Danger Radio

Words and Photos By Joe Koch

On the surface Danger Radio may seem to be a bunch of goofy young kids, but this Seattle-based band is definitely committed to perfecting their craft. Andrew De Torres (vocals) says most of them come from a jazz background.
"I was in jazz band, so was Nico (Hartikainen) drums and Marvin (Kunkel) bass," he says. Elan Wright (guitars) was in orchestra.
Danger Radio is comprised of members whose ages range from 18 to 22 and whose influences span the globe, from Puerto Rico to Finland and their local scene. Andy Brookins (guitars) says he grew up listening to his dad play albums by Rush. So with all these influences they were able to meld them into the sound that defines Danger Radio.
The sextets sound is often compared to Maroon 5, says Spencer Phillips (keyboards.) The band is very eager to hit the road this summer opening for Cute is What We Aim For in support of their new full length release due out July 8.

I asked Andrew if they felt a sense of relief to finally have the recording complete for their first full length album. "Absolutely, we’ve been at this forever… just to try and get this thing going," says Andrew. "It’s finally done! It’s getting mixed right now. We just had a bunch of meetings with the record label about marketing and everything. It’s just crazy to finally having it come together." We’ve been toting around our independent EP Punch Your Lights Out for about three years.
"It’s been a long time coming," says Elan. " I’m very excited to have new material out."
Danger Radio fans can expect a few redone songs taken from their MySpace page.
"Other than that it’s all new stuff. It’s just pretty fresh," says Andrew.

Photo by Joe Koch

They do take a rather humorous approach to the rock star lifestyle, as seen in their homemade YouTube video, showing fans how to prep for dancing at a Danger Radio concert. Danger Radio’s live show is one to reckon with.
Although Andrew is small in stature, his presence on the stage is evident as he controls the crowd with his every move and vocal. His voice is sometimes reminiscent of Mike Patton of Faith No More. The band's energy is unmatched; only seconds pass as they ignite yet another song that most in attendance are familiar with. MySpace has made it possible for bands like Danger Radio to accumulate fans in cities that are three thousand miles away from their hometown.
We can only hope that with the highly anticipated release of their first full length album and a push in the right direction, we will be hearing the sounds of Danger Radio echoing throughout the summer.

For more info go to: www.myspace.com/dangerradio