Music
Press
"DIMMN is yet another promising Chicago act."
-Absolute Punk - Absolute Punk
The story so far: Pop-punks Danger Is My Middle Name are part of an increasing number of bands conceived entirely on MySpace. "All the members came together [in January 2007] by answering MySpace ads and random messages," says bassist Craig Miller. After playing their first show one month later, they started pre-production the next day on their first EP. "We wanted to see how far we could get in as little time as possible" says Miller.
Why you should know 'em: DIMMN are living up to their goal. They opened for Coheed & Cambria and Atreyu at this past winters Q101 Twisted Christmas concert in Chicago and landed a spot on this summers Warped tour. "We're going to be the underdog band for the up-and-coming scene" says Miller. "Like your favorite sports team, we'll pump you up and let you down; you'll hate our guts, but in the end you'll still love us."
-AP - Alternative Press
Danger Is My Middle Name is the new King of Emo! They are not only Emo, but Hardcore Emo. Any band that will have a chorus that says YOU’RE BETTER OFF / WHEN YOU’RE BETTER DEAD is alright by me. The same way that GREEN DAY had a hit with the stripped down acoustic ballad ‘Time Of Your Life’, I feel that DIMMN could do the same with their song ‘New Friend Regrets’. Bad Emo is when bands think, “what would someone who felt really sad write here?” Good Emo is when the singer/songwriter really truly does want to be dead and is not kidding. That is the feeling I get when I hear ‘New Friend Regrets’ by DIMMN.
When lead singer Gabe Atkins sings BREAK MY OPEN ARMS / SO PAIN IS ALL I FEEL I truly believe on some level he wants that to happen to him. For fans of Taking Back Sunday, The Used, New Found Glory, Blink 182, and Paramore I think you will like the music of DIMMN.
Danger Is My Middle Name is the real deal… check out their MySpace page and trying to catch a live show. Even though DIMMN is still a young and upcoming band, they have played such high profile venues as The Hard Rock and First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
-Broadtexter
- BroadTexter
Danger is My Middle Name
Most likely to … be added to Q101's Twisted lineup again next year
You're a fan if you like: Ludo, Treaty of Paris
See them: March 30: Mojoe's Rock House, 7537 W. 158th St., Tinley Park; tickets: $10
Few bands get the chance to play Chicago's House of Blues, no less share the stage with the likes of Coheed & Cambria as a last-minute fill-in for Q101's massive yearly showcase, Twisted. Danger is My Middle Name got the call to fill for Twisted 14's Day Two something like a week beforehand, and within that week, the pop-punk foursome whipped up a whole album's worth of material to debut at the show. The results were staggering enough to keep the group in Metro-level shows (they just played there again with Ludo last week) with connections to rising local up-and-comers Treaty of Paris and still-touring Lucky Boys Confusion. Aside from this obvious big break, which we music watchers shall bring up for years into Danger's future, their split-second writing puts them among a talented set of contemporaries. - Daily Herald - Chicago
Discography
Giant Killer (2010)
Sink Or Swim (2009)
Revenge On The Radio (2007)
When We Die Only Our Enemies Leave Roses (2007)
Photos
Bio
To stand out among the post-pop-punk excesses of the Chicago music scene, Craig Miller was told “You need a great story.” The story behind Danger Is My Middle Name is that there is no story. There is no meet-cute, no luck and no fairy tale. Their story is the story of countless bands -- they met, they wrote, they played -- and it worked. But unlike other bands, it continues to work. The lack of flash suits Miller (bass), Gabe Atkins (vocals, guitar) and William Cox (guitar) and their hardworking, no b.s. attitude.
Giving fans from the Midwest markets of Minneapolis, Iowa City, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Dayton, St. Louis, and Northwest Indiana what they want -- strong, classic pop-punk hooks and quirky, original riffs has paid off for DIMMN with independent success to the tune of 60K+ digital downloads, spots at Warped Tour, SXSW, Milwaukee’s Summerfest, Florida Music Festival and tours across the U.S.
Danger's "Revenge On The Radio" EP, (released September 2007) hit Chicago like a hurricane and rapidly destroyed college radio playlists and major market stations like Q101 Chicago, KRQ Tucson and 107.7 Seattle with its popular title track. Alternative Press Magazine, PureVolume.com and iSound.com reviewed and featured the EP. In 2009, DIMMN recorded their anticpated follow-up EP with producer Marc McClusky (Farewell, Hit The Lights, Ludo). Released in July 2009, "Sink Or Swim" featured seven songs and received positive press from AbsolutePunk.net, FriendsOrEnemies, iSound.com, and Buzznet.com. A featured CD on PureVolume.com, it was downloaded over 5,000 times during a free, week-long pre-release. As of March, 2010, "Sink Or Swim" still had a place in the Top 100 Unsigned Band releases on SmartPunk.com.
DIMMN is driving the resurgence of competent songwriting, on-stage skills that don’t involve laptops, and a determination to connect with fans -- not just sell them a product. This band is the unsung underdog of Chicago. Keep listening; “Danger” will only get better from here.
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