Honest to Blog

I am going to keep this blog updated to the best of my ability for the rest of this year! I realize that as a legitimate blogger I have ultimately failed lately. Do to the excess of activities going on (including band practice), it has been increasingly hard to keep up.

QUICK UPDATE OF THE WEEK!

-played show at The Knitting Factory, before the break. Had a great time, and fell in love with our fans and friends all over again. Got to play some new songs, but didn't get to play Native Son (because we ran out of time).

-Claire and I played a small acoustic show at Banana Republic, and the manager want to have us come back.

-Recorded two of our new songs, The Black Sheep and Danger, and right now we are waiting for our fantastic recoding engineer to finish mastering them so that we can flaunt them to the world.

-Over Christmas break I wrote a new song that I have flailed to name. A friend of mine asked me to come perform for the Reflections open mike night at my school, so I am going to sing my new song (which makes me nervous because I am not used to playing alone).

NEW YeArs Re-VOLUTIONs

So, for the new year I have implemented some new years resolutions into my life. However, after one week I realize that these "resolutions" are far more than resolutions, they are in fact revolutionary in terms of the way that I live my life.

1) Make my bed every morning (so simple right?)- making my bed every day is nice because right after I wake up I make my bed, and my brain starts stirring, and then when I am tired at night I climb into my nicely made bed (which is more rewarding than I have ever imagined). This one resolution has led to me to also folding my clothes before I put them away, because I used to throw them on my bed. Folding my clothes inspired me to make the organization of my room more fluid, and this inspired me to organize my life! I figured out how to use my calendar on my computer, I have everything color coded, I have times, and I have information attached to the dates (ex. flight emails attached to the reminder that I have a flight). YEAH WTF IS RIGHT- total revolution! Feels great though, I am not going to lie.

2) Become Healthy (again)- yeah I went a little downhill last semester, ex. walking up the 3rd floor of college hall was a might task. Now I am hitting the gym 3 times a week, and snowboarding every friday, plus running as much as possible. Oh, and I am avoiding sugar like the plague. AND I am going to bed at 11 or 11:30 every single night.

3) SCHOOL work- I realize this blog is about The Danger Bears primarily, but according to Claire it is my blog so I can talk about whatever I want. This semester I am taking quite a few classes, which I am very excited about, but which I refuse to fall behind in.

4)*keeping up with the blog

-love you long time,

Danger

New Year, New Hope

It's the new year, and at this particular moment I am feeling particularly poetic.

On the very last day of the very last year of the very last decade, there was new hope. I spent most of new years eve at Claire's house catching up with friends and toasting. The evening was mildly uneventful. The new year came and we cheered because that is what we are supposed to do, and slowly the guests trickled out the door like wax down the side of a candle in a Catholic cathedral.

For the first time in a long time and for the first time in the new decade, Bear and I sat down next to each other and played in her backyard grotto. I think in a lot of ways we have grown callous to our own music, to playing. We know what we can do and we rarely choose to really challenge ourselves. I think this has led to a lack of passion in our performance, because that's all it had become, a performance.

Her fire pit gave us light as Jenna, Nadia and Jeff laughed by the jacuzzi. I sat in my place on the left of Claire, I like being on the left. I guess it feels like home. There was nothing particularly spectacular about the performance, just the feeling that I had about it. I felt like I did in the beginning when I sang just for myself, and that is a beautiful thing. Then we played Falling Slowly from the movie Once. We had attempted the song before but in the chorus Glen Hansard hits some freak notes, and I never could quite get it. I had come close but not consistently. So, we had stopped playing that song, unfortunate because it's a beautiful song. Anyways, someone asked that we play it (can't remember who) and I laughed and explained that we couldn't because I couldn't hit the notes. We ended up playing it anyways and right before the chorus I told myself that I was going to hit those fuggin notes. And I did, every one.

For a second Claire looked at me and I thought her eyes would pop out of her head. I almost shit myself. I think it truly was a new years miracle. Also, one of the dark hairs ( explain that later, but I can't remember who it was) gave Claire a list of songs we should learn, and last night Claire sent me her recorded cover of Beautiful Love by the Afters.

For the second time this year I shit my pants! I have never heard Claire sing like this before, so soulful and full.

If you click the title of the post it will take you to our site and you can listen to it, do it. now. I promise you won't regret it, unless you hate good music of course. Then you probably shouldn't be reading this blog (sorry, but it's true).

We ended up staying up until 4 a.m. and talking about where everyone would be in 10 years (like anyone has any idea). Whatever, it was fun to imagine where we would be, and what our lives would consist of. What we discovered is that wherever we end up we will be loving life, and we will have music and friends.

Now I need to continue getting ready for our big show on February 3rd.

Happy New Years!

-Danger

Wisdom Teeth

I want to start this next blog with a very important fact regarding my mother.

I truly do love her very much, probably more than any other person on this planet.

She also drives me absolutely nuts sometimes, as I am sure I have the same side effect on her. So Mom, if you ever end up reading, this just know that I love you. Maybe at this line stop reading (I know you too well and of course you won't)

My momma hated our name. Just absolutely did not like it. She really just did not think is was catchy, she thought it was weird, and any opportunity she got she commented on how she disapproved of it. Talk about annoying.

At first I would subtly lie to her and tell her that it was temporary; that we were desperately searching for something suitable to call ourselves. This only worked for so long.

If any one person has greatly influenced The Danger Bears the most, I would have to say it's probably my mom. The thing is she has no fear of hurting my feeling with harsh criticism. Which is fine when I am asking for her opinion, which usually I am not.

Dane that song is too slow, speed it up!

Dane who wrote that? Oh, I see, not you, I don't like it at all.

Dane what's that weird noise in the background?

Dane why don't you sell more CD's.

Sell them for this much, do this, do that!

Here's what you need to do Dane, blah blah blah.

You didn't sing very well last night, you've sounded better, Were you sick? (No, I wasn't)

You looked nervous.

You were fidgeting.

You guys looked frompy at your show.

I hated those head dresses, you guys looked much better when you took them off.

Most of the criticism I honestly listen to (although I would never let her know that, hell no). Because my mother is a pretty damn smart lady and I trust her. But some things that she says have actually compelled me to do the opposite. I feel that this has really affected how our music has formed.

One thing that really pisses me off though, is when I would be writing a song in my room (just for me, not to be recorded, just a private song) and she would make come out of nowhere and comment about it, when I really didn't care for anyone to listen to it. Those were the only times when I would lose my cool with her musically. She really knows how to get my flippin goat.

However, when my mother did compliment our music, I knew she really meant it...

You guys did awesome on the radio, you sounded fantastic.

I think you guys could be a hit, because your music relates to everyone.

Your voice and Claire's voice mesh together so well.

You guys were the best band that played tonight.

Everyone was so excited to see you.

I'm amazed at how much your music has expanded.

You actually sound like good music!

I'm telling all my friends about you.

You should make your little sister your manager (not happening, that's actually a counter example of a good idea)

I can always ask my mom for an honest observation of our performance, and this I feel has helped me to become a better performer and lyric writer. I love my mom, and finally I have written a song with her in it, it's about time! Hopefully it will be recorded soon. It's called Strong.

Eventually she did come to love our name, THE DANGER BEARS.

She just had to warm up to it first.

My Dad is a whole other blog for a whole other day.

Goodnight Friends.

-Danger

Name Game

Names are important. Names are a part of who we are!

<---(our first band photo, taken ourselves, haha, ghetto)

There is an ongoing debate in my head on whether as people our names shape our lives, or if our lives shape our names. It is a troubling question, especially when you are naming a band.

We wanted to convey the type of music we were making in our name. I think we really wanted to reflect the people that we were too.

Something kind of interesting, memorable, light hearted but having the potential to go in depth. Something REAL. Something kind of entertaining.

We made lists of potential names:

Chicken Scratch (ended up being the name of our album)

Out of Laguna ( we ended up leaving Laguna)

Out of Egypt ( Exodus?)

Garden Party (probably already a band named that or something)

Water Proof (what? that was a stupid idea)

Luck Joy Smugglers ( I was probably reading The Joy Luck Club in English)

The Free Birds (ended up naming a song that)

Sun Beam (no comment)

The Little Ministers ( I'm catholic so... that one didn't really make sense)

The Sol Bears (getting warmer)

This was the biggest hurdle we had come upon, and finally we had found the name for us. Yes Folks, we would call ourselves...

THE DANGER BEARS

At first it didn't really roll off the tongue, we thought it might be too weird. What does that mean?

Are people going to know we are a band, or are they going to think we're action heroes or something?

We didn't know and essentially we didn't really give a shit because we liked it!

The Danger Bears is just a combinations of Claire and I's nicknames.

Claire BEAR

and Dane-ger or DANGER...

I got the nickname Dane-ger when I was playing volleyball. I played all four years of high school as an opposite (I'm left handed).

Every year as soon as season was over, the basketball team would take over the gym and we would have to figure out something to do. Many times we would play a highly intensified form of soccer with virtually no rules dubbed Volleysoccer. Though there may be a debate about who actually christened the nickname, there is no debate as to why I was called that.

I repeatedly would nail my friend Chris in the crotch with the soccer ball. (Sorry Chris)

Once in freshmen year when I was throwing him the volleyball, I chucked it at his nuts. (no explanation). And I think two times I kicked the ball from probably six feet away and they hit him, and he went down...fast.

I got really into those games and I'm not sure if I ever stopped running because after they ricocheted off of Chris's nether region I would have possession of the ball again! I think one time I actually had to hop over his moaning body.

In my senior year sometimes the crowd would chant DANE- GER when I would serve. Good times. Good times. My friend Megan claims to have officially coined my nickname, but the jury is still out on that one.

Anyways that's where we got our name. The Danger Bears.

When we told Claire's parents they were thrilled. SAWEET!

we thought we had conquered the world, we had a song and a name, we were going to build a myspace and post the song! Nothing could stop us! The world was our oyster!

That is of course,

until I told my

MOTHER...

here's a link to our music page, give her a gander.

http://www.myspace.com/thedangerbears

p.s. feel free to send any personal Danger Bear stories to my email

dangerbears@hotmail.com

and I will post them.

Christmas 2010

I have to halt the story for one quick blog moment.

It is Christmas Eve and I got Claire some wooden dishes from a second hand store, their pretty freakin cool. After I went to church with my family I came back and dropped the whole fuckin bag of them on the floor!

After I was done flipping a bitch, my Dad glued two of them back together. I also got Claire a deck of cards called 52 Silly Things to Do When Your Blue. I doubt we will do any of those things, but we joked that we would actually do them all. haha

At 10 o'clock p.m. my family and I arrived at Claire's house and Claire gave me her present to me.

An absolutely Gigantic MUG.

What's up with all the kitchen ware?

Christmas is awesome, period. the. end.

Goodnight.

I'm putting up a picture in the new hat my mom got for me.

Holy shit, I love this holiday.

-Danger

The Magic Of Marine Ecology: Birth of THE DANGER BEARS

She sat diagonally behind me in marine ecology class. Round head, big round eyes, orange backpack, strange jackets, a dirty mouth, cussed like a sailor.

I should have know that we would be friends but at the time I didn't have the any idea.

My earliest memories of Claire are her harassing remarks either directed at me, or at this person I will call Bert. Bert was a total idiot, most of the time, but at certain times could be genuinely hilarious, but only if he was being mean. Claire completely loathed him, and to be honest I'm not a big fan of ass holes either. Everyone in the class took Bert's bullshit all the time, and would laugh at his jokes and go along with whatever he was saying so that we wouldn't become his next victim...

Everyone, that is, except Claire. She would blatantly mock Bert and tell him straight up how much of an ass he was. Then I started joining in, and eventually we were tag teaming Bert, and then just kind of making fun of each other (but in a teasing/friendly way).

When the year was up, I had aced the class and Claire had barely passed I think. (My memory is a bit foggy junior year and I don't know why, but I have a feeling it's because of all the Acutane I was on). Either way, we had become pretty good friends and I enjoyed being around her. Claire has always had this awesome ability to be herself, and I love that.

Claire also showed me a website to help me learn guitar, and I had recorded a song and put it up on my myspace page. It was called "Hello Mr. Sunshine" and it was one of the very first songs I had ever recorded, right in my bedroom with a little USB mike. Pretty crappy quality really.

So, as soon as Claire and I figured out that we both had songs on our myspace's we had to check them out. This was probably a few days after school had ended, and the summer was just starting. I distinctly remember going onto Claire's page and clicking on the song and listening. I had never heard her sing or play guitar before.

I was in shock! She sounded really fantastic, better than I could have ever imagined. Her voice was soft and had this really great texture to it, and her song was just genius in my opinion. She listened to my stuff, commenting went down, then phone calls...

Next thing I know Claire and I were in her music room, making our first song.