Rock icons Danko Jones announce two livestream performances in celebration of the release of their 10th studio album Power Trio, out August 27th via MATE in Germany. The livestreams are set for Saturday, August 28th at 8:00PM ET / 5:00PM PT and at 8:00PM CET and will be streamed live from Bridgeworks in Hamilton, Ontario.
To add to the excitement, the band will also be doing a Q&A for viewers after the performances. Tickets & info can be found HERE
Along with the livestream show announcements, the band has also released a new song today, “Start The Show”. Stream it HERE! And watch the lyric video HERE!
Ironically the last song on ‘Power Trio’, it is essentially Danko Jones’ answer to Cheap Trick’s “Hello There” – i.e., a song tailor-made to be the first song played at a Danko Jones show. It’s a reaffirmation of everything he was put on this earth to do. But in the wake of this pandemic-plagued year, the song also makes for a surprisingly poignant album closer, because it’s a reminder of all the shows that Danko didn’t get to play this past year, and a reminder of how much we’ve all missed that goosebump-inducing feeling of being in a packed club when the house lights go down, the music playing over the PA cuts out, and your favourite power trio emerges from the darkness to kick into their opening tune. And yet despite this bittersweet subtext, “Start the Show” is brimming with the promise that we will experience that feeling once again—and, after the black cloud of COVID clears, Danko Jones will be there ready to give it to you.
“Start The Show” follows previously released singles “Saturday” and “I Want Out“. Hitting #1 at German Rock Radio and Top 15 at Canadian Rock Radio, “I Want Out” has seen success with airplay around the globe. In April the band also released a fan-only track “Flaunt It”. Album pre-orders are available HERE!
Power Trio sees Danko Jones delivering each engine-revving riff, soul-shaking stomp, and shout-it-loud hook with a sniper’s precision. It’s such a simple, self-evident title, but one loaded with significance, as it speaks to the special triangular alchemy Danko shares with his trusty bass-slinging accomplice JC and drummer Rich Knox. It also stakes out the band’s place on a storied lineage of three-piece titans Jimi Hendrix Experience, ZZ Top, Rush, Motörhead, Venom, Dinosaur Jr., and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, to name a few.
The album follows the band’s electrifying, world charting album, ‘A Rock Supreme’ released in 2019. It also sees the band once again tapping into the production prowess of Eric Ratz, who previously amped up the bone-breaking boogie of 2017’s full-throttle rocker ‘Wild Cat’ and 2015’s bloodlusty Fire Music. Band Photo By Dustin Rabin
I just visited your website and there are Kiss levels of merch on there. When can we see the cutthroat bobbleheads? and what merch would you love to see for the Cutthroat Brothers?
Jason: bobbleheads would be fantastic! Just looking for somebody that will make a two-headed monster version. We’ve talked about Cutthroat Brothers barber products, you know, pomades, shampoo…maybe it should all be blood-red liquid but not stick to the skin. Or maybe it should?
Donny: potato chips, you just can’t eat one.
Some footage from the European tour is on youtube it looks insane, how good was the tour?
Donny: The most fun on tour ever, one night I tried to hug everyone in the place.
Jason: The tour was fantastic! Really great crowds and venues. The welcome for our first time was overwhelming. People screaming and dancing and not letting us stop playing until we played every song we knew. Tours really are about connecting with people on a personal level and that happened a lot. I’d never been to any of the places we went so everything was really fresh and exciting. We were supposed to be on tour right now. Life is cancelled due to Covid, so we wait patiently to return to work and the road.
COVID-19 has derailed everyone are there plans for a return to Europe? What about UK shows?
Jason: Absolutely, We will be coming back as soon as the dust settles. We can’t wait to play the UK! Punk is still alive more across the pond, so wherever people want us that’s where we will be.
The live album sounds amazing will it see a vinyl release?
Donny: I’m hoping Houndgawd will do the vinyl once life is somewhat back to normal.
Jason: Definitely we will get it out on vinyl. We will hopefully everything on vinyl as soon as the pressing plants start up again. A run of white vinyl for ‘Live in Europe’ would be fun.
How do you approach songwriting as a pair or alone?
Jason: Generally I will sketch out the song to a point then we will arrange it and finish them when we see each other. The demos sound a lot different than the final version because i just sketch them on my iphone. We are hoping to release a collection of demos sometime soon for our hardcore fans. I always enjoy listening to ones from my favorite artists.
Donny: There’s a major component to our writing that I think, makes this work, no negativity, we are friends, we do this to have fun.
What were the decisions you had about doing this whole thing as a pair and not heading for a more traditional band set up with bass or piano or two guitars? Is it something you might look into in the future?
Donny: funny you should ask, we have a collaboration awaiting the record presses with the legend Mike Watt. He had offered to play on our next record (‘Taste for Evil’) in our very first interview for our Debut album on his radio show. We took him up on it and sent him the tracks, somehow emails were in the spam folder and we missed having him on the record or so we thought. That said after ‘Taste for Evil’ was set to come out we found the Watt tracks, we have 4 collaborations from ‘Taste for Evil’ that we’ll release as soon as Houndgawd is back up and running full speed.
Jason: It was an accident. We didn’t intend it to be just two people, but it felt right and we didn’t see the need for more. We make creative decisions really quickly this way and with Jack Endino to steer us we can get a lot done fast. We don’t want to risk the squeaky wheel too. You know, the other person who is always arguing or being late, wearing shorts to gigs, you know THAT one.
Have you recorded using a full set up or are you open to ideas?
Jason: We are open to whatever for sure! It just hasn’t happened yet and probably won’t soon as long as it feels good to us.
Tell us a bit about your background in music?
Donny: Mudhoney, ELO, EODM, AC/DC, ZZ Top. My grandma was a classical pianist and the she taught piano and organ played at funerals and weddings. My dad was a keyboardist as well he had a band pretty much my whole life and then went into playing for church. My parents said I started playing at 2, I don’t remember but I also don’t remember not playing.
Jason: My father is a preacher, so I started playing in our family country western gospel band touring around doing Carter Family songs and such around age 13 I think. Early country and rockabilly were my first loves, then my folks bought me a Louie Louie compilation that started with Kingsmen and ended with Black Flag. My parents accidentally introduced me to punk rock and it was downhill from there.
what plays on the stereo in the barbershop? maybe a short back and sides or sponsored ‘something for the weekend’ could be on the merch desk at future shows?
Donny: Punk, Metal, Garage, Rockabilly, rap, hip hop.
You teamed up with German label Hound Gawd Records (which you mentioned) they’ve released some great records how did that pairing come about?
Jason: Oliver from Hound Gawd! Got a copy of ‘Taste for Evil’ when we just finished it. It was mentioned to him by our shared publicist, Ilka. He dug it and the rest is history. We love Hound Gawd! All the bands are great.
Donny: I can’t say enough about if you’re putting out your art do it with someone who loves what you do or even more than you, this is why we are with Houndgawd.
What plans have you got in the future? Recording? touring? I heard you were ready to record album three in March. Did that happen? is Jack Endino involved again? What can we expect on the next record? Is Mike Watt playing on it at all? If you could get a bunch of guest musicians to join on the next record who would you love to ask?
Jason: Jack is definitely involved with everything we do. He really is the third Cutthroat Brother. Mr. Watt has offered to play on stuff again, yes, but we don’t know any specifics. We have another album planned out. We had to push it to a safer time because of Covid but we will be at it ASAP. I’ve asked Jesse Hughes from Eagles of Death Metal, he said he would be on it but we will see. I would love to get him and Jennie Vee on the next one. Cross your fingers.
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