Forget your instant inkling to liken these guys to Rage Against the Machine: The New Danger deserve much more respect from you than that.
The New Danger was created in 2009 by Zach “Holiday” Alkana on the guitar & vocals and Lloyd Knox as the percussionist and emcee and they have been slowly building their reputation in the five years that followed.
Born in West Covina, Zach moved to Victorville, CA at the age of 11. His father played a large role in young Zach learning the guitar. Although he learned to play his first song at the age of 12, he didn’t pick up the guitar seriously until he became a high school student.
Lloyd Knox fell in love with hip-hop at the age of 10. Listening to the artists Tupac, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. But it wasn’t until he heard Nas’ “Nas is like” and Mos Def’s “Ms. Fat Booty” that he truly became consumed by the music and the culture. The emcee began to play the drums in late 2011. Soon after, he played his first show.
After 3 years of writing and recording, The New Danger released their first full length album ‘BlackHoodieBlues‘ on June 24th 2014 at all major retailers.
It’s undoubtedly raw and in need of a little polish here and there but it’s still one of the more interesting albums we’ve come across in a long while and is an indication what’s to come from the duo. In fact, we’ll put a bet on them finding their way onto your iPod (or whatever you kids are using these days) shortly after finishing this article.
We talked to Lloyd of the band about all things The New Danger.
1. Hey Lloyd, how are you?
I’m good sir, enjoying the California weather (laughs). How are you?
2. Tell us a little about The New Danger.
The New Danger is a two piece blackhoodieblues (delta blues, hip hop, rock, indie, experimental, instrumental) band from the Inland Empire, California.
The Band officially formed as a two piece October 2011. Beforehand, we were searching through countless drummers, bass players and guitarists until I took the helm on the drums, learned and played their first gig a month after forming with no prior experience. TND has played everywhere in southern California, travelled to northern California and is now heading for a West Coast tour coming Fall 2014. With different influences in our music from hip hop, to reggae, to acoustic, we bring a savvy blend of styles for everyone.
3. How was the production of BlackHoodieBlues?
The production was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. We recorded the instruments and Tru 1 sound in west Covina, CA and did the vocals with our good friend and amazing emcee D’zyl 5k1. We were struggling at certain points because we have no bass player and we were suggested by outer sources to add a bass regardless.
We eventually denied the idea and went along with what we had because what we were trying to captivate was the old delta blues sound and bring it forth to this generation. We didn’t record with a metronome neither because we wanted everything to be organic and imperfect. Music is imperfect. Were all imperfect. In a music world where everyone sounds wonderful and on time, here comes these two guys with loud drums and guitar and yelling our asses off, all for the sake of bringing out art, that beauty to me.
4. Were there any main sources of inspiration for the album?
The inspiration was in proving people wrong about us. We were told we weren’t going to sell an album because we need a bass player. We have been walking around that dark cloud over our head for years. We went on a trip to northern California last year for a festival and the head DJ just was NOT feeling us stating that we’ll get booed off stage or people will just walk away.
It was disheartening, but we proved him wrong when we had everyone jumping up and down to our music. We won (laughs).
Other inspirations were people’s stories. I’m fascinated by people’s lives and stories. That’s how Shooting Starr came to be.
5. Mixing rap and rock can be hit or miss, how do you guys approach it?
We approach it with the vision of reaching everyone. We get compared a lot to Rage Against the Machine and I can see why, but at the same time people appreciate how different we are. Rap/Rock is a very niche corner in the music industry and not visited very often, but for good reason.
It can get played out really quick, kinda like over staying your welcome if not done right. I think we’ve finally hit that point where we don’t consider our music just rap/rock. I feel like we’re an evolution in many sorts of ways.
6. Who else should we be listening to?
Anything and everything from my region, The Inland Empire in Southern Cali. Names like D’zyl 5k1, Kelley Mak, Noa James, Curtiss King, Calligraphy, and an endless list of other names.
7. And finally, why you we buying Black Hoodie Blues?
BlackHoodieBlues should be in your collection of music for a few reasons.
1. It’s genre-bending, meaning there is something for everyone. Touching stories, rocking your face off, something to make you figure out the multiple layers within the lyrics and meaning are all here.
2. It’s the rebirth of the delta blues! We need the blues now more than ever before, I believe.
3. If you like Nas, Mos Def, Rage against the machine, Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, then this album is for you.
4.Lyricism is a very focal point in this album. So if you like lyrics with multi layers, you’ll enjoy this album! (Hint: check My Baby’s a Zombie, Gravidad and Illusive Butterfly)
5. And because hip hop/rap/rock/instrumental/experimental/blues needs this album. With the current mindstate of the music industry leaking to the artists, which processes to the listeners, we get what we currently have: mindless hooks with no substance, especially in hip hop. We want to bring music back to its origins, its beginnings, to the skeleton in hopes of building a new and better music industry. We might be a small band, but we have a big heart and big dreams in hopes we can ignite the fire needed in someone to try and make a serious change like we are.
Give The New Danger’s ‘BlackHoodieBlues’ a listen below. Like it? Buy it.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
