Folly’s Own Dangermuffin Drops New Album
By Miranda Steadman | Contributing Writer
A decade ago, the founding members of Dangermuffin moved to Folly Beach to soak up the good vibes and fuel their musical energy. Back then, Jim Donnelly, of The Travelin’ Kine, was their drummer, and the band played a regular Thursday night gig at Taco Boy every week.
Today, Dangermuffin has performed their original music all over North America and continues to spread their music and love of life to fans everywhere.
This month the band hits the road in celebration of their latest album, Heritage, with shows up and down the Atlantic seaboard and then bouncing over to the Pacific coast in May. Locally, Dangermufin will play The Charleston Pour House on March 25 with Nashville Americana band Forlorn Strangers and American folk duo Sweet Sweet from Myrtle Beach.
Heritage pays homage to those who walked this land before us, as well as our common mother — Mother Earth.
“The theme of the album is empowerment by the knowledge of truth in nature,” says lead singer Dan Lotti, who now lives north of Asheville.
Along with guitarist Mike Sivilli, drummer Steven Sandifer can be heard playing upright bass as well as percussion on Heritage, while Marcus Helander holds it down on the drums.
The predominately acoustic album was meant to deliver a pure, organic sound with a feeling as cool as the beach breezes where they are from. All instrumentals on the album were recorded locally at Truphonic Recording Studio in West Ashley, while the vocals were recorded downtown Charleston at the Unitarian Church on Archdale Street. “It’s so vibe-y in there, the place is literally alive,” says Lotti.
Lotti recently returned from an excursion to Peru with his wife. “Cost of living is very cheap, but so worth it. Songs, ancestry, ancient family, the theme of the album makes so much more sense to me after this trip.”
The record is comprised of eight carefully-constructed tracks with folk music at it’s core. “Ode To My Heritage” takes listeners on a musical journey with Sivilli’s licks on slide guitar and the thought of “my heritage, wherever I’m from … some far off distant land.” The track presents the idea that you hold your lineage in your heart.
The album’s second song “Waves” incorporates a mix of instruments with local musician Mike Quinn on the saxophone. “Ancient Family” gives a feeling of belonging and finding yourself through the inquiry of our ancestors.
Sivilli’s favorite track on the album, “The Sea & The Rose,” has a “nostalgic sound similar to an ’80s ballad, very pretty but it also has this groove, etherial thing going on,” says Sivilli.
The final song, “One Last Swim,” was written for a fan who fell ill with a brain tumor and chose to move to Folly Beach for the last two months of his life. He can be heard playing percussion on the track, living on through the song.
“I think it is the highest honor an artist can have to help in the healing process,” says Lotti. “That’s my goal is to heal, to have the music reach as many people to help to heal them. We’re traveling around, we’re meeting these people, and they’ve opened their hearts and their home to us.”
For tour dates and information,
visit www.dangermuffin.com.
