Danny Echo is a Vancouver band who was recently chosen as one of the twenty finalists for the Peak Performance Project. The Peak Performance Project is sponsored by the 100.5 The Peak FM and Music BC. I had the chance last week to pose some questions to the band.
The PEAK Performance Project is a seven-year, $5.29 million contest open to all musicians in British Columbia. The project was created by 100.5 The PEAK and Music BC to develop BC based emerging artists. Every year, twenty finalists from BC will receive an intensive, one week training program in the music business, live performance, songwriting, marketing and promotion. Artists will benefit from mentor-ships from some of the music industry’s top professionals and performers. All of these artists will have the chance to perform live in Vancouver on the PEAK Performance Stage. Of these twenty artists, the top three will be crowned as the PEAK Performers of the year and will share $275,000 in cash for career development. First place receives $150,000; second place receives $75,000; and third place receives $50,000.
Interview:
Brian: Tell us about your band and what your musical history has been.
Danny Echo: Danny Echo is a melodic rock band with a heavy British influence, ranging from The Beatles to The Who to Radiohead, and beyond. We specialize in hooky songs with creative arrangements, and we take a lot of pride in putting on a visually stimulating live show. Danny Echo sort of evolved from another Vancouver band called The Ryecatchers, which was active for about 7 years. Danny, Mark and Ian were all involved in the Ryecatchers, and if you go back even further, Mark and Ian are cousins and have been co-writing together since they were in junior high school.
Listen to the track Tomorrow Today
Brian: Tell us a little bit of how your summer went, from being selected as one of the artists to participate in the project to being selected as a finalist.
Danny Echo:Well, the summer started off relatively quietly, but by the time we got back from bandcamp everything got really crazy, really fast. We’ve been going full-tilt since then, which is great, because we’ve had a lot of new opportunities come our way over the past couple of months. We’re working as hard as we can, and we’re starting reap some of the rewards…but we can’t pat ourselves on the back too much. It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n roll, baby!!
Brian:What has been the most rewarding aspect throughout the project thus far?
Danny Echo: There have been way too many positive benefits that have come our way that it’s too hard to pinpoint just one. The networking opportunities have been unbelievable; we’ve had lots of help with promotions and we’ve made lots of friends among the other finalists. We’ve also been fortunate to get some airplay on The Peak. It’s been an unbelievable experience for all of us.
Make sure to check out the bands bio at their website http://www.dannyecho.com/bio.htm
Brian: There are some great artists and bands and you are in great company with the list of finalists. What sets your music apart from the other finalists?
Danny Echo: I think we have a potent combination of great songwriting, top-notch vocals, and a energetic, uber-visual live show. Few of the other bands’ live shows have elements like smoke machines, bubble machines, synched video, confetti, and fire extinguishers. We could still put on a kick-ass live show without the whistles and bells, but we feel that the extra attention that we place on the extra details helps to set us apart from the pack, so to speak.
Check out the bands CBC Radio 3 page http://radio3.cbc.ca/bands/Danny-Echo
Brian: How do you feel about The Peak, Music BC and Jim Pattison Group of Companies stepping up to assist the growth of BC musicians while the provincial government has reduced funding to many programs. This is a significant contribution of $5.29 million over seven-years.
Danny Echo: I think it’s amazing (and timely) that The Peak and Music BC have initiated a massive project like this, especially when you consider the catastrophic effect that funding cuts will likely have on the arts scene in BC. We are all very grateful to Jimmy Pattison for helping us out, that’s for certain. The $3500 we received at band-camp helped to finance the recording of our new single, Tomorrow Today. Having producer Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powter, Kelly Rowland) and mixer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Franz Ferdinand) on-board for the project was huge for us. The recording turned out really well, and we probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do it if not for the Peak Performance Project. We’re gearing up for a huge promotional blitz over the next couple of months, but in the meantime fans can download the radio version of Tomorrow Today at www.dannyecho.com for free. Check it out!!
Peak Performance Project Sponsors:
