Handsome Devil: Danny

1/12/03

by Renee Clark

What made you want to become a musician?  Was there any real defining moment? My brother Kelley is one year older than me, and he played guitar.  I kind of followed his interest in music – we’d get into trouble and listen to Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and the Scorpions.  Heavy Metal mostly…  We went to the Scorpions concert, and I remember walking by their tour bus as we were in line at Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, CA.  I thought it would be really cool to know what goes on in the bus because it was surrounded by people.  While watching the show, the guitar player stood on the stack of speakers, which were shaking, and he almost fell like twenty feet down to the stage level.  I thought his risk made the show better.  I wanted to do that someday. 

How did you learn to play your instrument(s)?  Did you teach yourself or did you take lessons? I took a community guitar course to learn chords on an acoustic guitar, and then I took lessons for a few months from a great guitarist named Bob at AB Music in Huntington Beach, CA. 

What do you think you would be doing right now if your music career didn’t take off? I would be working somewhere in Orange County, probably playing music in all my spare time to get my music career to take off.

  How did you guys meet? I met Billie in 1995 at a bar in Orange, CA.  I was playing covers like “I Want You to Want Me” and “Sedated” for the Casey’s crowd.  My friend Jackie introduced me to Billie and said he played guitar too.  We hit it off pretty much immediately because we had something in common.  WE LIKE LOUD, DISTORTED, ROCK AND ROLL!!  I met Keith at a show – He was in a band called Rubber that my band WANK was playing with.  I saw him play, and I thought he was the best drummer I’d seen not on TV.

How did you decide on Handsome Devil being the name of the band?  Keith came up with the idea and it got more votes than my picks – Dirtybird or the Zephyrs.

What are your goals as a band? To bring ROCK to the PEOPLE.  To make the world sing a Big fat Handsome Devil Song all at once.  To connect with all people through our music.  That’s all we want, and we want it now.

How far along are you with recording the new album?  We’ve recorded 4 songs, written about 20, and we’ve got a lot more recording to do.  We are really excited about the new songs… we have some real anthems that need to be heard.

Is Jeremy helping you produce this album as well?  Jeremy co-produced the first four songs we tracked, and we may do some production ourselves to mix it up. 

Have you decided on the name of the album?  Not yet… Send us your suggestions.

What are some of the new songs about? Themes of the new songs range from friends, loneliness, drugs and alcohol, ghosts, angels, and devils… more to follow.

  Is Billie going to be writing and singing the lead on any songs of the songs? Billie has been writing a lot, and I’m sure he’ll lend the lead vocals on some stuff.  The song Barbecue has a lot of fans from our first CD.

Do you know when it will be released yet? I can say 2003… I’d like for our new CD to be out before summer.

What can fans expect from this new album will the sound be similar to Love and Kisses from the Underground? The new CD will be an evolution for us… It’s going to have Rockier Rock songs and tougher production as far as overall sound.  I’d like to put 15 songs on the new CD to show our range.

Are there going to be any special collaborations on the new album?  We’re working on that…  It’s probably best if I keep the cat in the bag so I don’t jinx the collaborations… but I can tell you I’m very excited.

Are you feeling any pressure with trying to beat the success of Love and Kisses from the Underground? No.  I think we could outsell Love and Kisses with no radio airplay.  I know we can build the success even bigger, and I believe Handsome Devil is where we need to be right now.  It’s an exciting time for all of us.

Where do you get the inspiration from when you are writing new songs?  Life, people, feelings, dreams, and experience.  There are no rules so we are open to letting just about anything inspire us.

What do you hope fans will take from your music?  I hope that fans get inspired to party, have fun, get into trouble, and do just about everything to our music.  Handsome Devil isn’t just Holiday music – It’s about making everyday a Holiday.

Any plans for a new tour yet?  We want to finish our recordings so it will be a couple of months at least before we get back on the road.

Are their any bands you would like to tour with?  The Used, Sugarcult, STP, U2, Unwritten Law, - We’d like to go out with bands that like to be on the road and who play loud.

What has been the best tour in the past that you have been on?  Warped tour attendance wise, and Lit and Zebrahead funwise.  They are Orange County boys so it’s like a roadtrip with friends.

Do you like playing smaller shows or bigger shows the best?  I like the bigger shows because the adrenaline is unbelievable.  I get inspired by a large audience.  Smaller shows are great too!

What do you think is the best or worst thing about touring?  Missing the loved ones, falling behind in bills, and car accidents.

Do you have any horror stories from the road?  Plenty – Whether it’s getting jumped outside of a club by a group of drunk assholes, or expensive car trouble – we are Handsome Devil…  It’s all part of the challenge and work that goes along with the rock and roll business.  And we do love our work. J

What are you listening to right now?  What is in your CD player or MP3 players right now? Millencolin, Bruce Springsteen, Cold Blood, Bob Marley, ACDC.

Have you gotten any cool tattoos lately?  Not lately, but that reminds me I should.  I try to get one every year and a half or so.  I can’t believe some of these people who get sleeved in a week.  I need more time to put thought into what is going to be etched on my body.

Are there any bands out there right now that you think people should know about?  Yeah – Handsome Devil and the Beatles.  Ha!  Locally, I really like a group called Blockage – they are very original and are big Ramones fans.  They play very loud as well which makes them not only audible, but dangerous.

Do you have any advice for other bands trying to make a living out of being a musician?  Yes – I think if you dream of being a rock star or make money playing music, you should get educated.  Not about chords, but about business, law, accounting, and marketing.  It’s tough to get a break, and it might take 10 years – so go to school (college).  With school behind you, you can get paid decently at a job. The money you make working could help pay for the demo that gets you to the bigtime.  All that education will help you to recognize if you are getting paid correctly or if somebody is trying to burn you.  And if someday you need to work after the road chews you up and spits you out – you can always get a decent job, regroup, and do music because you love it.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years/where do you see yourself in 5 years?  On the road playing rock and roll – having the time of my life.

Is there anything you would like to add (last words)?  I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to put out records and play shows.  I don’t take it for granted, and I know that dreams can come true.  I want to give a shout out to my boys Billie-Dog and Keiko, All the Hellions in the World, and all those who have supported Handsome Devil in the past, present, and future – “Thanks for being part of my Life.”  Thanks for the interview Yo!

Thanks again!!  I hope to hear from you soon!!