Danny Sage has been around the New York music scene for over twenty years, first gaining notoriety as the guitarist in the 90’s glam punk garage band DGeneration a band which also brought another New York rock icon to the world's attention…Mr. Jesse Malin. Danny was gracious enough to chat with me via email about his EP “Don’t Look Down”, his songwriting process, the books he is working on, New York and what the future holds for him.
AG: You have an ep out called "Don't Look Down" can
you describe the sound of the ep and the sound of
your solo material in general and how that differs
from the DGeneration sound??
DS: "Don't look down" was just an acoustic solo session
that I put down for a uk tour last year. that was the
only reason it was made, and the only reason it was
available... solely for people who came to the UK
shows in january of 2007... kinda a promo thing. it is
very basic, bare bones... that's what the shows
were---solo acoustic. so it was kind of a piece of
that...
it couldn't be further from d gen, where I was in a
loud band and played my les paul thru a marshall!
AG: DGen was such a New York band and Jesse Malin and
his solo material have become so associated with the
New York and the Lower East Side in particular, how
much of your songwriting process is inspired by New
York City and what are some of the other inspirations that go
into your songwriting process?
DS: I was born and raised here, never lived more than 15
or 20 miles away... so, it stands to reason that it is
a huge influence, both my parents were from here... it
is an inspiration to be lucky enough to be a new
yorker... not everyone can say that (though nowadays
everyone tries)...
my process is usually to do with very personal things,
I have a list of people in my life that have been
really important for better or worse, and had a big
impact on me... the lyrics usually are about them, or
pieces of them, or things that I have experienced on a
very personal level...
I hate to say it, but a lot of it is just venting and
unloading a lot of shit that I have dealt with people
in my life... kind of like therapy... but it helps me
and I love writing secret little letters to people in
songs... it makes me feel better...
AG: You've played guitar with Jesse on a few of his
solo shows and you've played guitar along side
Debbie Harry, do you prefer being a sideman or do
you prefer being out in front and doing your own
solo thing?
DS: to be honest, I have never played with jesse outside d
gen. we have done some fun stuff like encores, and
written and recorded together, but I have never played
with him in his band. I have fun with him, we grew up
together... we have the same record collection, except
he likes jethro tull and I don't! so it's fun to get
up and do one or two songs... we always laugh and I
think there is a definite chemistry.
the debbie harry thing was a dream for me, she is one
of my favorite singers, blondie always was one of my
favorite groups... I had met her a few times, she was
always real cool and sweet. so when I got asked to do
that, I jumped at the chance... I would have toured
and made a record, there was talk of that, but it
never happened...
but anyway, it was a great gig, and I will never
forget it. she was a doll. and she sang her ass off.
to be up there and hear "dreaming" coming out of the
wedges, her voice, and feel her right next to me, it
was amazing... I got to do that once with ronnie
spector, too, and it was great.
as far as my career, I like to play. I would have
loved nothing more than to keep my job as lead guitar
player in d gen--the guys I grew up liking were...
keith richards, jimmy page, mick ronson, mick jones,
joe perry, james williamson, johnny thunders, bryan
james, etc.--I felt right at home in that role... I
never wanted anything else...
though I do love to sing... and I definitely had
people pushing me to sing at different times... to me
I was happy in my band--my gang--and I would have done
it till i keeled over. oh well.
I do like the autonomy and independence of writing and
singing by myself... and I have no one to fight with.
which is kinda nice for a change.
AG: I read that you are working on a book. Can you
tell us a little bit about that??
DS: I am actually juggling 2 different books... one is
about my growing up in new york... and how new york
has kind of died to a certain extent in the last 15 or
20 years...
the other book is about all these crazy things that
have happened to me in my adult life... like the d gen
years... it's called "rennaissance bum". I have had a
pretty "different" kind of life, and every time I
would tell stories, people would invariably tell me I
should write a book--so i did.
AG: Finally what does the future hold for Danny
Sage??
DS: who the fuck knows? I hope I can play more, and get
some books out, and some albums... and I'd like to
maybe travel more than I have...
To hear Danny’s EP “Don’t Look Down” and to find out things such as tour dates and other news check out Danny Sage’s official myspace page at: MySpace.com - Danny Sage - NEW YORK, New York - Rock / Powerpop / Other - www.myspace.com/dannysage
Friday, December 7, 2007
Blowing in a whole new sound for '08
An email chat with the Blowing Trees straight outa Austin Texas:
The Blowing Trees are an awesome up and coming band from Austin Texas, their sound is a unique ethereal and edgy sound. The band which consits of Drew Pierce on drums, Chris Maddin on lead vocals, guitar and keys, Edwin Stephens on lead guitar and Scavone on bass are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their debut album which is expected to drop in March of ’08. Drummer Drew Pierce was kind enough to chat with me via email about the recording of the new album, touring and the Trees sound. Enjoy!!
AG: You guys have been in the studio recording your first debut full length album for Glassnote records, how did that go?
DP: Overall the experience was a very rewarding; I know we all learned a great deal in creation of this record. We wanted to do it up right.
AG: Can you describe the sound of this album? And does it differ from anything that you have done in the past?
DP: This record is still the trees. Our sound has changed a bit from the other stuff we have done in the past, but I like the new songs as well as the old ones. This record is half new and half old. It’s just great to hear the songs at a professional of quality.
AG: What is your songwriting process and what is the inspiration behind that songwriting process?
DP: The song writing process is mainly Chris, but lately we all have been contributing to how we put songs together.
AG: Where do you see Blowing Trees fitting in, in this current crazy state of the music industry?
DP: I hope we fit in somewhere in this industry, because there is some lame stuff out there.
AG: Finally can we expect a full length tour from you guys after the album is released in the spring?
DP: Yes, we are planning a tour after the album gets released in March. We probably will hit Texas and the surrounding area
To listen too the Blowing Trees songs, tour dates and other news check out the Blowing Trees official myspace page: MySpace.com - Blowing Trees - San Antonio, Texas - Psychedelic / Alternative / Folk Rock - www.myspace.com/blowingtreestx
The Blowing Trees are an awesome up and coming band from Austin Texas, their sound is a unique ethereal and edgy sound. The band which consits of Drew Pierce on drums, Chris Maddin on lead vocals, guitar and keys, Edwin Stephens on lead guitar and Scavone on bass are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their debut album which is expected to drop in March of ’08. Drummer Drew Pierce was kind enough to chat with me via email about the recording of the new album, touring and the Trees sound. Enjoy!!
AG: You guys have been in the studio recording your first debut full length album for Glassnote records, how did that go?
DP: Overall the experience was a very rewarding; I know we all learned a great deal in creation of this record. We wanted to do it up right.
AG: Can you describe the sound of this album? And does it differ from anything that you have done in the past?
DP: This record is still the trees. Our sound has changed a bit from the other stuff we have done in the past, but I like the new songs as well as the old ones. This record is half new and half old. It’s just great to hear the songs at a professional of quality.
AG: What is your songwriting process and what is the inspiration behind that songwriting process?
DP: The song writing process is mainly Chris, but lately we all have been contributing to how we put songs together.
AG: Where do you see Blowing Trees fitting in, in this current crazy state of the music industry?
DP: I hope we fit in somewhere in this industry, because there is some lame stuff out there.
AG: Finally can we expect a full length tour from you guys after the album is released in the spring?
DP: Yes, we are planning a tour after the album gets released in March. We probably will hit Texas and the surrounding area
To listen too the Blowing Trees songs, tour dates and other news check out the Blowing Trees official myspace page: MySpace.com - Blowing Trees - San Antonio, Texas - Psychedelic / Alternative / Folk Rock - www.myspace.com/blowingtreestx
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Updates.....
I'm very excited!! I just heard back from the guys from that awesome band outta Austin...Blowing Trees and they agreed to a chat. I sent off my questions to them today and hopefully I'll have their answers up and posted real soon. And I should also have my chat with the great Danny Sage (former DGeneration guitarist and East Village rock icon) posted real soon.
Onto the non music stuff!
A few weeks ago, I posted a non music story about a young girl who lived in the St. Louis area who had prior problems with depression. And she was being harassed over myspace by a boy who later turned out to her former best friend's mother and as a result the girl hung herself. The story really struck a nerve in me and completely disturbed me.
Well the former best friend's mother who set up the fake profile and was the one who pretty much called this 14 year old girl a piece of shit and told her the world would be a better place without her, now has a blog to tell her side of the story. And the woman basically is blaming a child for her own death. I've posted the link below and if this woman's attitude reflects that of parents of teens today, I'm scared for this younger generation coming up!! This woman truly is a sociopath!
http://meganhaditcoming.blogspot.com/
Back to the music!!
When I look at that picture of Jimmy Page on the current cover of Rolling Stone that I posted the other day, it really makes me want to give up my one bad vice of having too much red wine every once in a while! Geeze Jimmy Page looks like a walking anti drug and booze ad these days and he's not that old he's what... around 60??!! He was so beautiful when he was younger!! Let that be a lesson to you kids.. the mix of booze, drugs, black magik and fourteen year old girls.. make you look like your great grandfather before you reach your great grandfather's age!!
Onto the non music stuff!
A few weeks ago, I posted a non music story about a young girl who lived in the St. Louis area who had prior problems with depression. And she was being harassed over myspace by a boy who later turned out to her former best friend's mother and as a result the girl hung herself. The story really struck a nerve in me and completely disturbed me.
Well the former best friend's mother who set up the fake profile and was the one who pretty much called this 14 year old girl a piece of shit and told her the world would be a better place without her, now has a blog to tell her side of the story. And the woman basically is blaming a child for her own death. I've posted the link below and if this woman's attitude reflects that of parents of teens today, I'm scared for this younger generation coming up!! This woman truly is a sociopath!
http://meganhaditcoming.blogspot.com/
Back to the music!!
When I look at that picture of Jimmy Page on the current cover of Rolling Stone that I posted the other day, it really makes me want to give up my one bad vice of having too much red wine every once in a while! Geeze Jimmy Page looks like a walking anti drug and booze ad these days and he's not that old he's what... around 60??!! He was so beautiful when he was younger!! Let that be a lesson to you kids.. the mix of booze, drugs, black magik and fourteen year old girls.. make you look like your great grandfather before you reach your great grandfather's age!!
Monday, December 3, 2007
CMJ write up on the Blowing Trees
My friend's label just signed these guys and I'm really glad they are getting the attention that they deserve from the press. They are an awesome band and I look forward to hearing a full length album from these guys and I also hope to chat with them soon about this new album!!
From CMJ.com
http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=51047528
Blowing Trees Finish Debut, Look Towards '08
2007-11-30 11:57:01.113,
Story by: Kevin Kampwirth
San Antonio-based outfit Blowing Trees have completed work on their self-titled debut LP, which will see release this spring via Glassnote. Trees vocalist Chris Maddin and guitarist Edwin Stephens were in Manhattan this week—their first trip to the city—promoting the record and making the rounds with industry vet and Glassnote label head, Daniel Glass. "We were at this restaurant last night and ate right next to Tim Robbins," says Maddin. "The Shawshank Redemption was one of my favorite movies growing up. It was kind of crazy."
Rounded out by Drew Pierce (drums) and Scavone (bass), the four-piece have been playing together in and around San Antonio for five years. Citing influences from the Beatles to the Flaming Lips to Wilco (the last of which is also the name of Stephens' dog), their textural, guitar-laden sound owes much to punk as well. Their big break came earlier this year when Diane Passage, head of A&R at Glassnote, found the band on MySpace and took Glass to watch them play in Austin. He wasted no time in signing them to his fledgling imprint. Now anticipating the album's release, the Trees are hoping to get out on the road with their songs next year, and continue to fine tune their stage show at home in San Antonio, a city with a scene that they contend should not be overlooked.
"It's not too big—it's no Austin—but it's saturated with talent," Stephens says. He'll be the first to admit it has its drawbacks, though. "There're more cover bands than real bands," he adds with a grin. "You want to hear 'Brown Eyed Girl,' just go to San Antonio."
Blowing Trees myspace:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=203172447
From CMJ.com
http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=51047528
Blowing Trees Finish Debut, Look Towards '08
2007-11-30 11:57:01.113,
Story by: Kevin Kampwirth
San Antonio-based outfit Blowing Trees have completed work on their self-titled debut LP, which will see release this spring via Glassnote. Trees vocalist Chris Maddin and guitarist Edwin Stephens were in Manhattan this week—their first trip to the city—promoting the record and making the rounds with industry vet and Glassnote label head, Daniel Glass. "We were at this restaurant last night and ate right next to Tim Robbins," says Maddin. "The Shawshank Redemption was one of my favorite movies growing up. It was kind of crazy."
Rounded out by Drew Pierce (drums) and Scavone (bass), the four-piece have been playing together in and around San Antonio for five years. Citing influences from the Beatles to the Flaming Lips to Wilco (the last of which is also the name of Stephens' dog), their textural, guitar-laden sound owes much to punk as well. Their big break came earlier this year when Diane Passage, head of A&R at Glassnote, found the band on MySpace and took Glass to watch them play in Austin. He wasted no time in signing them to his fledgling imprint. Now anticipating the album's release, the Trees are hoping to get out on the road with their songs next year, and continue to fine tune their stage show at home in San Antonio, a city with a scene that they contend should not be overlooked.
"It's not too big—it's no Austin—but it's saturated with talent," Stephens says. He'll be the first to admit it has its drawbacks, though. "There're more cover bands than real bands," he adds with a grin. "You want to hear 'Brown Eyed Girl,' just go to San Antonio."
Blowing Trees myspace:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=203172447
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