Dankojones.net press archive

[freyametalbratop]

Roaring like a lion
By ANN MARIE McQUEEN -- Ottawa Sun

The amount of attention punk power trio Danko Jones is getting these days, after six long years of playing, may be whipping others into a frenzy, but it's not freaking them out.

"We're pretty grounded at this point," said the band's brash frontman and guitarist Jones, speaking by cellphone yesterday before a club show in London, Ont.

"We've been told we suck, and we're going nowhere, by people who probably don't have a job in the music business anymore."

Jones formed the band with music scene pals Damon Richardson on drums and John Calabrese on bass in 1996, and they quickly rose out of Toronto's club scene.

FAST AND FURIOUS RANTS

Their latest CD, Born Like a Lion, features 11 tunes including a number of fast and furious rants, lashing out at everything from blues in Play the Blues to screwed-up girls in Suicide Woman. (That one is Jones' favourite because it's about a real person. Lyrics like "she may look pretty/ but she's ugly as hell," should give you an indication of their current relationship status.)

Scoring a European record label, bolstered by heavy touring, has been one of their keys to mounting overseas success.

Now in their 20s, the self-managed group is on six labels in five countries around the world, including a recent licencing deal with Universal Canada. And they've played their kind of music -- and called all the business shots -- along the way.

STICKING TO THEIR GUNS

"That's probably what I'm most proud of," said Jones, "what the band has done despite everyone telling us 'do this or do that.' We've stuck to our guns."

Sticking to their guns has meant lots and lots of international and Canadian touring -- by spring it will be almost a solid year -- and a dedication to putting on some of their tightest, hardest-playing shows to date.

"That's basically what we started the band to do, to play," said Jones. "We played shows where there were no T-shirts on sale, no merchandise on sale ... just for the love of it. I don't know how we did it, but we did."

One of the group's latest coups had them hand-picked by The Rolling Stones to open their Toronto club show in August.

It was a heady experience, one which Jones was happy to let pass by without a face-to-face meeting with the band.

"The other guys did. I didn't and I'm fine with that," he said. "Never meet your heroes."

Danko Jones, with openers Andrew W.K., play Barrymore's tonight and tomorrow night beginning at 9 p.m. Tickets are $19.50 in advance, more at the door.

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

Wednesday February 12, 2003

Danko Jones Speaks Out On His Juno Nom
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

A soft-spoken, but visibly pleased Danko Jones was present at the Juno Nominees Press Conference today (February 12). Danko Jones are nominated in the Rock Album Of The Year category for their album, Born A Lion, which was released last summer.

"It’s exciting," Danko (the man) told ChartAttack immediately after the noms were announced. "We worked really hard, we did it all on our own coin and to be acknowledged for that is really satisfying."

Danko Jones were nominated for their My Love Is Bold disc at the 2000 Junos, in the Best Alternative Album category (they lost to Julie Doiron And The Wooden Stars). This time they’re among a field of slightly more mainstream bands with Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party, Treble Charger and Wide Mouth Mason making up the rest of the category. Danko says that he’s pleased that the band have graduated to the rock category, but fans shouldn’t expect the band to mellow their sound for a more populist audience.

"It’s cool that we’re now a rock band," he quips. "The album is a little bit more punk and heavy than [the other nominees] are. But the rock category is more of a status thing — rock is synonymous with popular. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to change. The next album is going to be even more heavy."

Bitchin’.

Danko expects to finish recording and mixing Born A Lion’s follow-up by the end of June ("June 27," boasts bass player JC, "that’s firm!") and have it in stores by October.

Danko wasn’t the only nominee on hand at this morning’s press conference. Nominees Sarah Slean and Remy Shand announced the noms for the top eight categories (patting each other on the back accordingly). Rap Recording Of The Year nominees BrassMunk were also in the house, excited about their nomination for their album El Dorado and full of praise for Canada’s still-growing hip-hop industry. Also there to personally accept their nominations were members of Treble Charger, Royal City, Ron Sexsmith, Snow, Tom Cochrane and many more.

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

March, 2003

DANKO JONES
From: Chart Magazine

"I'm not a tight-ass," says Danko Jones. "I'm not gonna walk around in a suit when I get up. I'm not gonna go to bed in a suit, either."

Danko lookin' cool. Despite an obvious penchant for formal attire onstage, Danko is more practical when it comes to dressing for Canadian winters. "The priority is to stay healthy," he says. "If I get a cold, I can't sing the next day, and for us to do 130 shows last year, I had to basically stay warm all the time."

Arriving at the photo shoot, Danko sports thermal-insulated Kappa pants and a hoodie featuring labelmates Last Days Of April. "I'm wearing this shit because it's -30 °C," he explains.

Before long, however, his street clothes have been swapped for his trademark black shirt, black pants and black shoes. "We dress formally because of how we see what we do, just the respect that we give it," says Danko. "Even though the audience might think it's just a night for them to relax, gor us it's a formal, very important event."

Danko attributes his high energy live shows to the fact that he's so thrilled to be playing music in front of people. "I'm just excited," he says. "If the thing I wanted to do was work in an office all my life, and I finally got to work in an office, I'd be fuckin' tearin' down the walls! I'd be happy as shit, man! You'd walk into my office and I'd be doing cartwheels and exploding because I fucking love working in an office!!"

Sorry, Microsoft, but Danko Jones was born to rock.

Photo by: Jayson Gallop
Makeup by: Justin Gateman
Story by: Andy Lee
Location: Hotel Boutique Bar, Peter Street, Toronto

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

April 11, 2003

Danko Jones: Always Up For A Challenge
By: Joanne Huffa
ChartAttack.com

"I’m gonna try to see if anybody from Treble Charger wants to get into a drinking competition with me," says feisty Danko Jones bassist John Calabrese while riding the train to the Junos. "I already asked Trevor [MacGregor], but he said he wants to get into a puking competition, which defeats the drinking competition."

JC, whose band lost the Best Rock Band award to Our Lady Peace, looks devilish as he goes into detail about his history of alcohol consumption.

"I have not lost a drinking competition, so I’m ready for it. I’m ready. I was close with the bass player from Backyard Babies, but after three cases of beer, and shot-gunning them together, we just hugged each other and said that we loved each other. So that’s the dire ends of the means of this bonding action that is the drinking competition. I think Trevor shot it down though. If he wants to go for a puking competition, that means he can’t handle it. Where is he? Where’s the beer?"

Considering his band mates are the teetotaler Danko and the seemingly less boozy Damon Richardson, that leaves JC to pick up the slack.

"I do most of the drinking in the band, all extra-curricular activities. It’s a hard life, really. It’s a hard life having to drink and do all the rest of the stuff and stay like this," he says in reference to his immaculate olive green button down and sharp black slacks. "I can’t believe I’m not breaking a sweat now, it’s so hard (laughter). It’s a hard thing here. I’m keeping composed."

Still, it’s not always easy to keep composed when you’re in a band that finds itself in strange situations at home and abroad.

"We did Bullard, yeah. It was cool. Like, the week before we did Bullard we played this club in Finland. The night before we played there they had a death metal show, so it was covered in pig’s blood. So a week after that show, we were on the Bullard show so there’s really a lot of, like, continuity in my life and a lot of regular things that really pop up, other than there was no pig’s blood at the Mike Bullard Show. But I hear he’s into the death metal. And into Pepto Bismol, too. You gotta be if you’re a TV host. You gotta be drinking that stuff in between commercial breaks. How can you hold on?"

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

July 20, 2004

Danko Jones Puts Down The Guitar And Picks Up The Mic
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

He's the Brown Panther, the Mango Kid, Dr. Evening, Mocha Moses and the coolest cat in rock 'n' roll. He is Danko Jones and listen brother, he sweats blood. His live show will leave you desperate to catch your breath as he struts, swaggers and head bangs his way into your girlfriend’s, sister’s and mother’s dreams. Born a lion and raised a devil child, Jones is the embodiment of rock because he knows that a microphone isn’t made for mumbling, it’s made for yelling.

Or talking, as the case may be.

The Toronto hard rock trio, who are much more at home in Sweden or Germany than they are in Canada, have been taking all of Europe by storm over the last couple of years. With around 200 shows per year, a syndicated radio show, three albums in as many years and the responsibility of keeping rock alive, Danko Jones (the man) is about to launch his first ever spoken word tour. Despite a love for Black Flag, don’t compare him to Henry Rollins, Jones wouldn’t be down with that, but after a secret spoken-word performance this past February in Malmo, Sweden, he’s ready to put down the guitar, pick up the mic and go to work.

No guitar, no JC, no Damon, Jones’ No Music, Only Words OK? Tour will be contained in Norway and Sweden throughout the month of August while maintaining the band’s regularly scheduled European festival dates. If the band’s live show is any indication, a very well dressed Jones will take the stage and then the audience by storm.

Jones’ record label Bad Taste Records will put out a spoken word album titled The Magical World Of Rock some time in the fall.

The Magical World Of Rock, also the title of Jones’ Swedish radio show, was recently syndicated to both German and Canadian radio stations, with two full seasons available on the station’s website. The show often features a theme, with Jones breaking down albums, terms, genres or bands while incorporating interviews with fellow rock frontmen like Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson or Sepultura’s Derrick Green. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan’s RADIO 306 has recently picked up the show in Canada.

Although Canada may have lost Danko Jones forever (I once saw them in a small club where audience members actually sat down) at least they’re in a place where nu metal is actually new metal and they’re treated like the gods of rock that they should be.

—David Missio

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

September 17, 2004

Danko Jones Speaks To The People, Plays For Canada
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

All summer we've been hearing about just how well our friends in Danko Jones have been doing in Enko fellas have oft complained that they're more appreciated overseas than here in Canada, there are still loyal pockets of rock 'n' roll disciples in their homeland and, damn it, we want some Danko action too. Luckily for fans in Central Canada, Danko Jones are planning a bit of a homecoming.

Danko and crew will return to Canadian stages at the end of this month for a handful of dates in Ontario and Quebec. After they're through, the boys will be heading back to Europe, where relative fame and fortune awaits.

While the Canadian dates are scant, there is plenty of other news coming from the Danko camp these days. As we've already reported Danko (the man) has recorded a spoken word album that he's planning to christen The Magical World Of Rock. The disc will be released on November 22 by Bad Taste/Danko Jones records.

Danko's second career as a spoken word artist is keeping him plenty busy. He's already done a spoken word tour of Sweden and Norway and is scheduled to speak at a huge festival once the Canadian tour dates are taken care of. The Crossing Borders fest in The Hague will be held in November and Danko will share the stage with prestigious types like Fugazi's Ian Mackaye and High Fidelity author Nick Hornby.

In other news, Danko Jones (the band) plan to go into the studio shortly to work on a new album. To tide fans over, there are plans to release a DVD in the spring of 2005.

Here's the low-down on Danko Jones' upcoming Canadian tour dates:

September 30 Hamilton, ON @ The Underground
October 5 London, ON @ Call The Office
October 6 Kingston, ON @ AJ's Hanger
October 7 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod's
October 8 Montreal, QC @ Foufounes
October 9 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

October 31, 2006

Danko Jones Ignites Feud With K-OS
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

A bubbling feud between K-OS, Canadian hip-hop's top dog, and NOW Magazine, a Toronto-based alternative weekly, now has a third party lumbering into the fray: T.O.-bred, Euro-famous rock 'n' roller, Danko Jones.

It's an emerging fight that could turn Toronto's Queen Street into a musical Gaza Strip. The catalyst for all of this, the assassination of Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand if you will, came in the form of NOW (and former Chart) writer Jason Richards' review of K-OS' Atlantis — Hymns For Disco album in their October 5 edition. Richards gave the album three out of five, characterizing K-OS as "a crossover pop artist disguised as a true-school b-boy." K-OS responded to the review on his MySpace page, calling Richards "Sambo" and an "Uncle Tom" who's being "manipulated by his indie-rock nerd bosses."

Upon hearing about the K-OS-NOW feud, Jones weighed in on NOW's October 19 letters page, saying K-OS has "had too much sunshine massaged up his ass," while adding that K-OS compadre Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene was "the white middle-class version of G-Unit."

K-OS' further response, a humorous missive that's been lighting up inboxes, recants on the original "Sambo" comment, only to compare Richards instead to Arnold Drummond (sic, Arnold Jackson), the Gary Coleman character of late-'70s sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes.

K-OS ress for the post-script of ress for the post-script of his letter, saying, "also check out my rock group coming out this summer not sure about the name i think we will call it STANKO JONES ...lead single Segers Son. trust me we will do our best to reach NOBODY AT ALL!"

Jones, for his part, wasn't impressed when ChartAttack asked him if he, according to rumour, did in fact smell funny.

"I thought K-OS was a wordsmith?" says Jones. "Why can't he come up with a better insult? I was pretty unimpressed and almost disappointed. A five-year-old could come up with something wittier than 'Stanko Jones.'"

And the "Segers Son" comment? Also puzzling. Was K-OS suggesting Jones was fathered by "Like A Rock" rocker Bob Seger? Or maybe folkie Pete Seeger?

"Definitely not Pete, 'cause folk music is lame," says Jones. "I kind of thought that was a lame response from him, too."

As far as K-OS attempting to make a rock record is concerned, Jones has faint praise for the idea.

"K-OS make a rock record? I'm sure he thinks he can. He can do whatever he wants. If it rocks, I might even buy, er, download it," says Jones, who, if the situation was reversed, suggests a Danko Jones rap record would "probably" have more "rap" on it than a K-OS record. "Or at least it wouldn't have Sam Roberts on it."

We also got Jones to clarify his claim that Drew is like a more beardy, dishevelled and less bullet-riddled version of 50 Cent, the leader of the G-Unit posse. The concern is that if Drew was 50, wouldnn't that make BSS cohort Brendan Canning like Lloyd Banks?

"I love Brendan Canning," says Jones. "He's probably the only one in both camps with his head on his shoulders.

"While 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks might put a hit out on you, Kevin Drew would probably just put a social hit on you and tell everyone you like Staind and Hoobastank behind your back."

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

Next batch is from the tour diary subsection

[freyametalbratop]

Thursday June 06, 2002

Danko Jones Tour Diary: Ozzfest U.K.!
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Danko Jones bassist JC haccasional diaries about the band's European adventures. Here's the first installment:

We're into the German leg of our tour now. We started our European tour in support of our new album, Born A Lion, in Helsingborg, Sweden on May 17. We played with the Dirtbombs, a Detroit band featuring Mick Collins (ex-Gories, Black Top) and Jim Diamond (who worked on records by the White Stripes, Dirtbombs). We had a few days off in Lund, Sweden, home of Bad Taste Records and departed on the 21st for a show in Bremen. On the 22nd we played in Amsterdam at the Melkweg. It was a festival type show called "Hell On Wheels" which featured several bands, Glucifer, the Dirtbombs, Peter Pan Speedrock and more. We played to a packed crowd and 15 minutes after the show we took a cab over to VPRO (Dutch National Radio) and played live to air in front of a live studio audience. The day after we traveled to London, UK and played the Garage. That was a good show, in the beginning of the set there was this guy in the front who's head was bleeding from a very visible gash to the skull, but the guy just kept on dancing. Amazing what a couple extra beers can do.
On our way to Ozzfest we played Sheffield. Ozzfest was fun. It was a cold day and it rained... People were covered in mud and in the front of the main stage all kinds of objects were flying around, including bottles of urine and excrement. The Kerrang stage was packed as soon as the doors opened in the morning. We went on around 1:10 p.m. and had a good show. After the show, Danko was hanging out with Rob Trujillo (bass player for Ozzy and Black Label Society/ex-Suicidal Tendencies) and Damon got a chance to hang out with Jack Osbourne. There were around 80,000 people at Castle Donnington for Ozzfest and the show really kicked ass.
The rest of the gigs in England, Glasgow and Manchester went really well for us and we've only had one day off !!!
On the 29th we played in Gronigen, NL at VERA. This has to be one of the coolest clubs... So many bands played at VERA and apparently this is the place where Courtney and Kurt met. The show here went well, considering that it took us 16 hours to get from Manchester to Gronigen due to traffic.
Anyhow for the rest of the tour, from Gronigen to Berlin, we have a support band with us, The Sahara Hotnights from Sweden. This band rocks!
You'll hear more from us about it!!!!
-JC

Back to Press
"709" height="22">

[freyametalbratop]

Wednesday June 19, 2002

Danko's Euro Adventure Part Two
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Bassist JC from Danko Jones has been sending us periodic updates about the band's tour in Europe. Here's the latest:

After the U.K., we played five gigs in Holland and then headed to Germany, with Sahara Hotnights. We have to tell everyone - this band really rocks. We would love to take them on tour with the Danko Jones across Canada, so keep your eyes open for the Sahara Hotnights !!!! (check out their site here)
In Hamburg we played at a club called Logo and we got to stay at a hotel on the Reeperbahn. In the morning I went downstairs for breakfast and found Danko sitting down with Lydia Lunch having tea and chatting about touring Europe. She was just ending her European tour and told us some road stories…
The rest of the tour with the Sahara Hotnights was awesome, the final show was in Berlin at the Knaack. This was a really great show as well…
On our way up to Hultsfred we played in Copenhagen. Hultsfred is the biggest music festival in Sweden. We played on Saturday the 15 at 8 p.m. and it was an amazing show with a really, really strong audience response. The crowd ended up cheering for Danko Jones for over 20 minutes after the show was over! Really cool. The show was also broadcasted live on MTV Sweden and aired live on Swedish National Radio P3.
In Hultsfred we got to see our friends Dregen and Peder from the Backyard Babies. We hung out with them almost all of the day we were there, drinking and catching up. They are working on new material, keep an eye out for them as well.
I was really excited in getting the opportunity to meet the Hanson Brothers, who were also playing Hultsfred. Meeting Rob Wright for me was a great experience as I am a huge fan.
I got a chance to check out some bands, too. I got to see Turbonegro, this was the one of only three shows that Turbonegro are doing this year, very cool. I also saw Bob Hund, New Order and the Hanson Brothers. And it was soo cool to see the Hanson brothers in Sweden!!!
Hultsfred festival is great, check out their official site at rockparty.se.
After Hultsfred we headed to Oslo for our last show of this leg of the tour. The show there in Oslo also went really well, we had an all girl band open for us, the Bazooka Boopers, who were cool. I ended up my night drinking with the guys from Glucifer and the guys from Bob Hund (Swedish band) at a bar called Last Train until the early hours of the morning… There is only a couple of hours of darkness around this time of the year in Scandinavia then it's always bright. So by the time we left the bar I really missed my sunglasses and was just happy that I found my hotel…
Anyhow, we got a week off right now. I'll follow the rest of World Cup, even if my team is out. The next shows for us are a festival in Sweden called Svartorp, Extreme Music Festival in Dublin, Ireland. I'll let you know how Roskilde goes!!!
See you in Canada in July…
Best,
JC

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

Next batch is the interview subsection:

[freyametalbratop]

Danko Jones: The Early Chronicles
Interview by Aaron Brophy
Chartattack.com

When enigmatic rock machine Danko Jones and bassist JC saunter into the Chart offices for an interview on the eve of the new millennium, I jokingly toss the half-truth compliment at them that, "Metallica are important, but not as important as Danko Jones." We all have a good laugh at that, but in hindsight, who'd you rather see these days? Metallica have cut their hair, started doing Bob Seger covers and now indulge their we're-the-Yes-of-metal fantasies with all this symphony business. Danko Jones, on the other hand, are slogging it out in the clubs, burning up the stage and winning over the masses the old-fashioned way — with rock 'n' roll. The answer seems clear to me, but I'm already a convert. So with that said, here's some more insight into one of Canada's coolest rock bands:

What's the relationship between Danko and the female species?

Danko Jones: Can't live with 'em [laughter all around]. I don't know. It takes up a lot of our thoughts.

With that said, should guys really, truly be scared to bring their girlfriends to a Danko Jones show?

DJ: No, they shouldn't be scared. Not at all. Not at all.

...but just keep your eye on 'em?

DJ: Oh, yeah.

When you guys started out, your big thing was not to do anything the way "traditional" bands do, like try to get signed, try to get the big record deal. That seems to be changing.

DJ: I think at the beginning — it's been three years now — we really wanted to do the live show. And people were like, "They don't want to record," ''They don't want to do stuff." And we're like, "No, we know what's going on." We've played with a lot of bands that know how to rock things out. We've played with a lot of bands in the States and Canada. We just played the music to get to where we wanted to get to, and we took our time. We did it on our own.

JC: I think we just had a different feeling. It's very personal.

DJ: A lot of it is that we've seen bands come and go, we've seen bands who've started even after us and they're on their third record or bands who started after us and they got really popular right away and we saw how that affected their egos and their heads, and we've had people compliment us and we've had other people put us down and stuff like that. And we haven't even started this ride — it's just starting now. I would say we're completely — I mean ask someone else about this — but I would say we're pretty level-headed about things .

It's funny. People say Shania Twain is only successful because of her looks and her husband, but I've been told that when she was just starting, apparently she was an incredibly hard worker.

DJ: It's true. I see all these people who whine and complain about why they're not getting theirs, but they don't work towards it, and all they do is party and bullshit. We see this and think "Maybe you're just bad."

How important is playing live?

DJ: We've done shows where we've traveled for eight hours to play for 15 minutes. When we started, we'd cut ourselves off. We'd be given 30-45 minutes and we'd just make sure we'd go on later and play for 15 minutes.

JC: It's about impact.

DJ: I remember we went to Montr&#eacute;al and we got caught in a snowstorm. It took eight hours to get to the club. When we finally got there they told us we couldn't play. And the other bands talked them into it. We did a 15-minute set. And people still remember that set. I know people who still remember that show.

Why should people come see Danko Jones live?

DJ: Even people who haven't seen the show and have the EP [My Love Is Bold], they like the EP, but they have to come to the live show because there's songs that I don't think we're going to record any time soon that we play strictly live - that we're not going to record ever. They're part of the live act.

Why won't you record them?

DJ: Those songs... certain songs are very hard to capture on tape. I mean, we've tried. We want to get into it with the right people too...

Maybe your first full-length album should be a live album.

DJ: We've been told that. It would be a risk to take. But it would be interesting...

What are some of the bands you'd want to play a show with?

DJ: The Cardigans. [points to JC] He turned me on to The Cardigans.

JC: She's got such a good stage presence.

DJ: She's sooo good.

JC: When we plan our three-month tour to Sweden... [sentence trails off] It'd be a great bill if Danko Jones and The Cardigans played together. It'd be a good bill because they'd be into it. They like the rock.

Why is it taking you guys so long to put out any material?

DJ: The reason why we haven't put out as much product as other bands in the same time period is because we've been working on just playing live. We've had so much to do that recording gets pushed aside. It [recording] is just not as immediate. And also there's a money thing. You give money away when you record, you get it when you play.

Tell me about this mysterious third record, the Gun Girl EP.

DJ: There are actually four songs on that EP and three of the four songs actually made it to My Love Is Bold. In the future we'll probably re-record "Woman Bound."

JC: We had just changed members in the band. There was a bit of a vibe going around so we made, like, 50 copies. We just gave them around to people. The guy who does our website did the cover. It's a really cool cover.

DJ: He's the one who calls it the Gun Girl EP.

JC: The cover looks great. I think it's an image from a book or a Mexican movie.

Is that the rarest thing in the Danko Jones discography?

JC: There's actually other rare stuff too. Fans Of Bad Production put out a compilation of 30 hardcore bands? Or 25 hardcore bands? Anyway, there were a bunch of hardcore bands on this compilation and I think there was a limited-edition of 500 CDs made.

There's the Vinyl Factory thing too.

JC: There's not too many of those out.

DJ: We also circulated a tape in the first year that we were putting around and that has "Samuel Sin," "I'm In Love And I'm On Fire" "Who Got It" and "Dr. Evening" - that version actually made the Sonic Unyon Now We Are 5 CD. But there are two songs on that tape [The Red Tape] that are just on that tape.

JC: The Red Tape. We can name off bands who have that tape. Bands who came up to us and met us after they got that tape and would say, "Hey, we've been listening to that tape non-stop." The Make-Up. They had it before they knew we were going to play a show with them. Trans Am have that tape. We'd send it to bands.

DJ: It was our calling card for awhile. We never sold it though, never sold it at all.

JC: All that stuff was really raw. We're probably going to redo "I'm Alive And I'm On Fire" #&151; we never play it live.

How'd it feel when you saw My Love Is Bold at number one on the campus radio charts?

DJ: I was, "And those people haven't even seen the live show!" It was like, "Yearghh!" Actually, it was more like, [politely] "Yes, this is how it should be."

You're single, "Bounce," is one of the best songs I've ever heard on a car stereo.

JC: Yeah, in the new George Romero film, Bruiser, "Bounce" will be playing in a car stereo [during a scene]. He's a big cult director in the States.

A buddy on my hockey team heard "Bounce" and thought it was a new ZZ Top song.

DJ: Yessss!

JC: That's a compliment.

You guys joking? I thought that might insult you.

JC: No, no, that's a compliment. We get boxed in with, but not really associated with AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top. Then they see the show and people are like, "You guys are sticking to this classic sort of thing." That's what they recognize.

I know you guys really care about how your whole image is perceived, whether it's the songs, the live show or whatever. Is that something you spend a lot of time on?

DJ: Yeah. Yeah, a lot. I find a lot of bands just don't work on their songs or their image. "Image" is a bad word depending on the context, but just work on how they are as a unit, how they're perceived, how they're seen. You know, when you talk to a lot of people who play music, I say it's a 50-50 split that a lot of people who play music don't listen to a lot of music. I just find that at this point in time, playing the kind of music that we play, you have to know where all this music comes from.

You guys don't pretend you're doing something that has never been done before.

DJ: I just think that we pay respect to all the music that came before us. All the musicians, in a way that people view as refreshing. I don't know if that makes any sense. I think with us, we not only try to take from rock 'n' roll, but from the whole spectrum of music and even pop culture. The whole spectrum. We like to incorporate it, at least in the live show.

JC: We do things like we say our names [onstage, as shout-outs].

That's a very hip-hop vibe.

DJ: Definitely. I know we take a lot from hip-hop and hip-hop culture because everything's been done already. And I find that hip-hop and dance music are the new music that everyone's hooked into these days.

What's the deal with that New Music interview you guys did where you were reading Playboy while they interviewed your fans?

JC: It was really cool. I think that was the first or only segment ever on the New Music to not feature an interview. I think it worked really well 'cause we're like, "There's no point in really talking to us because we've got no product, we've got nothing to sell, we're not going across Canada any time soon, but it'd be great if people knew what's going on, so let the fans talk about it."

DJ: It would've just been boring, nobody would pay attention to us, if we just talked and then they showed a live clip. [At the time] there was nothing else, no video to go to.

JC: And it's funny, we go to some places and it's like "You guys, you shut the door right on their faces. Right on!" But if you want to make sense out of it, we're getting in a cab, we're getting out of a cab, there's a camera there. It was staged.

DJ: The New Music, that was always one of the things that I looked up to. Laurie Brown was so hot.

I know you guys dig the hip-hop and R&B. It seems like the girls in R&B videos are getting better and better looking.

DJ: R&B videos are the best videos going on.

JC: [laughs] BET, that's all I watch.

DJ: That girl in the Q-Tip video is just beautiful. She's got, like, green eyes or something.

I voted for that as video of the year in the eye [magazine, music critics'] poll.

DJ: That video's getting me out to the store to buy them.

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

Danko Jones: Swedish e-rock-tica
By: Stuart Berman
Eye Weekly

Loud garage rock, hot blonds and one of the world's most dependable suppliers of hardcore pornography -- Sweden is definitely Danko Jones' kind of country. So it's no surprise that local Jones has adopted the Scandinavian hot spot as his spiritual homeland following a recent series of European tours that landed him, bassist JC and drummer Damon on MTV Europe and the mega-festival circuit, earning major props from Swede trash-rock titans like the Hives and Backyard Babies.

Their successful Euro invasion is part of the reason our local rock royalty haven't headlined a hometown show in over a year. But before they return to Europe in November for a tour with the Babies, Danko and crew reclaim their Toronto throne Friday (Oct. 5) at the Horseshoe with Citizen Kill and the Flame Jobs. And after that, Jones declares, it's nothing but Swede dreams.

Was being in Sweden sort of like that Simpsons episode where Homer's running around in a fantasy world of chocolate?

Yeah, except it's the opposite -- everyone's like a vanilla queen! The bpms -- blonds per metre -- were unreal. Seriously, though, the Swedes have such a vibrant music scene. Obviously, there are the Hellacopters and the Cardigans, but there are also the Hives and the Backyard Babies, the Diamond Dogs, Flaming Sideburns and Soundtrack to Our Lives, who are a cool Dandy Warholsy, Pink Floydy-type band. And there's also the Haunted, if you want metal. It's a thriving rock scene, especially for a country of 9 million people. Then you compare to it Canada's output -- it's embarrassing.

Did you, uh, indulge in the country's famed cinematic product?

Actually, there's not that much porn over there. Over here, porn is everywhere -- you go to Becker's and there's porn. But in stores over there, there's just a little corner, and the stuff's not that graphic. Their version of Penthouse just has one-woman spreads. You were probably joking with that question and I went too in-depth, right?

What's the status of your album?

Our unofficial plan -- it could change if, like, Radiohead ask us to go on an arena tour -- is to have the new record out by February. We've got the songs -- all brand-new -- we just have to make sure they're recorded properly. It's pretty stripped-down rock 'n' roll -- no strings, no violins. And there may be one or two songs about girls.

When you first started in '96, you said the story of Danko Jones was about a man, a band and a five-year plan. What do you have planned for the next five years?

Arena tours all over the world, MTV Music Awards, red carpets, helicopters, paparazzi bugging the hell out of me, going out with movie stars, and sports cars, private jets and limos everywhere. I'll have "people" as opposed to "a person" and an unlimited amount of sponsorships with various clothing and musical equipment companies.

That's it?

Oh yeah, movie-role offers that I'll be turning down. That's pretty much it. But first, we're just going to do this European tour.

Do you fear that spending so much time in Sweden surrounded by beautiful women will make you complacent?

Oh no. Because then there's Spain.

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

Danko Jones: Sun Oct 6/02 @ The Zoo with Andrew W.K.
Interview by Angie Valente
www.rockitbay.com

The lion is king of the jungle. This Leo was a soft spoken and polite gentleman, contrary to his astrological sign. An absolute pleasure to talk with, I think we all learned a little something on this day. But, do not be fooled. This lion has a wild and savage streak. His mama raised him for one thing, to get up on stage and sing, and he certainly does belt it out with high levels of vein-popping aggression. The Danko Jones live show cannot be denied, or ignored, and neither should this intellectual fellow. This was definitely one of my favourite interviews to date, and as singer/guitarist Danko himself told us, "The best interview on the tour." He also thought it was thorough and well researched. Well, he can put my boyfriend in the trunk anytime. I agree with Mr. Jones, this interview rocks shit hot.

The first question that we like to ask the bands that we haven't spoken to before is, what is your personal definition of the word music?
Music is just something that's invisible that leads me wherever it goes. I have no real definition for it. It's something that you can't really describe, or at least I can't. It's hard. It's like saying "What is art?" You can't really answer that question in one sentence. What is art? You don't know, I don't know. That's the same thing. What is music? I don't know. We could talk about it for hours and hours.

Who is Danko Jones and how was the decision made that your name would be the band name?
Well, basically Danko Jones is me, and it's also the band, the three of us. We act as a band. There is no hierarchy, but we decided to name it after me because the singer actually gets all the attention anyway. We wanted to cut through alot of the bands that were just named "The... The... The..." and focus on one person.

How did your nickname "The Mango Kid" come about? Is that an alter ego type of thing?
No, I just like everything in mango. Like mango ice cream, dried mango, mangos, everything mango. That's pretty much why.

Did working in a porno store influence your music in any way?
No. No it didn't. The one I worked at wasn't the coolest place, it was really dingy and kind of sleazy.

Are they supposed to be classy?
The new ones are. The new ones are very clean, and everyone wears a tie. It's weird.

In Toronto, that's where you worked?
Yeah, in Toronto.

And you also used to fight with the strippers in the back of...
How'd you know that? Oh, you read that somewhere. Where'd you read that?

I just know!
You did your research.

So, why did you fight with the strippers?
Because they were fuckin' retarded. They were just fucked up girls, really fucked up girls. You have to be pretty fucked up to be stripping in the back of a store, and not at a strip joint. The girls who strip at strip joints, at least they make money so they don't have to strip at the back of a store. These girls were fucked.

So how would they make money, if they were at the back of the store?
Business men come in on their lunch break. I don't know if they do it anymore, but when I was working they did.

Do you ever have any regrets about sharing your MANY love stories (or should we call them relationships gone wrong), with your fans. On the new album, it seems to be a re-occurring theme.
Yeah. I don't have a problem with it. It's kind of funny because I don't really speak about it with my friends, but then I'll record it on a record, and have everybody I don't know listen to it. But on the other hand it's good revenge. It's cathartic in a way because it just gets it out of me and it's therapy in a certain way. There's also a certain amount of revenge because, depending on the situation, depending on the girl, I mean there's a song on the new album, "Love is Unkind" and that's kind of an older song. It was originally written 4 or 5 years ago and it's about a certain girl, and since that time I told her the song was about her and she just had a good laugh about it. We're good friends, but there's other songs about other people now who are not good friends, so. (laughs)

It's a form of venting.
Yeah, with "Love is Unkind," the girl who it's about just rolls her eyes.

If you happen to get married, or are involved in a serious relationship, will you find yourself toning it down a little bit maybe?
No, I don't think so, because I'd only be involved with someone who can handle it. I can't go out with anyone who can't handle whatever it is that I do. I've been in that situation before and it's just trouble, because either they're insecure with themselves or they're jealous and they're insecure, and it pretty much boils down to insecurity. I need to be with someone who's very secure with themselves...

(Danko and Angie bump feet under the table and both say sorry)... and who knows what they want. Nice boots by the way.

Angie: Oh thanks!
That's why you bumped into me, so I could compliment your boots.

Angie: This foot is sprained so I have to be really careful with it. I could barely even zip up the boot because it's so swollen.
That's a very good, quick explanation. It's almost as if she had it prepared.

Angie: Actually I bought a pair of pointed-toe caramel boots with a slender heel for the show tonight.
Very nice, I think I know what boot you're talking about.

Angie: Well walking is a challenge, but I've been working on it.
Why don't you just wear running shoes. You (talking to Ann) have a good pair of running shoes. What are those? Those aren't Adidas?

Ann: Yeah.
They are, they kind of slicked it up.

Angie: I was going to wear runners, but then my pants are too long.
So what?

Angie: It doesn't look good though.
It's fine, you can get away with it.

(Back to business...)

Your live show. What fuels this aggression during your performance?
Just having fun playing, just being able to go out on stage and knowing it's like a privilege to play every night. It's not something we take for granted so, we definitely have fun when we're out there. And I think people can really feel that, it sucks when you don't play. We realize what it means to play live, same with Andrew (W.K.) and everyone in his crew. So, it's a good double bill.

Is Andrew a nice guy?
Yeah. Everyone's wicked, everyone's great. Andrew's a really nice person.

That's cool...You sing alot about "hot and pretty girls" in many of your songs. Is this an obsession of yours or...
I like these questions...

Every guy wants a hot chick, and every girl wants a hot guy right? But I mean...
But I mean what?

I don't know, it's sort of unattainable and superficial in a way.
No it's not. Who's to say what's hot for you.

We're not really supposed to believe that.
But wait a minute. Who's to say what's hot for you. Like, what I consider hot maybe you might not consider, or he might not consider. We always have this joke, well that's why we hang out because, he likes those girls, and I like those girls. That's the advantage of singing and playing music. You can talk about hotness and whatever, and have it mean many different things. Someone who doesn't fit the mold of what is attractive, doesn't necessarily mean that they're not attractive, and for me, I kind of have this unwritten rule that I don't really go out with models. Not because they're too attractive, but a lot of the time it's all just face and I think what really pushes a girl over the edge for me, is something that I don't notice right off the bat. When you look at someone and you've seen them 5 times, 10 times, 25 times and then it's that one time when you see them again and you're like, "Holy fuck, I didn't see that" and that's what really gets me.

Ok.
But I do like hot women that people think are hot too.

So it's a win-win situation either way?!
I think so.

You've had instant success in Europe, as a pose to a more stagnant success here in Canada. Why do you feel that is?
Because I think over there everyone's got a bit more of an open mind. Over here I find that groups are segregated, culturally and ethnically. Culturally, like with pop culture, groups are segregated. For example you can be into baseball, but you can't be into the new Queens of the Stone Age record, you know what I mean? Over there it's like, I'm into soccer and I'm into the Hellacopters, and I like the Hives and I dig sports and I like going to museums. So, there's more of an open mind over there and that bleeds into the kind of music that everybody listens to, and the way festivals are set up over there are a lot different from over here. If you ever see a festival, it's more like a vans warped tour, where it's like every band is pretty much one or two degrees away from each other. Where as over there we played this festival in Denmark where it was like P. Diddy and Erykah Badu one day and on the same day...

Ann: Was that Roskilde?
Yeah, do know that festival?

Yeah.
Have you been there?

Ann: I went to the Hurricane Festival this summer.
In Germany, we were supposed to play that...

But what happened?
We were on some waiting list of bands, so we just said forget it. Hurricane...we played Hurricane the year before and that was with Nelly Furtado, Nickelback, Fear Factory, Xhibit, Papa Roach, Iggy Pop. I could continue, there's so many more. But anyways, over there, there's this kind of artists and this kind of artists put together and everybody goes.

How do you see the Canadian music scene right now, with the bands that are breaking out, or even the business side of it with the record company battles.
I think the Canadian music scene is really really good. Now, what level are you talking about? Are you talking about the level that gets shown on TV, and what gets played on the radio?

The media aspect.
I don't think it's very cool to be quite honest with you. I don't mean to target anyone, but in general, I think it's really kind of Canadian Vs a lot of American bands. And these bands are Creed, Blink 182, the big bands. I just don't think it's all that original. However, on the other level, kind of lower than main stream, there's so many bands. The Weakerthans, Tricky Woo who are now called Soft Canyon, The Smugglers, The Dears, The Aluminati...

Hott Kitty.
Who? Who's Hott Kitty?

Never mind!
You know, there's a lot more bands than what a lot of people are led to believe are, you know, "It."

(Some how, we start talking about Tuuli, and Danko mentions that he knows their bass player Claire. He remembers her working at the Toronto salon La Coupe Bizarre. Then we mention Robin Black.)

Ann: Does Robin still work there (La Coupe Bizarre)?

Angie: Yeah, even though he pretends that he doesn't!

Do you know Robin?

Oh, we know Robin pretty well. We've interviewed those guys a few times.
It's hilarious. I think he tells all his friends in Winnipeg that he quit his day job.

(The tape is stopped a few times, in order to conserve space, and to chat "off the record." So back to the interview.)

Oh, last question. This is the fun one.
All the questions were fun. This is a good interview.

(Awwwwww!)

You think so? It took me a long time to compile and dig up all this information!
You know what? I totally appreciate it when people do that. I hate it when...I did an interview here, in Thunder Bay...

(Let's just say that the interviewer of this interview which Danko is talking about, knew nothing about the band, and his "article" made Danko sound like a moron. Don't worry, we hear ya!)

...I thought all the questions were fun.

Ok ready? Brace yourself!
Blue.

What?
My favourite colour.

No! Why do people always think we're going to ask that? What the hell, who cares?!
Sorry.

Anyways, it's no surprise that Danko Jones likes to look dapper when they perform. How would you describe your style?
Simple.

Simple?
Simple and classic. That's the final question? You built the question up, "This is the fun question...I have to turn off my tape recorder because I don't have too much tape."

(Angie wonders: Is Danko Jones mocking me?)

Are you endorsed by anybody?
We're endorsed by Kappa.

...What?

Nothing, that was a good interview. I liked it.

Back to Press

[freyametalbratop]

Thu Mar 4 2004

15 seconds with: Danko Jones
By: Bartley Kives
Winnipeg Free Press

The gig: Monday at Cowboys, the former Colosseum in Windsor Park.
The occasion: The return of Toronto's Danko Jones, who combines the guitar-rock swagger of Kiss with the humourless menace of Henry Rollins. The type-AAA personality just returned from a month-long stay in Sweden, where he hosts a weekly radio program on Stockholm's 93.5 Rocket FM.

How does a Canadian rock singer end up with a Swedish radio show? "After 11 tours in Europe, you just have to ask," says the leader of the rock trio that bears his name. "We have a different theme every week, like the top 10 rock singers of all time, or a track-by-track (discussion of) Black Flag's My War."

I never took you for a punk fan. "Why not? Because I play rock 'n' roll? I grew up on Black Flag and the Bad Brains.

"There are no boundaries in music. The only people who place boundaries on it are in the music industry."

You must be happy with the events of the past two weeks. "Why, what happened?" It got warmer. Actually, We Sweat Blood was nominated for a Juno Award. "I don't want to be facetious, but that's meaningless to us. It's just a pat on the back. I didn't see Peaches get nominated for best rock album."

To be honest, I didn't know she was Canadian. "She lives in Germany. That's not the point. We spend a lot of time in Sweden.

"We don't want to be the biggest band in Canada. We don't want to be a big fish in a small pond. We want to be small fish in a massive ocean, free to manoeuvre as we please.

"Most people don't know we manage ourselves. We own our own masters. We didn't sell off our publishing. We've played 400 shows in the last two years. We couldn't do these things if we wanted to be the biggest band in Canada."

Man, what do you do to relax? "I don't. My goal is to make sure everyone knows Danko Jones exists."

You must chill out somehow. "If I'm not working on the band, I buy records." The damage on Monday: $12.50.

Back to Press
ble>