DAngermuffin
On Kindred Sun, the antepenultimate track off of Dangermuffin’s critically acclaimed 2017 album, Heritage, Dan Lotti sings: The path ahead unfolds. The map lays out in front of you. Push pins into the souls of the lands that inspire you. Part exhortation, part personal mantra, the words reflect the band’s own musical course, always heading somewhere but following their hearts and trusting the universe’s energies to guide them.
In 2007, those energies first aligned to connect Lotti and Mike Sivilli and form the genesis of the band now known as Dangermuffin. Lotti, already an award-winning songwriter, and Sivilli, a prodigious and fast-rising guitarist on the Charleston, South Carolina music scene, quickly spotted a unique musical synergy. To Lotti’s profound lyricism and moving vocal delivery, Sivilli added an equally expressive six-string “voice,” creating distinct sonic textures and phrasing that both punctuated and enriched Lotti’s lush and oftentimes reflective musical storylines. Indeed, the roots of the Dangermuffin sound had started to take form, and the two artists would collaborate that year (with Jim Donnelly on drums) to record the band’s inaugural and widely acclaimed album, Beermuda.
Less than a year later, in 2008, the universe would again intervene, introducing Steven Sandifer to the band. Sandifer, a highly sought-after drummer and percussionist on the Charleston music scene, had caught the ears and interest of Lotti and Sivilli, and the three began to play out locally, discovering a powerful musical symmetry and an equally strong personal connection. If 2007 planted the roots of a Dangermuffin sound, 2008 would see those roots firmly take hold, establishing the foundation for the band’s early studio recordings and exhilarating live performances.
“Dangermuffin hails from Charleston, S.C., and this album reflects the light and airy ways of the south. A little pickin’, a little grinnin’ and a lot of soul and groove have given Dangermuffin an album to be proud of.”
—NYS Music
Whether in the studio or on stage, Dangermuffin’s sound has always been conspicuously greater than the sum of its parts, and to witness the band live is to question everything you know about the dynamics of sound. While your eyes perceive a trio, your ears challenge that perception, registering a much broader, fuller, and complex soundstage. In part, this is due to Lotti’s clever technique of using the bass strings of his guitar to mimic the low end of an actual bass while concurrently playing rhythm, but it’s as much due to Sivilli’s fluent, poignant, often soaring riffs, and Sandifer’s creative, jazzy, and lively skins. Nowadays, the band alternates between trio and quartet, but this phenomenon was particularly evident in the early days, when the band played exclusively as a threesome.
“This band, pure in its intent and endlessly melodic in results, will reward you repeatedly for sharing with them their passionate quest to discover and augment heritage.”
— No Depression
Music
Band Members
Dan Lotti / Acoustic guitar and vocals
Mike Sivilli / Electric guitar and vocals
Steven Sandifer / Upright bass guitar, drums, and vocals
Johnny Calamari / Bass guitar
Dangermuffin - Moonscapes [Official Lyric Video]
“Ancient Family” Official Video
“Charleston is a warm, yet cool city with a lot of color and vibe to it, so it isn’t surprising that a band could take those natural elements of their home base, integrate it into their music and then start to add the nuances to really give themselves that something to make them stand out from the others. Dangermuffin have managed to do it effortlessly and joyfully.”
-Popdose
Book Dangermuffin
A little pickin’, a little grinnin’, and a lot of soul for your show
For booking, please reach out to agent Brian Swenk at brian@rockwoodbooking.com.