Rising above the rest: Dangermuffin played The Pour House

Dangermuffin Live at The Charleston Pour House.

This past Friday night, July 9th, 2010, a grooving, knee slapping, sweaty dancing great time at The Pour House occurred; Dangermuffin is the culprit.

Dan Lotti, guitar and front man, backed with Mike Sivilli on lead guitar and Steven Sandifer on drums have progressively established themselves as much more than just the stigma of being a “local band.”

This band is evolving, redefining and progressively playing better than they ever have. When comparing the Moonscapes CD release party at The Music Farm held March 20th, 2010 to their most recent performance at The Charleston Pour House; you can hear, see and feel how well rehearsed, determined and genuine this band truly is. The set-list included many treats as Dangermuffin hit all the right notes and showed their fans their appreciation of their loving support throughout the years. The 1930's blues song, Sittin' On Top of the World (2nd Set), was a highlight of the night and maybe more of a metaphor than just a timeless classic.

Improvising is one of the most important attributes a band can possess. It's the defining principle and theory behind jazz. It’s what separates a musician or band from the norm. Dangermuffin’s improv is gaining and building more and more each time I see them play. The combination of Sivilli’s bluesy natural flow of his hollow body guitar mixed with Lotti’s chord progressions and comping then fueled with Sandifer’s attention to detail on drums, gives this band their uniqueness and power.

Friday night's show also featured Folly Beach based musician Howard Dlugasch on keys and he ripped it. Dlugasch sat in throughout most of the show and added an element that only accented and developed the evening's sound. "Howard is a great friend of ours and brings alot to the table when he plays with us," said Lotti. "We like having him around and hopefully we get to see him on stage with us more often."

It seems hard for many bands to break out of this humidity stricken, mosquito haven, sticky t-shirt Sweatsville I call home. But for Dangermuffin, it was all about the passion, the love and goal for something much more. After spending ample amounts of time and money recording Moonscapes, Dangermuffin is on a rocket ship and refueling, oops… I meant re-touring. Yes that’s right. After already touring the US earlier this summer and receiving so much positive feedback from fans across the nation, they are going back out there. The tour will have stops from New York to Oregon to Michigan and back South.

Catch em' if you can.

Check out Dangermuffin's upcoming tour dates here and also check out upcoming shows at The Pour House.

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