Interview with Danko Jones; Danko Talks About New Album ‘Fire Music’ and Upcoming UK Tour Dates

Danko Jones has just released his new album Fire Music and celebrated with a one-off headline show in London. Following the show, a full UK tour was announced for September so Pure Grain Audio had a quick chat via email with Danko about the tour and everything else he has going on.

You just played a headline show in London, how was that? What was it like being back in the UK?
Danko: It was great. Very long overdue. I’m glad we were able to finally play London.

And you’re coming back in September for your first full UK tour in seven years. Looking forward to it?
Danko: Absolutely. Like I mentioned, it’s been too long. Seven years to wait to tour the UK is ridiculous.

What can rock fans expect from the Danko Jones live experience in 2015?
Danko: Same as seven years ago. We haven’t changed much other than writing a few more albums worth of songs. The songs might be newer to a UK crowd but the show remains the same.

You’ll be touring in support of your new album Fire Music, tell us a bit about it?
Danko: We spent a lot of time working on it, writing the songs and making sure they were exactly what we wanted. We’ve never really done that before. We’ve always made albums in-between tours. This time we really wanted to do it right. We recorded it with Eric Ratz (Cancer Bats, Billy Talent, Monster Truck) and the end result speaks for itself.11

And if you had to describe it in one sentence…
Danko: It is a good album.

What is Fire Music?
Danko: The title of our new album and it sums up the energy and spirit of our music.

Let’s talk about some of the songs – “Wild Woman”, “Gonna Be A Fight Tonight”, “Do You Wanna Rock?” – are these all songs written from life experiences?
Danko: “Wild Woman” is taken a little from life experience but “Gonna Be A Fight” is more a song that tells a story, a mix between the movies “Warriors” and “West Side Story”. “Do You Wanna Rock?” is just a good Rock song, nothing more than that.

What about “Getting Into Drugs”?
Danko: “Getting Into Drugs” is a song about a guy, not necessarily me, who discovers drugs late in life only to find out he loves it. It’s semi-autobiographical in the sense that I don’t do drugs but I have in the past. Recently I smoked a joint and it didn’t go that well. The song isn’t about that experience but a mix of it all. I do want to point out that even though I don’t do drugs I am for the legalization of marijuana. It is a travesty that hemp and its products have been villainized.

You’ve had an amazing career and worked with an incredible list of musicians – are there any particular people who’ve really made an impact on your life?
Danko: As far as the people I’ve gotten to work with? It’s awe-inspiring watching Marty Friedman and Jeff Waters do their thing. They’re incredible musicians and I am humbled watching them work. I’ve loved my experiences with John Garcia and hearing him sing my song I wrote for him was incredible. I don’t work with people that I’m not friends with and highly respect so collaborations are always fun.

Look to the future then, what does the next two years hold in store for Danko Jones?
Danko: The next two years are gonna be all about touring, touring and more touring. It’s making me wince just thinking about it. Also, this June I’ll be hitting the 100th episode of my podcast – The Official Danko Jones podcast. It’s available to stream or download for free on iTunes and Soundcloud.

As we’ve said these are the first UK shows in seven years (bar London), any message for UK fans who are counting the days until September?
Danko: We apologize for making you wait but the wait is over. We’re coming back and we have everything to prove.

Tour Dates:

09/18 – DUBLIN – Whelans
09/19 – BELFAST – Limelight
09/20 – GLASGOW – King Tuts
09/22 – WOLVERHAMPTON – Slade Rooms
09/23 – NOTTINGHAM – Bodega Social Club
09/24 – MANCHESTER – Sound Control
09/25 – LONDON – Underworld
09/26 – LEEDS – The Key Club
09/27 – BRISTOL – Exchange