To stand out among the post-pop-punk excesses of the Chicago music scene, Craig Miller was told “You need a great story.” The story behind Danger Is My Middle Name is that there is no story. There is no meet-cute, no luck and no fairy tale. Their story is the story of countless bands — they met, they wrote, they played — and it worked. But unlike other bands, it continues to work. The lack of flash suits Miller (bass), Gabe Atkins (vocals, guitar) and William Cox (guitar) and their hardworking, no b.s. attitude.
Giving fans from the Midwest markets of Minneapolis, Iowa City, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Dayton, St. Louis, and Northwest Indiana what they want — strong, classic pop-punk hooks and quirky, original riffs has paid off for DIMMN with independent success to the tune of 60K+ digital downloads, spots at Warped Tour, SXSW, Milwaukee’s Summerfest, Florida Music Festival and tours across the U.S.
Danger’s “Revenge On The Radio” EP, (released September 2007) hit Chicago like a hurricane and rapidly destroyed college radio playlists and major market stations like Q101 Chicago, KRQ Tucson and 107.7 Seattle with its popular title track. Alternative Press Magazine, PureVolume.com and iSound.com reviewed and featured the EP. In 2009, DIMMN recorded their anticpated follow-up EP with producer Marc McClusky (Farewell, Hit The Lights, Ludo). Released in July 2009, “Sink Or Swim” featured seven songs and received positive press from AbsolutePunk.net, FriendsOrEnemies, iSound.com, and Buzznet.com. A featured CD on PureVolume.com, it was downloaded over 5,000 times during a free, week-long pre-release. As of March, 2010, “Sink Or Swim” still had a place in the Top 100 Unsigned Band releases on SmartPunk.com.
DIMMN is driving the resurgence of competent songwriting, on-stage skills that don’t involve laptops, and a determination to connect with fans — not just sell them a product. This band is the unsung underdog of Chicago. Keep listening; “Danger” will only get better from here. |
