Quirky rock/funk/pop/soul band Captain Danger make their highly anticipated return to the Cinema Bar, so the guys told the News about what they have in store for Culver City…
What have you been up to in the two years since we last spoke?
We’re diving deeper into our “powerhouse trio” concept, seeing what that can truly be about! (The band is: Roger “Joose On Drums” Benford, Keith “E-Day” Eaddy on bass and keyboards, and Aaron Steinberg on guitar and keyboards.) Now, with some miles under the bridge together – we’ve got a Three Ring Circus that we know how to operate. We’ve got a springboard that’s flexible and easy for various adventures, which includes us bringing in special guests often. As you know, the talent pool here in Los Angeles is pretty damn unique – and exploiting those possibilities makes for excellent twists and turns! And we’ve kicked off our new variety show, “Mondo Mysterioso” for which Captain Danger is the backbone of the experience. LA can have a tough reputation for feeling isolating. So we’re trying to the turn the dial in the opposite direction. Building up a sense of community seems to add to the adrenaline.
Describe your sound/style… How has it evolved?
It’s full-steam-ahead for our particular blend of rock, funk, pop and soul – which can also have a dose of quirkiness. We like to build outwards from hooky pop songs as our foundation. And, as you may recall, Doctor E-Day’s “vocoder excursions” are a highlight at every show. Generally, we’ve been incorporating some more surprises, including some stuff we’re finding our “dueling keyboards” setup can offer. Still, the underlying groove is always there at the core – we gotta keep that front-and-center, for wherever we may be going. And typically we’ll make sure to have some moments at gigs where we can be impulsive, and sneak in a visit to an unexpected song or musical region, since we tend to think that no genre is off-limits.
Any new recorded music available — particularly the most recent?
We’re currently recording our next release, which will be out early next year and will include spiffy versions of our songs “Skinny Dipping” and “I Feel Like Pluto.” (Since Pluto is no longer officially a planet, right? It’s tough out there at the edge of the solar system!) Also our music video for our song “Holly” continues to be an award-winner at film festivals.
What can we expect from the Cinema Bar set this time?
Alongside our originals, we bet we’ll include our spin-cycle takes on “Boys Don’t Cry” (The Cure), “She’s Always In My Hair” (Prince) and “Once In A Lifetime” (Talking Heads). And of course our song “Hollywood Douchebag” remains an audience favorite and cathartic singalong, so get ready for that one. Also, glad to say we will be featuring our special guest Sawanya, who is just an amazing vocalist and performer.
What else do you have coming up?
Here in Los Angeles we’ll be at The Mint on September 19. Additionally we plan to do more shows with the mega-awesome Olivia Olson (Adventure Time, Phineas and Ferb). We hope to collaborate again soon with the uber-amusing Flula Borg (Conan O’Brien, Pitch Perfect 2). Also we’ve been glad to participate in the monthly Electric Moon Revue, which raises money for kids’ art programs and features cool casts of LA musicians uniting around a particular musical theme. And we’ll be back at Harvelle’s in Santa Monica in the near future. We’ll always list our dates up on www.captaindanger.com and instagram.com/captaindangermusic.
Captain Danger performs at 10 p.m. on Friday, September 5 at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information about the venue.
Elsewhere this week
The Culver Hotel will be hosting the likes of Sylvia & the Rhythm Boys, and Scotty Bramer. Go to culverhotel.com for more info.
The next concert at Boulevard Music is on September 6, with the Jonathan Stout Trio. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.