Danny by Danny Ross (DXDR) Part 1 of 5: Yummy Tacos

Hey folks, this is my 5 part recollection of our trip to the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX from March 16-21. I'll talk about the shows I played, the dozens of bands I saw perform and can recommend to you to check out while it's still early, and the hilarious people I met in Austin. But part 1 deals exclusively with food...


So the week before I left I read this amazing article in the NY Times about breakfast tacos in Austin. This gave me a list of taco places that were essential to visit. And at the top of that list was Torchy's.


Now as I don't eat red meat or pork, this presented somewhat of a problem for me. Being this is Texas and all. Not knowing what to expect, I ordered the following 2 items at $4 each:

- Baja Shrimp
"Hand battered shrimp fried with cooked cabbage slaw, topped with pickled onions & jalapenos, queso fresco, cilantro and a lime wedge. Served on tortilla of choice and our creamy chipotle sauce."

- Brushfire
"Jamaican jerk chicken, grilled jalapenos, mango, Sour cream, and cilantro served on a flour tortilla with our Diablo sauce."

It was awesome! Especially the Brushfire. I gulped it down with a famous Jarrito's Mandarin soda. Oh and here's my friend Sandeep.


Funny enough, Sandeep checked out my apartment in NYC on Craigs List about 2 years ago and we've been friends since (though he didn't take the apartment). He moved down to Austin soon after that doing finance, but just quit his job to travel the country and write a book on energy. Straight out of Yale, he's a pretty brilliant dude and definitely hilarious when you get to know him. And he was nice (or stupid?) enough to let me crash with him at his place on South Congress. More on that in a post to come. Oh, and here's Janessa.


What an awesome name! Janessa lives down the hall from Sandeep and they've developed a Jerry and Kramer pop-in type vibe. She's a sweetheart from Utah, working to help people with eating disorders. Janessa was also nice enough to let me crash with her for 2 nights. Also more on that to come.

But in the meantime, I woke up the next morning to the much-discussed breakfast taco! From a place called Taco Deli (also on my hit list), here's what I had:

Migas Royale
Eggs topped with queso, monterrey, jack cheese, avocado and pico de gallo, Mexican mashed potatoes and refried black beans.

Now a thing in Austin (which I really don't understand) is trailers. There are food trailers parked all over the city serving all kinds of food. The best one I ate at was Izzo's. I had a grilled talapia taco with all kinds of crap on it. This time with a Jarrito's Tamarind soda. It was amazing...




And lastly, just before one of my concerts I decided I needed to have a little something. Nothing too heavy, obviously. But soon I discovered that Austin's famous Iron Works BBQ was just next door and I couldn't resist. There were signed pics of all kinds of celebrities - Obama, George W, etc - and a line out the door. However before long I was eating a delcious BBQ Chicken Platter with potato salad and baked beans. Needless to say, I felt a bit bloated on stage. But worth it!


There were other places I ate, like a Korean BBQ Taco trailer, but above were the ones really worth mentioning. Hope this gets you hungry, and see you in Part 2!

- Danny

SXSW and New Press... Plus this weekend's Haiti / Madonna Tributes

Hey Folks,

What's crackin? Back from a few weeks in hiding, I feel Tiger Woods at an apology press conference. Ladies and Gentleman, say hello to Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra!

So you must be asking - what do Madonna and the Haiti earthquake tragedy have in common? Turns out Danny Ross will be performing in tribute concerts for both causes! First on Friday come to Bar 4 in Park Slope Brooklyn (7th Ave/ 15th St) at 8pm and check me singing this Madge classic along with other amazing interpretations. And unless you're watching 60 Minutes with my grandparents you won't be doing anything Sunday evening, you might as well enjoy great music and help the people of Haiti. That's...

Danny Ross at Haiti Benefit - Sunday February 21, 7:30PM sharp
Upstairs @ The Living Room (Googie's Lounge)
154 Ludlow St at Stanton, F Train to 2nd Ave

And good news: We're going to our first South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX next month! For show details check out dannyrossmusic.com Thanks and catch you on the flip-side scenesters.

D-Ross in the Press
"Danny Ross Goes it Alone" - Gabrielle Sierra, Rumbum
"Danny Ross is not your typical Brooklyn musician. Drawing inspiration from bands like the Beatles and Wilco, musicians like Bob Dylan, and albums like The Who’s Tommy, Ross’ sound is worlds away from the run of the mill indie hipster music scene. And Ross likes it that way." Check out the full interview HERE.

"Danny Ross: One Way Review" - Mike Farley, Bullz-Eye
"(Three and Half Stars) It’s one thing to say you sound different than everyone else. It’s another thing entirely to do it without trying...One Way is an exuberant batch of songs. You’re going to love Danny Ross’ music." Check out the full review HERE.

Sat Jan 30, 8pm @ Living Room - Lookin Like A Foo With Yo Pants On The Ground

Hello friends,

Happy 2010. Hope you're doing better than the San Diego Chargers this week (J-E-T-S!). Although personally I'm rooting for Team CoCo.

The band and I got a king-size FREE show coming up in about 10 days at NYC's famous Living Room and we think you should come. Not only to hear our six-piece, first-class stab at rock n roll and the world premiere of a new song, but of course to partake in our first-ever Bitchin Pics & Vids Contest where you'll snap smokin hot pictures and videos on your iphones, digital cameras and such and post them on your Facebook (tagging me), and I'll shoot a Top Secret Prize your way ($100,000). Check it...

Danny Ross and Band @ The Living Room
Saturday January 30, 8:00PM
@ 154 Ludlow Street, F Train to 2nd Ave
FREE!

And a special thanks to the folks at Local Correspondents and Bar4 for raising a whole bunch of money for Haiti last night in a Benefit Concert they let me be a part of. Rock on Raggae Woman, catch you on the flip!

- D

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“Danny Ross is a classicist to the core…Gorgeous…Immaculately arranged… I hope "One Way" becomes a breakaway hit. Like Ryan Adams, Ross realizes that there's no point in recreating the past note-for-note when it's more fun to smash pieces of the past together in a collage.” - CMJ

Play the new album "Danny Ross Presents One Way" FREE and Pay What You Want for it at http://www.dannyrossmusic.com
Danny Ross iTunes Store

Danny Ross Returns Bonus in Holiday Spirit, Keeps Custody of Tiger Kids

Hey Folks,

The first thing I will absolutely not do is show you an adorable animal video clip to win your favor... Now that I have your attention, I want to wish you a wicked sick holiday. And I hope that you haven't had to reschedule your winter trip like me due to a "Once in a quarter-century, life threatening storm" hitting the midwest Christmas Eve. What the hell.

And I know you've been meaning to, but while you're busy buying things, please take this moment to play the new album "One Way" absolutely FREE. CMJ says "I hope this album becomes a breakaway hit." So go ahead, take a minute, do it now and Pay What You Want For It at http://dannyrossmusic.com/records.php

It's been a wild ride of a year releasing "One Way" four years in the making, playing the St. Mark's Church with an orchestra, and getting written up in The New Yorker. We've already got new catchy rock n roll songs, a music video and big touring plans ready for next year. So thanks for helping us kick serious ass good friends, have the warmest happy holidays and catch you in 2010.

Sincerely,

Danny "The Wildcat" Ross


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Play the new album "Danny Ross Presents One Way" FREE and Pay What You Want for it at http://www.dannyrossmusic.com
Danny Ross iTunes Store
To contact or unsubscribe please email danny@dannyrossmusic.com

CMJ Review : Danny Ross - One Way

Nov 20, 2009
By Michael Tedder

In case the black-and-white album cover isn't enough of a clue, one listen to the immaculately arranged opener, "Sleepy Dream," makes it immediately clear that New York songwriter Danny Ross is a classicist to the core. But what makes his debut album One Way more than just retro pastiche is that he's several kinds of classicists at once. Sure, there's plenty of gorgeous, tears-in-your-martini-glass ballads (a touch too many, honestly), but Ross also throws in some early Randy Newman barroom stompers ("Forgive Me Love") and a Broadway-ready, army-of-horns dance number ("And The Trumpets Sing...") that can only accurately be described as snappy. I hope this album becomes a breakaway hit, because the home made YouTube dance videos for these songs have the potential to be amazing. In fact, if Ross ever gets tired of a life of constant touring and middling album sales, he'd probably kill on the Great White Way.

"Always On My Way," isn't just a lovely country-ballad, but it also feels like a Rosetta Stone that decodes the album's success. It feels like a tip of the hat to Ryan Adams, the great pop’s great classicist of our times—when he's bringing his A game, anyway. Like Adams, Ross realizes that there's no point in recreating the past note-for-note when it's more fun to smash pieces of the past together in a collage. This probably explains why so much of the album seems to have a Led Zeppelin/art-rock jones. It's there in the slow build of "Waiting On The Wheel," and the violin-soaked crescendos of "Go," and it explodes on the album's best song "This Ancient Bridge," which even has a name that sounds Zep-ish, not to mention an incendiary drum run, some Jeff Buckley-esque moans and enough guitar shredding to make you double-check that you're still listening to the same album. Luckily, even a dedicated student of music like Ross knows that fidelity to the past doesn't mean you can't have fun with your influences.

Track Listing For One Way:
01. Sleepy Dream
02. Country Wind
03. Oh, Christine
04. Forgive Me Love
05. Woman
06. Stay Here With Me
07. This Ancient Bridge
08. Always On My Way
09. And The Trumpets Sing...
10. This Is Just A Test
11. Waiting On The Wheel
12. Go
13. One Way

http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=157548144

Bonus Track! "A New Beginning"- 'One Way' Album Preview

One Way is available now -Hear the album free and Pay What You Want at http://dannyrossmusic.com/records.php Or get it on iTunes!

NOTES
"A New Beginning" is one of 2 songs I've written by starting with the lyrics first. At the time, I was introduced to Elvis Costello's "My Aim Is True" and found myself singing with rhythmical, percussive and hard-edged words with lots of consonants that cut deep. (I've since become a monstrous fan of Elvis' work) I love that style which combines the wordiness with old school rock n roll. So we got a fun horn part together, I banged on the keys in a high register, and had a Motown-ish guitar line happening. The vocal effect even sounds like something out of "My Aim Is True." Lyrically, the story is a cartoonish account of a man trying to win back his woman. This is a fun one.



FACTS
Music and Lyrics, Horn Arrangements by Danny Ross
Written in London, Spring 2005 (Age 20)
Inspired by: Elvis Costello, The Clash, 50s Rock
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner
Except Piano Recorded at Metrosonic Studios
Engineered by Harley Fine

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Piano
Carl Basler – Guitars
Fred Kennedy - Drums
Matt Wigton - Bass
Paul Nedzela - Bari Sax
Mike Maher - Trumpet
Evan Smith - Tenor Sax


LYRICS

Mama wake up the neighbors

Go on and wake up your dog

Daddy’s back from vacation

I know that you’ve unlocked the doors

Yes, I’ve been unkind

Oh, but I’ve seen the light

For a new beginning

A square of tissue paper followed me through the bedroom

Beneath a warm club soda I’ve been waiting to throw in my face

I put the radio on, cause they were playing our song

And all the voodoo dolls in the closet were singing along

I’ve been losing my keys

Now I’m back in this old town

How come when some girl rejects me

I’m down in this backseat
Retracing the way to your house

Baby

Fire up the candles

That delicious scent

Our grip will lose handle

Making love in the closet again

Yes I’ve been unkind

No, I’m not losing my mind

It’s a new beginning

I’ve never stopped singing for you

When I left for that other brunette

You threw that spare set to the ground

And you stomped on the nickel

At last blowing the whistle

But baby, the locksmith’s in town

Cause I’m a sucker for happy endings

And with you it’s never stopped

You once gave me protection

Now I pray that your door isn’t locked

Yes I’ve been unkind

Oh but I’ve seen the light

Yes, I’ve been so unkind

And what if I lost my mind?

It’s still a new beginning

I’ve never stopped singing for you

I’ll never stop singing for you

Track 13 "One Way" - 'One Way' Album Preview

One Way is available now -Hear the album free and Pay What You Want at http://dannyrossmusic.com/records.php Or get it on iTunes!

NOTES
I've heard Bruce Springsteen say that he was aiming to write the biggest rock song of all time when he wrote "Born to Run." That certainly wasn't my ambition with "One Way," but I knew when I discovered that piano riff that it would be a Big song. Big chords, big arrangements, important lyrics. It may be my best set of lyrics - capturing the attitude of the whole album (which is why it also became the album title). I love the vastness of it. I actually listened to Born To Run quite a bit when I came to mixing it, borrowed a couple of ideas. Kudos to Evan Smith for killing that sax solo. "One Way" is also the closer at our live gigs, and it fits as a great conclusion to the journey.

FACTS
Music and Lyrics, String/ Horn Arrangements by Danny Ross
Written in Long Island 2001 (age 17)/ Ithaca, Fall 2005 (Age 21)
Inspired by: Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles
Produced by Rob Guariglia and Danny Ross
Recorded Spring 2008 at Galuminum Foil Productions;
Engineered by Jeff Berner
Except Piano Recorded at Bunker Studios
Engineered by Aaron Nevezie, John Davis

Instrumentation:
Danny Ross – Vocal, Piano
Carl Basler – Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Fred Kennedy - Drums
Matt Wigton - Bass
Dave Melton - Organ
Leo Adamov - Violin
Rachel Golub - Violin
Corrina Albright -Viola
Jody Redhage - Cello
Paul Nedzela - Bari Sax
Mike Maher - Trumpet
Evan Smith - Tenor Sax


LYRICS

Well I’ve seen changes

Turning pages

All this writing on the wall

And perfect pictures

Holy scriptures

Still I’m bound to slip and fall

But all this faith

Has led me to your open gate

I’m always new

As long as I’ve got you

See I’ve left highways

Climbed from low ways

Tried to be a better man

And I’ve sailed oceans

Endless motion

Never knowing where I am

You’ve got to breath

Nobody tells you what you need

But I can choose

As long as I’ve got you

And I want to thank you in the crowd

Now I can’t forget what I have found

Got my feet back on the ground

Got my feet back on the ground

And I am swinging back around

And I’m just beginning to get loud

Got my feet back on the ground

Got my feet back on the ground

And all that’s steady

Always ready

All my family and friends

Where I came from

All I ran from

I see now that’s where I’ll end

Cause you can’t see

Heading one way down that street

There’s only truth

As long as I’ve got you

And down that street

We can live how we believe

I’m living proof

As long as I’ve got you

Going one way