<You and I Recorded Live by BSB>

Yeah, I was 9 years old and my brother was 16 and he was kinda' our dad for some reason. So he had my younger brother do art and drawing. He kinda' pushed Mike to do that. He kinda' pushed me to try the guitar, so I played the guitar at 9 years old and started jamming with him. Just learning chords. For some reason it just kinda' stuck and I kept playing. My brother joined the Army 2 years later. He would send me like Rush records, Jeff Beck. I would just learn them so when he came back home to visit that I would have the solo's learned note for note, to make him happy. So that's what I did. It just went on from there. Around 14 I just started playing the guitar 8 hours a day or more and through out high school as well. I just started getting turned on to a lots of different types of music and started writing songs, that's pretty much how it all started.

<You and I Recorded Live by BSB>

I like doing covers. I don't do enough of them. Mostly I just write songs, melodies little things that are not done and hope that they get done. I think that very recently I have made a lot more, better effort to get disciplined to finish things. I can go months with out writing a song. Right now I got like 5 or 10 little things written that are all being worked on. They are all getting built, right now its kinda' like the ADD approach to writing songs. I just start writing something, I dig on it for a while. I break new ground on a cool melody. I'm kinda' really getting excited about the moment. After a few times I get kinda' bored, I'm not getting anywhere so I kinda' move to the next song. The next idea that comes to my head. "Oh yeah, I was working on this the other day." That kinda' of spurs me on to do stuff, as far as the writing process. Definitely writing a lot more as opposed to being guitar god, or what people perceive me to be very proficient on the guitar as a soloist. There is always that balance that I'm trying accomplish. The guitar playing, the singer songwriter thing. I've always been influenced with bluegrass, jazz and rock and so it all gets kinda' gets regurgitated everywhere.

<You and I Recorded Live by BSB>

Well, quite honestly the live shows are what they are because they are sloppy in some ways. There are a lot of points in a the song, in the process of playing live, where things are ambiguous, it will be like "OK, I'll take a 10 minute solo here" and then we just kinda', not to imply its a negative thing. Sometimes things work out. I like the term "We go into outer space together," where we kind of feel like we are doing some things pretty interesting, all just being done right on the spot. And sometimes things aren't working out like they should and so I think at this point I've kinda' taken a big break of where I'm at right now and definitely taking more time then ever to choreograph and plan and setup a show more then ever. Maybe the band will still be called a jam band but maybe it will be more structured. Cause its funny, I don't really listen to jam band music but its almost like the jam band community has kinda' embraced us here locally, which I'm happy about.

<She Will Come Tomorrow Recorded Live by BSB>

Yeah, I've been fortunate recently. Not to sound cliche, but I was going through a hard time in my life and all of a sudden I got a call, from this guy from House of Blues, "Yeah, we need an opener tonight for Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Showbox. I was hoping you might do it." I was like "Alright". At that point I wasn't really playing much. I was kinda' wondering what I was going to do next. So I just kinda' came out to the Showbox, sat down, did my sound check. You know I have done quite a few shows in my life, this one made me particularly nervous because I looked around, there's people with Ozzy Osbourne shirts on, jean jackets & mullets. You know, I mean there's some cool people, not to imply anything negative. It just wasn't my bag. I went up there and I did my little solo acoustic set. It was about one of the most incredible moments I have ever had. Just the energy I felt there. You know it was like 700-800 people. It just kinda' got me going. That was a cool show, playing with him. Then I played with Jason Mraz on Sunday, Paramount Theater. We opened for Alanis Morissette. That was kinda' funny because he was skateboarding, hurt his elbow. He gave me a call on Saturday evening to come down and play at the Paramount on Sunday night. So I definitely spent, I had a crash course in cramming for a few of his tunes. So that was a great experience. Jason Mraz is one of the most talented people I've ever been around. That was really cool. This past year I've played with Reggie Watts from Maktub. I jammed on stage with the drummer for Stevie Ray Vaughn, Double Trouble. The drummer for Living Color and Michael Shrieve, the original drummer of Santana all on 1 night. That was crazy. There was a Jimi Hendrix tribute in town at the Paramount again. A bunch of people, really great musicians, met up at this club, Tost its called. So I got to play with some really incredible people I've always admired. So that was really cool. We went on tour in New Hampshire about a year and half, 2 years ago and all of a sudden Max Weinberg comes walking up and we got to jam with him on the drums. That was a really, really cool experience. Man, I've been really fortunate to be able to jam with a lot of people that I respect and admire.

<Longest Hour Recorded Live by BSB>

Probably about 6 months ago I decided to just quit playing music period, live, and otherwise. I was giving lessons during the day and I quit doing that too. I just needed a perspective away from it for a while. I started working at Dave Page Cobbler dot com. That was great because I got a crash course on hiking boots and its the biggest hiking boot repair place in the whole US. Its really zen like to be able to work on shoes all day and think about my life. So that's been a cool thing. Now I'm kinda' at the moment not working there as much because I'm back teaching at guitar camp at the Vera Project in downtown, I think I mentioned to you guys. Its called Rock School.org its a non-profit and its based around helping youth with their musical endeavors there is singing courses, there is guitar, base, song writing, drums. So I teach the advance guitar class, and I got 9 students and today I got a really big kick out of those guys because there are times when they come out with something and I'll be blown away with a really cool guitar lick or something. Its really cool to learn from them and be like "Wow, that was a cool lick you did." We all learn something, like a student has brought forward, so I always love teaching kids, especially ones that are really trying hard, and ones that have talent and are really trying to get to the next level. To be 12,13 or 14 and really be glued to your guitar I guess I have a soft spot for that cause that's pretty much how I was when I was that age so it feels good to give back. I got a web site, its dannyband.com. I'll have the new CD on sale there when it comes out hopefully before the end of the year I'll have my first studio release out. So that's what I'm shooting for. I have a couple live CD's at the moment. Live in Anchorage I, Live in Anchorage II and I'm gonna focus everything on this new studio record, so it will be available on dannyband.com when its done. Well the studio experience is definitely not new to me. At the same time its been really cool. I met this person named Jeff he's embraced me whole heartily and has total faith. Just incredible support. He calls himself the facilitator. We are working together to finish this record. I do recording at his house. We kinda' go over ideas over there, so right now there is just a lot of planning involved. Pre production for the record, what songs are going to be on it. How are they going to be constructed. Things like that. Its been great working with him and in the studio as well. It feels good to take my time, and not have to rush. That's what happens when you are doing 200 plus dates a year. You don't really have a time to like devote to an album.

<Ode Recorded Live by BSB>

The classical nylon stringed guitar, I like playing this because like if I'm doing finger style stuff. (DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC) It kinda' has some nice nuances, nice texture DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC with the nylon strings. I play a steel string acoustic, an electric hollow body, and a Stratocaster. I've been playing my Strat for a long time. Just finally trying to get used to this hollow body guitar, Gibson ES-335. I think it goes back to being interested in all types of music, so I like all types of guitars. I want to get a 12 string. I have a solid state Peavey head from the 1970's and I can definitely see a good amp, and understand one and appreciate one. But I think, where I'm at playing, like playing bars in Seattle and stuff, I'm not really sure if people are really are going to recognize the quality of my guitar amp. I dunno I could be wrong. Somebody told me, a few people have told me that the people that come to see shows are weird and its true. I have definitely seen some eccentric people which I love. People are a little off kilt, I mean, what does that mean. Its all perspective anyway. Then you have cute girls that know some of the songs. Musicians come out a lot to our shows. Wow, it's a demographic thats pretty wild. You go from young ladies to old men. It just kinda' spans it all. I like that aspect of it.

We go to Alaska quite a bit. I've been there about 14 or 15 times now. I think the demographic is pretty solid in Alaska. There's a lot of hippies that come out, you know. There's a lot of people out there that are organic folks. That they are just in it for the music and thats it. They are not worrying about their hair or how they are looking. Just there to have a good time and dance, so thats really cool. You know in Seattle its kinda' not really that, its something else. I think in Alaska we play there we are really defined as a jam band and then here, I think here its been, in Seattle because its like what is it. Its hard for people, it seems like people really like to categorize things around here. If it can't be explained in a couple words then there just a big question mark that people run away from. I can feel and see a lot of folks into into certain genre's of music, which is great. I think its more about for live bands doing original music, especially improv, music with some improvisation in it is almost becoming a dying breed.

Venues are becoming less and less that cater towards that type of stuff, and so it definitely felt for sure. I like playing the Tractor Tavern, thats a cool place, when ever they will have me. I like playing this placed call the Nectar, in Seattle as well, in Fremont. Jazzbones is a wonderful place to play and Panamonicas is great. I haven't been there in so long, I have to pay those guys a visit. There's a really cool Irish pub in Pioneer Square where we kinda' got our start, called the Owl n' Thistle thats really cool. We have played there many times. As a matter of fact, after the Mraz's show, we all went down to the Owl n' Thistle and jammed. It was cool. I'm taking it step by step at the moment. I mean the last four years have definitely been very busy and I took a bit of a break, and now focusing on the new recording coming out. I think after, I think right now all my energy, focus is really trying to come out with a good record, with some cool songs on it. Then from there that will dictate what happens next.

Kinda' just taught myself as far as playing the guitar, but I think it comes a lot from listening to bass players and trying to incorporate some really cool bass licks. You know like (DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC), you know that, (MORE DEMONSTRATION), Its kinda' like what a bass player would do if he's like popping or slapping or something. Then I'm really into, I really like finger style playing. I'm trying to become more versed in doing that stuff. (DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC) Then of course, I don't play with a pick a lot of times, so I don't really strum with a pick. So there is a lot of stuff going on, like if I'm playing something slower, like something, say like (DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC). I think there's like a lot of stuff in there going on. Its hard, I'm noticing like with the record that it should be simplified a little more. It gets overwhelming. I am used to just doing that stuff all by myself. So I get kinda' fixated on trying to put like "I hear a baseline" (DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC) Then I hear like the high note MORE MUSIC or what have you. I think it definitely comes from just digging up on all styles of music like the Spanish influences (DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC) type of deal. I just love it all. I don't know where I pick that stuff up from (DANNY DEMONSTRATES MUSIC) I've always been, when it comes down to playing guitar I've always been fixated on sometimes like trying to make a guitar not sound like a guitar just trying to come out some crazy stuff, just kinda' keep it interesting for me.

<Seven>