Exotic Dangers
”When “Brown Sugar” comes on the radio, everyone wigs out to it and someone inevitably says, “Man, they just don’t make songs like they used to.” Why not? That’s what I want to do. That’s the music I like.”
Consider it Daniel Crisler’s musical manifesto. Keep listening to him:
“The founding fathers wrote and played what felt good, rolled tape, counted it off, and boom. It is in many ways, a lost and dying art – seemingly primitive, impractical, unsophisticated, and not financially viable. But, hey, if that’s how our favorite hits were made, I wanted to give it a shot and see what happened.”
Welcome to the world of Exotic Dangers, a four-piece rock-and-roll outfit from The Shoals, Alabama. Straight out of the gate, the band has garnered a loyal following— the result of four people taking the noises they love and distilling them into a full-fledged sound. On their new album, Nine is Fine, the group creates music that jolts through the needle and leaps out of your speakers. This isn’t a new thing for Crisler, though.
“Living in Florence, Alabama my entire life, I have definitely had all of my fingers in music projects of some form or fashion – rock, folk, songwriter, experimental, church, indie (is that still a thing?), hardcore, punk, country, pop… a little bit of everything,” Crisler says.
His personal experience, along with that of his razor-sharp band (Maggie Crisler on farfisa/percussion, Brady Gomillion on bass and Jon Mosley on drums) informs his latest material.
“The main thought process behind the band is this: play music that I like and write lyrics that I like,” Crisler explains. “Our musical direction is most definitely rooted in mid-‘60s soil – hence the old Farfisa organ, 12-string electric, hand percussion, and no effects pedals.”
While the band’s rapturous live performances have left a wake of acclaim, it’s not because of a lot of bells and whistles. Crisler prefers a simple, no-nonsense approach on the stage. “Starting out, I knew I wanted a simple and basic instrumentation for the group, Crisler adds. “Less is more.”
“We knew we just had to track it live and onto tape – what you get in the heat of the moment is what you stick with; there was no discussion,” Crisler says. “We cut six songs with just a handful or takes, in just a handful of hours.”
Knowing all of this, you might be tempted to label Exotic Dangers as a throwback outfit, or a retro cash-in. You’d be wrong, though. “I, by no means, want to be a throwback band; that’s not what this is. We just like older music, older clothing styles, and older methods,” Crisler says. “Take it as you will. We just like it.”
“We’ve got the itch.”
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