unflinching Rock to their name, the Danko Jones discography continues to grow steadily. If there is one thing to be said about their music, it is constant. Fans know to expect straightforward, raw excitement with each Danko Jones album. Their latest album, Below the Belt is a rousing culmination of their various influences—not only other artists, but also their own previous recordings. In true Danko Jones form, the majority of songs are about sex in one form or another—wanting it (Active Volcanoes), having it (Like Dynamite), missing it (Full of Regret), turning it down (I Wanna Break Up With You). But unlike previous releases, this effort ups the ante with its Dean Karr stylized porn star/lion/peackcock chair/ Black Panther Huey P. Newton album cover homage. Danko Jones means to make a lasting impression that is both cocky and tongue-in-cheek.
In true K.I.S.S. fashion (keep it simple, stupid), Danko Jones lyrics revolve around the universal desires and disappointments we all experience. While there are moments of wordplay and innuendo, their songs are never lofty or elitist. It is the kind of music anyone can listen to once and quickly identify with themes of lust, revenge, missed opportunities, and sex. Yet, unlike so many man vs. woman lyrics, there is not one ounce of misogyny or hateful vulgarity in their one-hundred song oeuvre.
In addition to their pull-no-punches Rock, the has built a solid reputation as a touring act, surely to their respectable work ethic and continually impassioned live performances. Danko Jones—the man and the band—truly gets that concert goers want to be entertained, that they want an experience. If a fan’s enthusiasm was purely about the music he’d stay home sitting in a bean bag, eating Doritos, listening to Dark Side of the Moon. Attending a Danko Jones show is a guaranteed good time, beyond the music. With nearly sixteen years of touring under their belts, they’ve had some time to hone their craft. From their first America gigs at the Fireside Bowling Alley in Chicago, Illinois to playing Olympic Stadium in Moscow Russia with Guns ‘n’ Roses, the guys have definitely come in to their own.
Asked if they have any special preparations before they tour, Jones responded, “After so long on the road, we never really unpack. This is our job and we’re always ready for it.” Hugely popular and well-traveled in Europe, he explained, “We have gear stored over there. I just bring a couple of guitars and play one until it wears out.” He makes it seem effortless, but the guys are also engrossed in delivering a successful, fun show each and every time. They put as much energy in to small gigs as they give to headlining shows in front of thousands. Jones declared, “I do worry about the shows. I obsess over every one. It’s in the back of my head all day. It’s all I think about until we’re done playing. Then I go to sleep, wake up, and think about the next [show].” Their dedication and drive shows in every high energy, dependably entertaining performances that are delivered with the aggression of a hungry lion.
In between stressing over pleasing crowds, writing European Rock magazine columns, and recording podcasts, Jones surely allots a bit of time to studying the great Rock frontmen as well as comedians. When he declared to the audience in San Diego he was going to check himself out in the mirrored wall all night then did (several times), it was one part David Lee Roth vanity and one part Hal Sparks humor. Pauses between songs are carefully crafted opportunities for audience participation and song intros. If you yell out a song request, you just may get it… If it’s on the set list! This is Jones poking fun at the cliché of bands pretending to take requests. If you heckle the sharp-tongued Jones, be prepared for comebacks about stealing your girlfriend, which then leads in to songs like I Think Bad Thoughts and Cadillac. Amused by Jones’ wit and antics, bassist JC then prompts zealous crowds to clap in unison for another set of songs—brilliantly manipulating audiences in to having a fantastic time at a Rock show (without ignominy or mass alcohol consumption)!
Comparing a hard rocker like Danko Jones to consummate showmen like Prince or James Brown may not be one’s initial assessment. But, with careful observation of their on-stage attack and convictions, such associations become apparent. Great entertainers understands the fine art of the live music performance—the importance of timing, pace, energy, sincerity. With a simple three-piece outfit, Jones’ orchestration is subtler than flamboyant leaders Prince and James Brown. Like Prince, Jones exudes a convincing air of “I was born for this, I belong here, and you’re gonna love it” that’s undeniable. He also has a few tricks up his sleeve to create a larger than life stage personae. (And, like Prince, Jones is quite gracious and contemplative off-stage). While Jones growls to his microphone about sex and attacks his axe, Calabrese prowls the stage full of tension and libidinous glances as he fingers his low-slung bass, seemingly enraptured by the music.
Danko Jones’ closing song, Bring on the Mountain (Become the Mountain) is reminiscent of James Brown’s live version It’s a Man’s World. Both come out of the gates with a raging bravado that knocks your socks off, then balance it with a slower groove before building back up to a bombastic crescendo. Just as Brown slows the pace of Man’s World to pay tribute to Elvis, Marvin Gaye, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, et al, Jones slows the aggressive delivery of Mountain, to align himself with and pay homage to past greats like Jimi Hendrix, The Ramones, Cliff Burton, Johnny Cash, and Ronnie James Dio. James Brown remarks, “so many beautiful people”. Similarly, Jones chants, “everybody’s sexy in Heaven, baby.”
By the end of a Danko Jones show, he’s got an entire audience’s full attention and leaves them craving more (and has many a woman fantasizing what his Gene Simmons-like tongue could do to her). And, if you are in on his ultimate joke, you too will find yourself laughing at all the people who doubted, bullied, or otherwise tried to crush the spirits of those born lions and swans.
If you are a fan ofAC/DC, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Ramones, New York Dolls, Bad Brains, Metallica, or most any other nuts-and-bolts, no bullshit Rock, Punk, or Metal band, you will dig Danko Jones. Go buy their albums if you haven’t already. For a little eye candy, check out their stellar Below the Belt video trio featuring Elijah Woods and Selma Blair. But do yourself an even bigger favor and go to a Danko Jones concert or ten. If you appreciate dirty humor, a bit of braggadocio, and simple yet mind-blowing Rock, you wil not be disappointed. You will also see the last of a fading breed in its natural habitat: hard working musicians grateful, for your enthusiasm and the opportunity to tour the world playing their music.
To find out more about Danko Jones, visit: www.dankojones.com
To see Outer Focus Photos photography from their recent San Diego (The Casbah), San Francisco (Bottom of the Hill), and Hollywood (The Roxy Theater) shows, click on the slideshow to the left.
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