>>PREVIEW
DANKO JONES
With Nickelback and Live
Monday, January 23
Pengrowth Saddledome
There are certain musicians who can be blindly relied upon for quality control. They create songs so instantly addictive that short errands in the car swell into hour-long detours. Danko Jones – the fierce rock trio identified by the same name as the front man – is one band that never fails to deliver. However, for the last couple of years, they’ve been delivering mostly to Europeans.
Once a staple in hip rock clubs across Canada, it wasn’t long before Danko Jones connected with major international success, especially in the rock-obsessed corners of Europe. The band is signed to Sweden’s Bad Taste Records, is worshipped at enormous festivals and keeps company with some heavy-duty superstars. On top of non-stop touring, front man Danko Jones hosts The Magical World of Rock radio show based in Stockholm. A raucous and educational hour-long affair, Jones has syndicated his program for free to five affiliates in Portugal, Norway, Germany and two stations in Canada (the newest being Winnipeg’s Power 97).
This is just not another year for Danko Jones or for hard rock fans. The release of the band’s third long-player, Sleep is the Enemy, is sure to cause deep blushes and, for some, a temporary inability to see straight. As intensely focused as previous efforts, the album boasts familiar pulsating hard rock with brand new catchy melodies. With a guest appearance by rock legend John Garcia (Kyuss, Unida, Hermano), Sleep is the Enemy is posed to leave skid marks and toppled buildings in its wake.
"(Garcia’s) manager was a fan of our band and asked if I wouldn’t mind working with John on something," explains Jones about the hook-up with the king of sludge rock. You can almost hear his grin across the telephone.
"I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it, but can he be on our record? If I scratch your back, can he scratch mine?’ John had actually heard of the band, but hadn’t heard the band. They were saying that when they went to Europe, they just kept seeing all these Danko Jones shirts at the show and they didn’t really know what a Danko Jones was.
"When he heard all the records… immediately, he said, ‘I’m down.’ We sent him a song and he was, like, ‘OK, I’ll rip it up.’ He basically sang what was in my head when I wrote that riff. It was exactly how I pictured it in my head for him to sing. When this track came through in the studio, it was amazing. He really makes that song way better than it was intended. He’s such a nice guy – in dealing with him and talking with him and stuff. He’s really chill."
Like the rest of Danko Jones’s fans, when Garcia made the two-hour drive to L.A. to see them live, he stood in front of the stage and sang along to all the songs. It was a warm moment for the band.
While fans chew on Sleep is the Enemy (due February 21), Jones will continue producing his radio show from the road and continue his columns in Mute Magazine (Norway) and Rock Hard Magazine (Germany). Also, the band is beginning to work on a DVD that may be released later rather than sooner because of Jones’s determination to make it "a fuckin’ monster" of archival footage. As if that’s not enough, a sequel to his savvy spoken word release (also called The Magical World of Rock, 2004) is in the works, along with more hard rock records.
It’s a good thing that Jones, as usual, sounds absolutely revved up for anything since he and his bandmates will be embarking on a colossal tour until the end of the year. After supporting Nickelback and Live on tour, Danko Jones will continue criss-crossing the globe once again. They’ll be stopping by Helsinki, Milan, Oslo and cities across Germany, South Africa, Australia and Japan. Sure to be a demanding but exciting adventure, the dynamic front man is pumped about playing venues in his home country once again.
"Just to hear you say Dome at the end of Saddle… that’s exciting." |
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