A One-on-One with Danny:
The Roar: How would you describe your music?
Danny: I’d call it a mixture of indie and hip-hop. It’s kind of a concept album. The concept is sincerity, being rdically genuine, freedom from hypocrisy.
The Roar: Could you compare yourself to any other artists/bands out there now?
Danny: Some of my influences are Kendrick Lamar, Yellow Ostrich, Kimbra, Jack White, and Alt-J.
The Roar: What kind of work goes into writing, recording, and producing music?
Danny: For the first track, I just set up a mike in my basement with me and a mandolin. I add background tracks from what I hear in my head, and there’s a lot of trial and error.
The Roar: Do you have any upcoming projects or events?
Danny: I’m always making things. I have some ideas, but the EP release takes up a lot of time, so we’ll see.
The Roar: What kind of events have you performed at?
Danny: I performed at Foam, which is like a living room/coffee house, and I’ve done a couple of open mike night events. I like performing live, it turns my album into a more acoustic, sincere sound.
The Roar: What advice would you give to kids who want to take their music to the next level like you did?
Danny: Just make things. The worst that could happen is you fail and learn. Create things that you hear in your mind.
The Roar: How can people get a hold of this CD for themselves?
Danny: I would prefer to just personally give people the CD. I want to stay away from selling it. It will probably be on places like Spotify, Bandcamp, and Noisetrade. My EP is a gift to people; I don’t like music that is for buying, selling, or stealing.
Track-by-Track of Sincerely, EP:
1. “I Don’t Know” (feat. IQ)
This song features soulful, almost calypso-like instrumentation, and even a little bit of Dubstep, but it is not used in a way that overwhelms the track but instead compliments it. This song features a rap by IQ that, like the dubstep, doesn’t feel out of place but smoothly transitions into the next chorus. This track is great for Pop fans who like a little alternative in their playlists.
Danny: I met IQ at an open mike night. He wanted to do a remix of track one, and the next week we got in the studio and did it. He’s a pre-algebra teacher by day and a rapper by night. I didn’t want his rap to be vulgar, but my goal was that it was sincere.
Good for fans of: Maroon 5, Foster the People
2. “Déjà Vu”
This song is haunting and slow, soulful much like a Florence + the Machine song. The starting, pulselike drumbeat changes into a haunting finale, almost robotic and creepy.
Good for fans of: Adele, Florence + the Machine
3. “Say it Now”
The piano and the mandolin on this track contrast the garbled vocals and the synthesizer in the background, contributing to the otherworldly, intense feel of this song. The tempo slows down and sobers up for the ending of the song in a conclusion that again contrasts to the rest of the song in an interesting way.
Good for fans of: fun, Foster the People
4. “Silence”
This song slows down and quiets down just a little bit. Danny’s vocals make for a really moody, altnerative style of music. The beat and feel of the song is captivating, too.
Good for fans of: Coldplay, Snow Patrol
5. “Monsters”
What a great choice to cover Pumped Up Kicks! I love that Danny didn’t note-by-note copy this song but instead put his own stylistic twist on it, featuring a synthesizer instead of the typical bass in the original song. The song intensifies after an original riff called “Monsters” that also plays throughout the cover. There’s a sort of underlying insanity to this song, which is fitting, since the original song was about a school shooting.
Danny: I wanted to put the old song, Pumped Up Kicks, in a different light. The answer to gun control is that we have aserious problem with loving people. These people, these shooters, aren’t monsters, but people like us.
Good for fans of: Florence + the Machine, Kimbra
