Reverend Eddie Danger started his career in music as an alto sax player in the 5th grade. In the 9th grade he was kicked out of the Jazz band and stopped playing music for about 4 years. At age 18 an enlightening experience in the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert reintroduced Ed’s Love of music and he started frequenting drum circles. Ed left the Midwest for the next few years traveling around the world picking up instruments from Cuba, South America, Africa, Australia, Mexico and the US. At age 20 Ed Joined a World/Rock band and started his craft in song writing. During this time the “southpaw” started to teach himself how to play the guitar upside down.
Taking a break from music this time to ride his bike from Canada down the coast through California Ed ended up without any money in Berkeley, California where he got a job starting school gardens. It was in the Bay area where he began to record music at the California Recording Institute in San Francisco. The years following lead Ed north to Alaska where he lived in a tree house and to Portland, Oregon to pursue music. To pay the bills while living in the Pacific Northwest Ed worked on a Llama Ranch, drove a school bus, was a backcountry guide, taught science, edited a book on sexual astrology and performed music. Ed moved back to Wisconsin summer 2003 where he released his first solo Self-titled CD. He currently organizes the worlds largest renewable energy fair www.the-mrea.org and the Feel Good Music Festival www.feelgoodfestival.org in Central Wisconsin. You can often find him on the road living his life as a wandering minstrel traveling around playing the many instruments he has collected over the years.
Eddie Danger Music
Described as “Cosmic Folk with a Tribal Twist of Jazz” or simply “Feel Good Music”.
A One-Man Band playing over 25 instruments. The lyrics are word heavy stories with an underlying message usually about political or environmental justice, Metaphysical epiphanies or frustrations and blowing off the suburban teen angst, bad love, & trashy rap star negative vibe mentality saturating today’s music. “I have bad days like anyone else. I just make a conscious effort in my songwriting to focus on the positive. Even my sad songs tend to see the light through the clouds”. –Ed Danger
Ordained Minister
The Reverend Eddie Danger is an ordained minister registered in Washburn County, WI. One of a few people that can perform a marriage ceremony and be the band afterward. He has a strong relationship with God, Nature and the Universe and is in favor of unorganized religion.
Discography
-The Evergreen State College 2001 Compilation CD (Trufflehunter)
-The Reverend Eddie Danger (Self-titled) Self-Released. Summer 2003
-Live at Witz End, Woodchuck Could Records. Spring 2004
-Welcome to the Feel Good Revolution, Woodchuck Could Records. Summer 2004
-Mike White (Vocals, Percussion & Production) Winter 2004
-Live at The Mission, Woodchuck Could Records 3.4.05
-Reverend Eddie Danger & The Band of Thieves, Woodchuck Could Records 2005
-Reverend Eddie Danger, Alma in the Stars, Woodchuck Could Records 2006
-Reverend Eddie Danger & the Feel Good Tribe, Live At Feel Good Festival WCCR06
"At age 18 an enlightening experience in the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert reintroduced Ed’s Love of music and he started frequenting drum circles. "
Dave Kruger (owner of The Big Rock Studio) is an outstanding sound engineer and has become a great friend. He has been running sound for many years in Central Wisconsin at places like Witz End, Clark Place, the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair and much more. Dave has an extensive library of live music recorded over the years. He has a great ear for balance, texture, spatial placement and volume. He is really laid back and has a great ear for creating a nice well rounded sound. The studio is located in a very tranquil setting in the country. When we needed a brake we could sit on the deck and watch the wildlife, hike to the creek or run a naked lap around the neighbor less yard. The studio itself is top of the line and home to some high powered microphones, sound proof rooms, 24 channel digital board and some mint condition vintage amps and guitars.
Album & Festival Artwork
Liam McLaughlin of Ripon, WI did all the artwork for the album www.coyotehowl.moonfruit.com His artwork has this great elves and fairies dancing in the woods feel that I Love. Magic should be a part of every day life!
One-man Folk Funk
An interview with Ed Danger CITY PAGES MAY 12, 2005
Q: Wat's your take on the guy in the sky?
Danger: When I was eight years old... I asded my dad if Bubba, my grandpa, was going to hell because he didn't believe in God, adn he couldn't answer me because he didn't want to say "yes". So he just kind of avoided the answer, so I just couldn't believe in a god, a fearful god. If there is a god, which I believe there is, It's a Loving God, not a judgmental one. So I wrote the song about that and people seem to like it. It's called "Scarecrow".
Q: Is "Reverend" just a stage name?
Danger: No. I'm ordained. I haven't dopne any baptisms or funerals or anything, but I do a few weddings. Actually, June 4 I'm doing a wedding and then I'm going to be the band afterwards, so that'll be fun. The faith I belong to is similar to the Unitarian vibe that follows the beliefs of many different religions, Buddha, Jesus, paganism...
Q: Is your music evere sad or angry?
Danger: Yeah. In Scarecrow one of the lines is, "I'd be angry and you'd be, too..." But, you know, me being angry is like...did you ever watch the G.I. Joe Cartoonwhen you were a kid, when they'd always shoot at each other, but nobody ever dies or gets hurt? That's kink of how I see my dark side. A lot of my songs, too, if they'tr sad or angry, they're also reflective... looking toward the positive side of being angry and it's predicament. I love getting older, because I feel like I'm finding out more about how to live life. I used to be a very strict vegetarian, and I'd get mad at all these people who weren't. "you're destroying the Earth", or whatever , and now I don't let it bother me. People are people... I'm not going to judge. I'll just get happy and hope that the rest of the world does the same.
Q: Why is your beard redder than the rest of your hair?
Danger: By teh end of summer my hair on my head will be blonde, and my beard will get darker. At Christmas I wasn't feeling really good about myself, so I told myself that I wasn't going to cut my hair until I felt successful in life, which has turned into: If I pull offf the Feel Good Festival.
Rev. Eddie Danger
Interviewed by:
Don Voyage
Don Voyage: Who are Your Musical influences?
Reverend Ed: A huge influence on my music is Fela Anikulapo Kuti. I really look up to Joe Craven (Percussionist/Violinist for David Grisman Quintet). The first song I ever learned on guitar was an Ani DiFranco tune. I grew up listening to stuff like the Mighty MightyBossTones and Skankin Pickle. I went through a period where all I listened to was Leftover Salmon and Bela Fleck. Sometimes Tom Waits comes out in my songs. The jazz side of me is influenced alot by Herbie Hancock, Django Rheinhart and Greyboy Allstars. A lot of my loops remind me of Ladysmith Black Mumbazo songs. Lately I've been getting into Modest Mouse. Oh, and Blackalicious!
DV: Is Danger your real last name?
E.D.: My great grandparents came to America with the Name Dangerouski. It was shortened to Dangerous and then again to Danger at the turn of the century.
DV: Tell about your first CD release, summer 2003
E.D.: Well, I am really proud of it. It's hard to create a CD that trully represents my live sound. I only had 70 minutes of space and I've written over 100 songs. I decided to record it live but cut back a bit on my instrument soloing (mandolin, flutes, guitars, sax, scat...) and focus on just getting the tune and lyrics out there. I've started working on a new album that better represents the direction I've gone musically. When I recorded my first album I had just started looping and had only played the guitar for a short while.
DV: Because you do alot of live loop sampling are you ever compared to Kellar Williams?
E.D.: Sometimes. I listen to him for new ideas and I went to a show once in Portland. I think hes great, but we are very different. We are like farmers using the same tools. Except I grow garlic and basil and he grows asparagus and watermelons. His guitar work is way more complex than mine and I focus more on scat, flutes and other instruments.
DV: How many instruments do you play?
E.D.: I'm kind of a jack of all trades, master of none. I grew up playing alto sax. In the 6th grade I dressed up as a surfer and had a solo while the concert band played a Beach Boys song. In college I started picking up different perscussion instruments from around the world. That was when I was playing in this world/rock group called SugarBlu Rhthyms. I picked up the guitar and taught myself to play it upside down, I'm a southpaw. Then I bought a bass when I lived in Olympia, WA. I play the didgeredo, accordion, I have 5 wooden or bamboo flutes, a recorder, harmonica, a jawharp, mandolin and I use a drum machine in some of my songs. I would have to say that my main instrument is my voice. I love to Scat-tat-tooie!
DV: You play all over the U.S., How do you get to your shows?
E.D.: I have an old Chevy Astro van that used to be a computer maintenance vehicle who's name is "Eddie's White Wonder". It has a FM radio, but only the presets work so I listen to alot of NPR.
DV: What is brown and Sticky?
E.D.: A Stick.
DV: What kind of gear do you use on stage?
E.D.: I use a Digitech vocal pedal to change my voice from Alvin & the Chipmunks to Darth Vadar. I also use a Digitech pedal with my guitar that gives me tons of effects. Every section of a song has its own specific effects, styles and loops. I give them cool names like: New Mexican Mushroom, Gator Loop, Jawharp Watermelon Man, New Age Barnyard Intro and so on. I use a Zoom drum machine for occasional rhythm and the Line6 vintage delay pedal which has a 14 second loop on it for all my loops. It's all wrapped up in a big rifle case I picked up at Fleet Farm for 20 bucks!
DV: What is the craziest thing you've done on stage?
E.D.: I used to host an open mic in Hood River, Oregon where things got a little rowdy. I've gotten naked onstage and smashed a few guitars, but I stopped doing stuff like that because I feel it takes away from the music. I was banned from Full Sail Brewpub for saying the word "assfire" in a song. Is that even a word?
DV: Are you a real ordained minister?
E.D.: Ya, but I'm not much of a preacher. I have a strong relationship with God, Nature and the Universe. Feel Good! It's the Feel Good Revolution! Life's a Garden- Dig it!, You can't have no in your heart and when Life gets you down you've got to keep on keepin' on. It's about Peace, Love & Sundress'. Accentuate the Positive, thats my sermon. THE END
