The Danbees

posted by Randall Radic July 27, 2018

The Danbees recently dropped a new music video, entitled “Down at the Bar.” The song is from the band’s forthcoming EP, The Veggie Tapes: Sessions From Sound On Sound Studios, the band’s follow-up to their 2016 debut LP, Fishnets Anonymous.

From Ithaca, New York, The Danbees took shape in 2014, on Danby Road, when Mark Slotoroff and Wade McManus were students at Ithaca College. They began as a duo and later added Shane Matthews (guitar), and Sam Enright (bass). After playing the instrumental version of musical chairs, the band finally settled on who would play which instrument.

As Slotoroff says, “The funny thing is we’ve had three bassists in The Danbees, and all three are still in the band.”
The title of the EP – The Veggie Tapes – comes from Slotoroff’s time as a bartender.

“You’re always dealing with people’s dietary restrictions – it’s like, ‘are you actually celiac? Vegetarian? Or just an asshole?’ With music, we are often force-fed crap en masse, so we’re here – we’re your veggies, why don’t you eat us?”
The Danbees’ sound is rock. Not indie rock or alt rock, just pure rock and roll. Slotoroff describes is as “simple, done well. It’s similar to the ‘good songs; good musicians’ strategy of Motown.” And then adds, “But we do it our way.”

“Down at the Bar” starts off with a taut guitar riff and rolling snare. When the bass and rhythm guitar kick-in, the tune ramps-up with almost punk-like energy and beau coup momentum. McManus’ drumming thrusts home with tasty fills and great cymbal work, as Enright’s slapping bass enhances the sonic punch. The knotted-tight, dirty guitar solo is hot enough to raise blisters.

Slotoroff’s voice is tailor-made for rock and roll. It’s rife with sensuous low timbres, raucous, rasping growls, and delicious high notes, as well as a dazzling warbling quasi-vibrato sending chills up and down your spine.

The video, directed by Zach Eisen, opens with the band walking into the studio, striding past gold records and photos on the wall. They set up and cut loose with pure, unadulterated, rough-and-ready rock and roll. When Matthews kneels in front of his amp, the feedback effect is wickedly nasty and oh, so effective.

Yowza! “Down at the Bar” is terrific rock and roll, muscular, raw, and prickly. The Danbees know how to rev it up and turn it loose.

Stream on Spotify. - Tattoo.com

November 26, 2018Alternative, Music, new release, punk, Reviews, Rock
THE DANBEES RELEASES “VEGGIE TAPES” EP

by John McCall

Alternative music used to be a lot more accurate of a term than it is today. In 2018, practically anything that doesn’t fit into the basic categorization of hip-hop, rock or pop is automatically relegated to the alternative section, which arguably was once a sacred place where outsider musicians cultivated their foreign craft and forged the future of pop from behind the scenes. The Danbees are very much one of the last remaining alternative outfits that takes their insular medium seriously, and that’s why their new EP The Veggie Tapes is as much of a stand out as it is. The Veggie Tapes is devoid of the minute minimalism of modern indie rock acts and pays homage to the bluster and fight of post-punk alternative bands, but to call it anything other than an original simply wouldn’t be true (nor very alternative).

The Veggie Tapes’ “Going Down” sees The Danbees embracing their most melodically stylized sound to date, and instead of abrasively letting the atmospheric tempo that cushions it become completely ambient in nature, guitarist and lead singer Mark Slotoroff adds a wicked splash of psychedelic color to the main riff that is straight out of a Nuggets collection. Not enough has been said about Slotoroff’s abilities as a singer, but then again we haven’t really encountered any songs that sincerely highlighted them until this one. I still think he could push himself a tad more and dish out these verses with even more panache, but we get enough of the picture in this song to know he can do it.

The music of this extended play is very physical, but the mix isn’t overly blunt. The singles “Down at the Bar” and “Can’t Sleep” benefit from the scooped guitars and muted basslines, and the lumbering “Let’s Get It Right” is saved from self-destruction by bassist and mixing engineer Sam Enright’s delicate handling of its percussion. There are plenty of opportunities for the band to go completely off the rails and crash head on into a brick wall in The Veggie Tapes, but they always step back whenever they get too close to the edge. Some fans might dislike their newfound self-control; I for one think that it’s going to play a big part in making them famous someday.

There’s not nearly as much urgency in The Veggie Tapes as there is in Fishnets Anonymous, but nevertheless The Danbees openly exhibit signs of moderate experimentalism that I believe will eventually propel them to stardom. This is a very unique time in the history of rock n’ roll. Bands that are interested in sticking to the script and playing it safe with their records aren’t going to be around to see the light of day in 2020, and if any artist wants to be a part of tomorrow’s sound they’re going to have to give up any preconceptions they have about what their genre is supposed to look and feel like. Something tells me The Danbees aren’t about to be left behind, and if you need evidence for yourself I’d simply tell you to play their most recent record. - Too Much Love Magazine

The Danbees - Down at the Bar

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/track/5mv563m6iROWBP7JcBoARZ?si=wNrBHXn6Reum2kJaevCjYw

The single release “Down at the Bar” from The Danbees will likely mark a crucial turning point in the fortunes of this New York City based rock band. Originally hailing from the Ithaca, New York area and first formed in 2014, the band initially coalesced around a core of main songwriter and front man Mark Slotoroff and drummer Wade McManus. The chemistry of their partnership prodded them to enlist Slotoroff’s childhood friend Shane Matthews on lead guitar and, later, a former bandmate of McManus’ Sam Enright to play bass guitar. “Down at the Bar” is from the band’s forthcoming EP release The Veggie Tapes and promises their sophomore release will be every bit as vital as their 2016 debut Fishnets Anonymous. Let’s hope, as well, this new collection will allow them to expand their touring itinerary outside the East Coast and bring their individual brand of rock to the Midwest and beyond.

YOU TUBE: https://youtu.be/4PxO_7Dx-Lw

The unabashed love they have for rock music comes through loud and clear. Shane Matthews’ guitar playing is boisterous and often unrestrained while still never tumbling over into outright chaos – he does an excellent job of bringing a lot of aggression to his playing while still following a logical progression from verse into chorus, the brief instrumental breaks he takes, and how fluidly he shifts gears between the song’s assorted changes. Wade McManus’ drumming is a little unconventional, but never so much it draws attention away from the song and the distinctive attack he brings to his kit helps sets “Down at the Bar” a little further apart from standard rock fare. He’s capably joined by bassist Sam Enright who, though never prominent in the mix, nonetheless provides the song with a consistent sternum rattling pulse functioning as the song’s heart.

Slotoroff’s singing is peerless among modern rock singers. He has the sharp performing instincts of someone who’s been doing this for decades while boasting a cannon strong voice that could easily dominate the track but, instead, taps into the song’s mood and gives a reading of the song every bit as visceral and dancing on the edge as the arrangement. Make no mistake, however – there’s immense artistry in what these four musicians and performers pull off. The song’s soul and point of view, however, comes across in Slotoroff’s singing and the lyrical content – few songs I’ve heard in recent years are such well-rounded, unquestionably rock songs like this one. It comes out of its corner swinging from the first and leaves a mark on listeners before it’s done.

New York City and the college rock scene has produced a real winner with The Danbees. The Big Apple based four piece has blazed a trail since their 2014 formation and this EP seems like the next logical step in their continued ascent. One thing is for sure – the positive reception will continue, the crowds will be larger than before, the stages bigger, and The Danbees sound primed for the next leg of their journey in the music world with “Down at the Bar”.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thedanbees

Mindy McCall - No Depression Magaine

A video accompanies the first single “Down at the Bar” from The Danbees’ sophomore effort The Veggie Tapes, but it’s sharp and well-meaning gravy giving a visual sense to a song that does a fine job of communicating on its own. This song comes barreling out of the gate like the greatest rock songs do and the instrumental attack of guitarist Shane Matthews, bassist Sam Enright, and drummer Wade McManus. The band steps back a bit for the verses, Matthews’ guitar keeping a tense rhythm behind frontman Mark Slotoroff’s vocals, but unleashes fearsome, swelling blasts of electric guitar between the verses that are guaranteed to capture your attention.

There are a couple of key drop outs, hinges of a sort, to swing you into the next lap of the song, built into the arrangement and the band shifts gears impressively at these points. The Danbees final touch comes with a top notch production job – each instrument, even Slotoroff’s vocals, are presented in a forceful way and balanced against the other elements of the song.

Wade McManus is an impressive drummer despite it not being his first instrument and has created a unique style for himself borrowing from rock’s long history while still spinning his playing in an idiosyncratic way. His hard-hitting style doesn’t preclude him from throwing a little flash into the percussion and, thankfully, those moments always serve the song rather than doing anything to drag it down. His partner in the rhythm section, Enright, locks in tight with McManus’ playing while still playing in such a way that his bass notes reverberate throughout the song and give it extra weight. “Down at the Bar” would likely run off the rails without the efforts of these two giving the bottom end a definable shape that Slotoroff and Matthews make great use of.

The Danbees Show How Rock Should Be Performed

Slotoroff’s singing has real presence, but it’s also filled with a clenched fist, red-eyed aggression and fire he masterfully manipulates for effect. The lyrical content has the same amount of bite without ever wasting a single word to convey its subject matter and the delicious way Slotoroff snaps off the end of each line lets you know, quick, that he isn’t playing and follows every line out to their deserved conclusion. Shane Matthews makes for an excellent contrast, ceding space to Slotoroff during the verses and supporting him with live wire rhythm playing underneath, but when Slotoroff steps back, Matthews surges and leaves listeners reeling with his rock guitar power. “Down at the Bar” serves notice that The Danbees are here to stay and have a chance of leaving behind a lasting body of rock music fit to inspire generations to come. The Veggie Tapes is shaping up to be one of the best releases, any length, to emerge from the rock genre in quite some time.

Find The Danbees on INSTAGRAM


-review by Jodi Marxbury - Indie Band Guru

Words – Kurt McVey

There’s something endearing about The Danbees, a four-piece rock outfit created in 2013 at Ithaca College in Upstate New York. Forged in a one hundred year-old house in the South Hill area of the charming but often dreary college town, the original line-up faced its first falling out as two founding members, staring down their post-graduate futures, were unwilling to take the brave and happily deluded plunge in moving to New York (Brooklyn: let’s be real) to pursue the band as a career. The two remaining members, Mark Slotoroff, the principal songwriter and vocalist and Wade McManus, the band’s former bassist turned drummer, enlisted the talents of Slotoroff’s longtime friend Shane Matthews for lead guitar and the multi-instrumentalist turned bassist Sam Enright, who put his education at the Berklee College of Music on hiatus to become an official member of the band.



Slotoroff, with boyish good looks, a residual college-mop, and a sort of naïve savant like approach to his craft, writes songs that fall into what he happily calls “grunge pop.” The songs, which clock in at breezy punk rock times which rarely go over the 3:30 mark, are created with the a sort of disposable nonchalance, while somehow maintaining moments of real radio-friendly pop hooks that never pander to the college girls and mid-transformational hipster chicks that nevertheless flock to their shows. Playing mid-lineup to a packed crowd at The Studio at Webster Hall last month, the four-piece, which had only rehearsed twice with the most current line-up, filled the space with colorful, fast-paced, catchy jams that seemed to unfold thematically in real time. Songs about leaving a college love behind, embarking on a new chapter in life, living in the frightful, non-gentrified areas of Brooklyn because you’re broke as shit, taking embarrassing jobs at Bubba Gump Shrimp (the seafood tourist trap in Times Square) to make ends meet while pursuing your dream, or being too destitute to swing for that late-night drunken cab-ride home with a your potential dream-girl and hoping to God that she’s cool with the subway.



These kinds of songs are written all the time by producers in there forties for pop artists in their thirties looking to incite the fanaticism of that oh so ravenous “tween-college female demographic” and as expected, they usually feel about as real as the crab in the Bubba Gump seafood salad. However, when The Danbees (who average about 21 years of age collectively) crank these tunes out with their hungry and unpretentious earnestness, it comes off as both nostalgic and decidedly farmers market fresh.



Last week The Danbees opened for Badfish, the seasoned Sublime cover band back at The Haunt, a college rock bar near their alma mater. Their fans came out in droves. “It was awesome to be back in Ithaca, playing a show for the first time since graduating and having the opportunity to open for Badfish, who have a great following,” says the humble Slotoroff, despite his band being the clear draw for the night. With The Danbees, unlike Badfish for instance, who run solely and unabashedly on the fumes of nostalgia, you can have your cake and eat it too. “Popular music doesn’t have to suck,” offers Slotoroff which a sort of sage-like childish aplomb. “If the song is good, then it’ll happen.”



The Danbees are driven, no doubt, almost as much as they’re looking to have a good time. Refreshingly, it’s hard not to notice that these, “four dudes in a band” as they put it, are unpolluted by what the larger Brooklyn consciousness thinks is cool (they’re too young to have participated in the hipster zeitgeist of the early-aughts) and because of this healthy lack of self-awareness, might be the coolest young rock band in Brooklyn. - VNDL Magazine