DANNY DANZI

Go get 'Danziland', just out on MTM - a classic 80's melodic rock sound with modern production. Here is the man behind it all...

1. What are you currently up to?

Resting, relaxing and doing as many online and phone interviews as possible. No studio work at this time....thank God. A tour sure would be nice, but we'll see once we release in Europe on March 15th. Sales have been great in Japan, so I'm pumped up about what's going on there.

2. What has been the highlight(s) and lowpoints(s) of your career to date?

The high is the live playing. Nothing tops it. Whether I'm playing for 50 people or 5000, it's always a high for me. The low point would be constant band auditions, people leaving or me firing them.

3. 'Danziland' is just about to be released (& its excellent IMHO!) - how come it took so long between albums?

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! :) Between the band auditions, problems with my old record label and writing the material with an entire unit, this took about 3 years. I wasn't doing another album alone, so I had to hire the right guys that would create with me. I never wanted to be the boss, or the lead singer. I just wanted to be a team player. But when you don't find all the other elements, you have to do what you have to do to keep things rolling. This was why I did SLIT all on my own. After it was released, I made up my mind I'd never do another like that. So I went on a mission to find the right players, and that was a nightmare, but we finally did it! :) .

4. Could you take us through some highlights on 'Danziland'?

It's all one big highlight for me. The songs are our children, and I love each one equally. If I had to pick any highlights, I'd say my voice really kicks butt on this, and the guitar playing is something I don't think I'll be able to top ever again in this lifetime. There are no filler tunes anywhere on this album, and there never will be on any Danny Danzi album.

5. How do you approach songwriting?

It actually approaches me. I can't sit down and say "today, I'm gonna write a tune". I can say "I'm going to try and finish one" but never can I just go for it all in one shot. I mean, I could, but that would be forced writing and that's not something that works for me. I hear voices/elements/instruments in my head. If they don't call out to me, I don't write a tune. Sometimes though, I'll come up with a riff by accident and try to form a song out of it. Other times, I'll log the riff and use it at a later time. It's always different though. For the most part, I like to use formulas as starting points. Like...a killer beginning, a middle to keep interest, a climax, and an ending to make it memorable. Sometimes it works, other times I'll use a different formula. Hahaha!

6. Who was your inspiration musically?

Quite a few actually. Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Eric Gales, Gary Moore, Dann Huff...to name a few guitarists. As for singers, I love Steve Perry, Dann Huff (him again) Richard Marx, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Luther Vandrose. People inspire me differently, and with most music, I take what I want from it even if a song or artist isn't fantastic. There's something in everything for everyone I suppose.

7. Have you ever been approached to join another band? How did you hook-up with members of your band?

Nah, no one has approached me because they know I'm into my own stuff. I'm not a control freak, I just have no time for slackers. Anyone that asks me to work with them, better have their shit together. I don't just make music, I live it. The guys in my band are all friends of mine. Once they heard I was in need of some musicians, they checked it out, we did what we were supposed to do, and DanziLand is the result.

8. Any ambitions you'd still like to achieve music wise?

I just want to get better at what I do. You're always your own worst critic, ya know? AOR album of the year would be nice. Or hell, I'd love to be the one responsible for getting this style of music popular again. It's a pipe dream, but I never give up hope as long as I have the gift to create and some die-hard fans and friends.

9. What do you do in your spare time outside of music?

I think you may be the first person to ever ask me this question...believe it or not. I'm not as social as I once was. You get at a certain place in your life to where you say "been there, done that" and it happened to me at an early age. I spend most of my time experimenting with sounds and recording techniques these days. When I've had enough of that, I'll play Sony Playstation until I fall asleep! LOL! I race dirtbikes, and have just gotten into racing cars now. I bought a new Corvette in 2001 that really did something to me once I learned how to harness 400+ horsepower. From there, the need for speed increased and it's one hell of a car now. So modding it and seeing my quarter mile times excite me quite a bit. I mess around with computers quite a bit also, and have gotten to be one hell of a little hacker. LOL! I'm a good guy hacker though, (no worries) but it's just incredible to learn. I also play sports like football, softball/baseball and basketball when I can, and hit the gym 3 times a week now. I've been working on the new album so much, I've not worked out in about 2 years. Good to be back, and I haven't lost much due to a good diet. I've studied martial arts for about 19 years and still train as often as possible. I teach guitar a little bit on the side, and have 6 students. I had about 30 at one time, but I fired them for wasting my time, and their parents money. The 6 I have are pretty scary dudes. If they stay focused, you'll hear about them sometime, that's for sure. Oh, and I'm not married nor do I have any children. :)

10. Message for your fans...

Thanks so much for your continued support and patience! I sincerely hope you enjoy the new album and hopefully I'll be able to tour in your neck of the woods to give you a thank you in person. God Bless..

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Interview © 2004 Jason Ritchie/
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