Dan Black @ Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa, Ca.
June 2,2010
by Thirst’n Howl III
The Ladies Love Dan Black. I bet he is super bummed that the LL Cool J name has already been done or he could easily rename himself LL Cool DB. Check out the photo gallery to see him in all his glory, than read our interview with him. If you could put the two together it would almost be like television. Crazy.
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Ladies Love Dan Black in Costa Mesa
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black makes his first stop in the U.S. at Detroit Bar
Dan Black is gearing up to visit the good ole U.S. of A. He will be kicking off his tour in the little beach town of Costa Mesa, Ca. This also happens to be right around the corner from my house. Upon reading the following interview, one may get the correct idea that if my heart wore pants, they would be getting tighter and tighter upon the thought of this show. In order to prepare me and you, the most excellent reader, we have a little chat with Dan Black to get us all equally excited.
IRR – Hey there, I’m sorry my phone wouldn’t pick up for the last five minutes. Darn iPhones.
Dan Black (all his parts can be read in a suave british accent, almost Jude Law-ish) – Yes, well, I guess technology can’t solve all of our problems. At least, not yet.
IRR (I chuckle because that is funny, but not too much, because I am playing this cool and let’s imagine my voice with an American accent and with vocal range between Barry White and Moses((played by Charlton Heston)) – Hahahah. So true. So where in the world are you at these days?
DB – I am currently in Paris, France and have been here for a bit.
IRR – Ahhh, Paris. I’ve never been. What should one do if they make it to Paris?
DB – The first thing to do in Paris is just walk around. It is literally soaked in History. It is one of the few places that was not bombed away during World War II so it is not buried and blown to pieces. Paris is also filled with amazing art, amazing food and quite a lot of women.
IRR – Soon you will be headed out on tour. Where all are you headed and for how long?
DB – The tour will more or less be all summer. It will be closer to 2 smaller tours. The majority of the areas that will be covered will be New York, Chicago, and LA. I enjoy the newness of a tour. Going to new places and seeing new parts.
IRR – Where is the smallest town in the U.S. that you have played at?
DB – I would have to say Trenton but I am not sure if I am saying it properly.
IRR – Sounds good to me. On a totally unrelated subject though, how did the collaboration with Kid Cudi come about?
DB – I guess Kid Cudi had heard some of my stuff because he contacted me and more or less said that he wanted to do something together. I sent him the music and almost overnight he had the vocals done. The entire thing took less than 2 to 3 days. It was very fast.
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IRR – Which artists would you like to work with next or are currently working with?
BD – Well, the majority of the artists I currently love as they are and don’t want to ruin it for them. I have never really thought about which artists I would like to work with…but when they contact me or we kind of come together…well than I guess it’s fate. Yeah…Fate.
IRR – This is kind of my favorite part of the interview. I love knowing what bands or artists I love are listening to. So, what are you listening to these days?
DB – Uhmmm, I am really enjoying what Janelle Monet is doing these days. And of course Jamie Lidell. His album Compass is amazing. I also like to listen to Crystal Castles and Salem. Also Warpaint. They were very good at SXSW.
IRR – How was SXSW for you?
DB – SXSW has won me over. It had a nice atmosphere of people. Very mellow and friendly. It was also the most intense craziness that had a calm and friendly feel to it. But then again, maybe my non U.S. eyes were oblivious to all the danger.
IRR – What can we hope to get our ears on soon from you?
DB – There will be a remix of “Symphonies” to be released at the end of the month. That’s probably the next thing that I will have coming out.
IRR – We’re looking forward to it. What are some of the artists that you are currently working with?
DB – Next things I am working with are probably with Bag Raiders and also Kids in Space.
IRR – Bitchin. Now on a personal note, I was wondering why every time that I tell a British person that my grandparents are from Wales they usually say “Ohhhh, I’m sorry.” What does that mean exactly?
DB – Hmmmm. Well I am guessing that it could be that up until about 1939 the English were quite awful to the Welsh. But now they are all OK. I actually grew up in Buckinghamshire. Which was a very nice place to grow up.
IRR – Well, I think we have taken up all of your time and squashed some centuries-old racial problems. I would say this interview has been a full success. We can’t wait to come see you in Costa Mesa next week.
DB – Yes, do say hi.
-Dan Black
June Tour Dates:
June 2 : Costa Mesa @ Detroit Bar
June 3 : LA @ The Roxy
June 4 : San Diego @ Casbah
June 6 : Mountain View @ Live 105′s BFD 2010
June 7 : Fresno @ Starline
June 8 : LA @ Logo’s New Now Next Awards
Have you heard of Dan Black? If you’re reading this from the UK then your probably have an idea who this young artist is, and may know Dan Black was the leader of the UK alternative band The Servant (disbanded in 2007). Since then, Dan Black has gone solo and has released his new album ‘UN’ which is a solid album that takes different pages out of the indie/rock/hip-hop/electro playbook.
There are a lot of great things to be said about this album. The first thing to be said is, Catchy. Any good pop artist knows the importance of a great hook, and riff, and song after song Dan Black finds a way to help you remember each individual track. Dan uses a variety of different elements to bring out some great ambient sound affects like simple strings in the aptly named song “Symphonies” or “Wonder”-a song that it is grounded on the rhythm of an acoustic guitar.
The bomb explosions in, “Pump Your Pumps” help make this track stand out as my favorite across the whole album. The track is heavily grounded with a simple drum and snare track and a solid disco-esque bass track. The Chorus hooks like a fish, and the lyrics and melody flow solidly. I really loved the soft one-note lead that’s held under the song to help drive the emotion and energy all the way through.
The album is straightforward and energized and I think I will definitely put it in my rotation of albums. I find so many times that electronic/dance albums can be so hit or miss. Some albums just have a couple good tracks. Or all the tracks are good, but they all sound the same (house and trance are you listening?). Thankfully Dan Black has given a debut album with variety.
Dan Black needs to be careful with his tendency to whine though. Sometimes his voice seems a give a nod to Thom Yorke, like in “Cigarette Pack” which at times sounds really nice, but this same song has times (especially towards the end) where you kind of wish he had just stop singing.
If any of this sounds good to you, give this album a listen. The album is currently available on iTunes and it should be physically released in the US in the spring. I think we can expect to see great things from Dan Black in the future, and look for his music video for “Symphonies”. Cheers!
The third day of nothingness is upon us. How boring am I? Well hopefully a Hollywood pretty boy will brighten up that “16 Candles” romance you so desperately desire. Then again it could be the soundtrack to your ghostly heartaches!
Day 3 – Number 10
Album – Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones Feat. The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir Last year a friend posted a video via Facebook of a song by Ryan Gosslin and a new music project he was working on. So, to be pretentiously correct, I had to chime back, “How can the dude from the Notebook make hip music? It’s not right.” I should have used more profound words to get the point across. After said comment, I click play and was impressed by what I have heard. Then I forgot the whole thing till a few days ago. I know I am late on this.
Mr. Gosslin may be on a mission from another world to steal our women and with this project he is getting closer to that goal. The timing of Dead Man’s Bones release was perfect, right before that obnoxious Spike Joinze film with the annoying Karen O music. This would have made that film the dark story it was yearning to be. Now remember, this music was intended to be part of a play about Monster Love (Ah Twilight!), so some tracks seem blah when played as a single, but when placed in the context of the album, it all makes for a musical eargasim!
Top 25 Songs HYPNTZ (Biggie Cover) &/Or Symphonies – Dan Black Dan Black is the former lead singer of a somewhat unheard of yet sweet band called The Servant. He decided to go the solo route like many other leads before him. Unlike most of them, Dan is making exceptionally great music. This cover that was later turned in to the single Symphonies, thanks Diddy, really got me excited for this artist post break-up career. I played it for months! His Debut release UN was just released statedside this week and look for a small US tour this Spring!
I Found Away (feat. Douglas P) – Alkaline Trio Three Cheers for bands who try some new sounds! To all the Trio’s diehards who have hated on this album I have one question: Are you really that selfish? Well maybe two: Do you expect bands not to experiment, regardless of the sound? While this track seems to have Mr. Skiba and Co. leaving their well known dark emo-punk sounds. Ugh I hate that word. It was a welcomed surprised and had me screaming while driving recklessly down the 5 Fwy at 3am in the morning to stay awake. Enjoy!
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