Page 97 - ION Indie Magazine JULYAUG 2024

TB: Who produced the album and where was it recorded? Any guest
musicians or vocalists on the album?

Danny: George and I co-produced the record out of my home studio, which has
long served as a space to build out and rehearse songs. This was the first time
we hunkered down to do final tracking there, and it was a fulfilling experience – if
not a bit challenging to never be more than a few quick steps away from adding
an overdub or working on a mix. Our pal Charles Cleaver absolutely crushed on
Hammond organ, piano, and electric piano on Fast Fun, Earth’s Last Goodnight,
Walk All Over Me, and Take Your Ball and Go Home. With so much time spent
behind the desk on this one, I was happy to hand over some keys’ duties to
someone like Charles, who elevates any song he touches. As far as the vocals,
my wife and daughter were enlisted for some gang vocals and backing tracks. I
think they realized it’s all part of living within shouting distance of where tracking
is happening!

TB: How long had the group been working on the songs for the album?

Danny: The initial spark for a lot of these songs can be traced back to lockdown
in 2020 and early 2021. While we were apart, George (who I’ve found is almost
always brewing up a new tune or two) would send out demos and songs that
caught the group’s ear, would slide to the top of the pile for more work. Some of
that happened through tracking our own ideas at home, and once we were able
to start getting together in person, we were able to figure out where all the pieces
fit. We did take a brief break in early 2023 to knock out a few singles in
collaboration with some of our favorite comic book artists but jumped back on the
project in late 2023 and early 2024 to finalize tracking and mixing.

TB: This is the group’s sixth album. How has the group grown since the
first album Pretty Money was released in 2011? What song off the album
means just a little bit more to you or stands out a little more, and why?

Danny: I’ve got two that rise to the top for me. Our most recent single from the
album, Tell Everyone Around, turned out to be a treat to co-produce and
engineer. I struggled a bit to wrap my head around it when George brought it to
the band, which made it all the more exciting when it started finding its sound as
a song. As an engineer, the only bummer was that we were so excited by the
sounds we got on Tell Everyone Around, that I went back and remixed a few of
the earlier tunes! The other song is Take The Wheel, which is the first Jack the
Radio song that is a lyrical collaboration between George and me. After fourteen
years, it was bound to happen at some point, and it was a fun process with great
results!

TB: The new album was partially funded via a Kickstarter campaign. As an
indie artist, how difficult is it to pay for all that goes into recording and
releasing an album and doing a tour?