We were lucky enough to catch up with Danny from NZ’s blues/rock/jazz oufit Danny McCrum Band. They’ve acquired a great following in NZ, a place that (beached whale jokes aside) has a vibrant and exciting music scene that supports quality artists. Danny McCrum and his talented band have supported the likes of Joan Armatrading, Tommy Emmanuel and John Mayer, and show no signs of slowing down.
Check out their website here, or grab their album ‘Awake and Restless’ from 
Hi Danny, thanks for taking the time to chat to us!
Richard Thorne from NZ Musician magazine described you guys as “…a rock band with unexpected twists. Driven by joint guitar mastery, which means lead and rhythm roles can be swapped at will, it rocks along… undemanding, soulful rock and blues, but with a healthy quotient of pop and even the odd jazz sensibility.” I havent heard many bands that are described as rock and jazz! How did this come about?
I can’t be sure about what exactly Richard was referring to, but at a guess I would say that the combination of our influences and the range of musicians that played on the album meant there were all sorts of ideas brought to the mix. He might’ve heard jazz in some of the chordal movements, the sax parts, the vocals… I’m not sure. Our emphasis has always been on the song rather than categorizing our music by genre or style. We never discuss it. I think categorizing should only be retrospective and by somebody else… like Richard for example. Or by the CD stores when they’re trying to decide what section to stock it in. It shouldn’t come in to the creative process. By thinking along these lines, we end up with lots of surprises and a really creative experience.
You’ve toured with Tommy Emmanuel and also supported Joan Armatrading and John Mayer. Who would be your ultimate artists/acts to play with?
Tommy, Joan and John Mayer would be my favorites out of the artists I’ve supported, simply because I was already a fan of their music and then got to meet them, work with them and be a part of their shows. I would also love to support Sting, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Ben Harper, John Butler Trio….. I could definitely name a lot more too!
What is next for the Danny McCrum band? Any plans to tour Australia?
We are planning on touring Australia in the near future. We were supposed to be over this year, but other projects distracted us. I would say we should be there early next year. We’re also about to go back to the studio to record some new singles in preparation for the next album. Aside from that, we’re very busy gigging at the moment (see dannymccrum.com) which of course is what we love doing the most.
