INTERVIEW WITH DANKO JONES

We had the chance to toss some questions at new Rock sensation DANKO JONES, who is currently taking over some Satellite Radio stations with his current hit single “First Date.” We decided we’d let our newest writer, Greg, handle this one. Greg has done interviews before, just not for Foundry, so we hope he lives up to your expectations. If you don’t like the interview, feel free to cry about it.

FoundryMusicGreg: Sleep is the Enemy is the new album, and you’ve been consistently releasing material since 1998. How do you think you’ve progressed along the way?

Danko Jones: I think we've gotten better at our instruments over the years (but barely). We play Hard Rock music, not Math Rock. Too much progression and you'll end up in Prog land.

FoundryMusicGreg: There is definitely an old-school Punk vibe to the record, musically at least. Most people tend to just focus on the AC/DC influence they hear, but there definitely seems to be something more. Who else is a big influence on the band that people may not expect?

Danko Jones: Yeah, totally. As much as I am a huge AC/DC fan I think it's just lazy rock journos who quickly reference them and let it be. I'm constantly referencing other bands on record, everything from The NEW YORK DOLLS to ICE CUBS. We draw on everything from Nick Cave to Early Man, from SLAYER to SATYRICON, from YOUTH OF TODAY to FUGAZI, from Kool Keith to Ornette Coleman.

FoundryMusicGreg: John Garcia from KYUSS does backing vocals on “Invisible”. I have to be honest, when I wrote the review for the album I thought it was a female Soul singer you had on there. I was stunned, and embarrassed, later on when I found out that it was actually John, and not a female Soul singer. Either way, the vocals on that track sound really good, and there’s a real duality between your voice and his.

Danko Jones: Thanks. John Garcia is one of my all time favorite singers and it was a super thrill to sing with him on a track. As I answer these questions we are preparing to jam with him next week.

FoundryMusicGreg: You tour all around the world and you probably have to eat a lot of crappy food on the road. What country, or more specifically, what city, has the best food that makes traveling more bearable?

Danko Jones: Italy (Wow, Italy is a city? –FMR)

FoundryMusicGreg: On that same token, what city has the hottest groupies? Or, if you don’t want to alienate any of the women in other cities, where have you had the best experiences when it comes to post-show activities?

Danko Jones: Scandinavia has the hottest women in the world and if you disagree you either have never been or are totally gay.

FoundryMusicGreg: Most of the songs on Sleep is the Enemy are testosterone-fueled and take a tongue-in-cheek approach to singing about chasing women. A few of the tracks like “When Will I See You” and “Time Heals Nothing” are a little more vulnerable, and you let guard your down lyrically. Is this a conscious decision to throw in some curveballs with the lyrics?

Danko Jones: No curveballs needed. Our songs are about one of three things, women you want to go out with, women you're going out with and women you've gone out with and were probably dumped by.

FoundryMusicGreg: You've been slugging it out in the industry for more than a few years. Consider this scenario: a young music fan is able to afford an expensive pair of sneakers, but refuses to actually go out and buy albums, so instead he downloads. Do you consider people like this to be a problem, or do you think downloading is fine to a certain extent?

Danko Jones: I've got no problem with it especially because it was the major labels that introduced the liquid digital medium in the first place. All the money we might have lost in record sales were made by people just hearing our band and getting into us. But we have always been a live band and a live show experience is something you just can't download.

FoundryMusicGreg: You haven't really broken through to the U.S. music scene yet. Are there any plans for dominating the States and doing a tour here?

Danko Jones: Our sights are set on the States in 2007 you can bet on it.

FoundryMusicGreg: Any final words, plugs, or shout-outs?

Danko Jones: Yeah for sure. I have a weekly radio show called THE MAGICAL WORLD OF ROCK WITH DANKO JONES that is broadcast out of 95.3 Rocket FM in Stockholm, Sweden and syndicated to Norway, Germany and Canada. People can stream old shows at the radio show's website (which needs to be updated badly) at: www.themagicalworldofrock.com

I also have two columns in heavy music magazines, Rock Hard in Germany and Close-Up in Sweden.

We'll be headed out on tour mid-October to Norway for two weeks where John Garcia (Kyuss, Hermano, Unida) will be joining us on stage for four shows and then off to the UK and mainland Europe with Gogol Bordello, Bedoin Soundclash and Disco Ensemble for the Eastpak Antidote tour until the end of November.

Check out our website at: www.dankojones.com and our myspace page at: www.myspace.com/dankojones