Danger Radio pt 2

Let’s see if your moves are good enough for Danger Radio. If you haven’t wanted to hit the dance floor before the release of Used and Abused, you will now. Having a fairly diverse audience and not catering to a specific demographic, Danger Radio has come to help you find your groove. With a line-up consisting of Andrew De Torres crooning, Andy Brookins and Elan Wright on guitar, Marvin Kunkel on bass, Nico Hartikainen taking charge of the drums and programming, and Spencer Phillips on the keys, the band has quite a rigorous touring schedule. Luckily, after chowing down, Andrew was able to take a few minutes and discuss what makes Danger Radio tick.

Basically it’s nothing new, nothing groundbreaking,, and nothing we haven’t seen attempted before: good music with a beat that you can dance to. And so be it – but at least people are listening. And that is what makes Andrew continue to tour and continue to play shows. Or as he so effortlessly put it: “To actually be able to go out on the road and have kids come see you is great. I feel very accomplished.” And that is quite the accomplishment. Danger Radio may not have any awards or shiny plaques to brag about, but is that what it’s really about when you get down to the core of music? It’s about the feeling that you get when you grace the stage and see the faces staring back at you, singing the words to your songs. And Danger Radio has accomplished this.

Sometimes phone interviews have awkward timing and mealtimes on the road, those rare respites, should never be interrupted. The clamor on the other end of the phone line reminds me of this. Once in a calmer atmosphere, relatively speaking, Andrew tells of how the band got its foundations. Nico, Marvin, and Andrew knew each other from the early times of childhood and grew up attending jazz band and other structured musical outlets. Andrew asked Nico if he wanted to enter a couple local talent shows and that venture led to the eventual creation of a cover band. Then Marvin came into the equation. There were originally two other guitarists at this point, but they disappeared somewhere along the timeline to attend school and pursue other passions. The current lineup has been solid for about two years and counting.

Music, which courses through the veins of most that choose to claim the open road as home and the white dotted lines as the roadmap to that untraditional home, entered into Andrew’s life early on, beginning with the playing of the trumpet in fourth grade. “It’s such an extremely amazing escape to be able to put your entire life into something. Especially with lyrics, being able to tell people stuff that you’ve gone through and see them react to it. It’s just an extremely life changing thing.” A mindset that led to the creation of a piece of paper littered with possible band names with the moniker Danger Radio circled. This very piece of paper was brought to a band practice and handed to the present members with the statement “these are the names [I] came up with and if anyone has any suggestions just let [me] know.” Nothing more in the way of name suggestions was offered and Danger Radio proved suitable for the members. And suitable for Photo Finish Records – that is, it was suitable for Photo Finish when accompanied with their songs and musical resume.

Inspired to pick up and play the guitar by a love for the Beatles, Andrew is also moved by such musical greats as Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, John Mayer and others that have helped to keep his musical spark aflame. These influences combine to aid in the somewhat arduous song-writing process. Nico and Andrew “come up with a concept or a main idea because [they] live together. Then once the song is all mapped out, [they] bring it to the band…and agree on everything and it becomes a song.” Simple enough it seems. But the songs don’t get lost in a set list to which the band is indifferent about performing. Andrew claims Used and Abused as his favorite song because “it’s one of the most diverse songs” that the band has written to date and “it’s really chill.”

Playing daily and touring through cities that may not have been graced by Andrew’s presence otherwise, is on the ever growing list of pluses associated with touring. “I really like just meeting people,” the vocalist offers. “I really like the fact that we go to a new city every night. We all try to mingle around and talk to all of our fans. Some of the coolest people I have met in my life, I have met on the road. You never know when you are going to make new best friends.” Look for the members of Danger Radio passing through a crowd or chatting up eager audience members at their upcoming shows: either on tour with Jonzetta and Meg and Dia or their yet-to-be-announced fall tours.

Whatever shall be unveiled, the guys are certainly not going to stop there. They have proven their commitment with a non-stop touring schedule and a devotion to all those who attend their shows including long-time fans or new converts looking to bust a move. Don’t be shy.