Danger Danger is an American
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
band formed in
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
, New York, in 1986.
History
Danger Danger was formed in 1986 by former Hotshot members lead vocalist
Mike Pont
Mike Pont is an American singer who has been a member of several bands, including Hotshot, Trouble, The Mike Pont Band, Danger Danger, and the Gangsters of Love.
Career Music
In 1983, Pont co-founded a new wave cover band that would perform t ...
(joined in 1987), bassist Bruno Ravel, and drummer Steve West (joined in 1987). This lineup also featured then future
Savatage
Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...
and
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
guitarist
Al Pitrelli
Al Pitrelli (born September 26, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Savatage. He has performed with various acts as a band member, session musician and touring me ...
and keyboardist Kasey Smith. Mike Pont later left the band and was replaced by
Ted Poley
Theodore Harris Poley (born January 5, 1959) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Danger Danger. He previously performed in Prophet as a drummer.
Biography
Theodore Harris Poley was born on Ja ...
, who previously played in the band
Prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...
as drummer, and sometimes lead vocalist. Somewhere during this time, they made a failed attempt at recording a demo.
They made another attempt at recording a demo and this time it landed them a recording contract with
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
.
In 1988, Pitrelli left Danger Danger.
Shortly after, Pont and Pitrelli reunited to form a new lineup of Hotshot. Since then, Pitrelli has played in various other bands. Pitrelli played on most of the Danger Danger compilation album ''Rare Cuts''.
In 1988,
Saraya guitarist
Tony Rey
Tony "Bruno" Rey is an American guitarist, writer, producer and arranger who has worked with bands including Saraya, the Mike Pont Band, Danger Danger, Billy Joel, Janet Jackson, Enrique Iglesias, Joan Jett & the Black Hearts, Kathie Lee, Tayl ...
joined briefly and played on part of their debut album, before returning to his previous band.
Andy Timmons
Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Taylor Bay Band, Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band (ATB). He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist.
Timm ...
replaced him and played on the rest of their debut album, which was released the same year.
The album spawned two hits with "Naughty Naughty" and "
Bang Bang", with the former gaining a spot in MTV's ''
Headbangers Ball
''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consists of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and its global affiliates. The show began on MTV on April 18, 1987, playing heavy metal music videos from both well-known and more obsc ...
''. The band went on tour opening for
KISS
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
,
Alice Cooper
Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
,
Extreme and
Warrant.
Before Danger Danger, he was in the band Hotshot with original Danger Danger lead vocalist
Mike Pont
Mike Pont is an American singer who has been a member of several bands, including Hotshot, Trouble, The Mike Pont Band, Danger Danger, and the Gangsters of Love.
Career Music
In 1983, Pont co-founded a new wave cover band that would perform t ...
and Danger Danger bassist Bruno Ravel.
After that, the band went on to record their follow-up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, releasing ''
Screw It!
''Screw It!'' is the second album by the American rock band Danger Danger, released in 1991. The song "Monkey Business" peaked at No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart.
Production
The album was produced by Bruno Ravel and Steve West. It was recorded at ...
'' in 1991.
The album spawned two other hits with "Monkey Business" and "I Still Think About You" and again they went on tour with KISS. After the tour, Kasey Smith left the band and started a new project titled Shock together with friend and former Get With It drummer Michael Bellusci.
In 1993 the band had finished work with their third album titled ''Cockroach''. However, the band fired singer Poley. Subsequent lawsuits from Poley prevented the album from being released. In the meantime,
Paul Laine
Paul Robert Laine is a Canadian musician. He began his professional career as a solo artist, then was the singer of Danger Danger out of New York for eleven years, then fronted his own band, Shugaazer. Laine now has a band called "Darkhorse," ...
was hired by Ravel and West as the new singer and he re-recorded the vocals for the new album. When they were about to release the album, Epic thought it was in their best interest to shelve the record. Shortly after that the band and the label parted ways. In addition, guitarist Timmons left the band to pursue a solo career. Timmons went on to play guitar on both of
Kip Winger
Charles Frederick "Kip" Winger (born June 21, 1961) is an American singer and bassist who is active as a member of the rock band Winger (band), Winger and as a solo artist. He initially gained notability as a member of Alice Cooper's band, contr ...
's solo albums.
Ravel and West formed their own label, Low Dice Records, and started working on a new album with Laine. They released ''
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...
'' in 1995 which featured a more somber and introspective tone. The album was partly marketed through the band's fan club, newsletter and website. The band recruited bassist
Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to:
Sportsmen
*Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State
*Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
*Scott Brown (footballer, born ...
, who had previously played with Paul Laine as a solo artist, and they went on tour again in the U.S.

The band went back in the studio and released ''
Four the Hard Way
''Four the Hard Way'' is the fourth Danger Danger album, and the second featuring singer Paul Laine. It was also a return to their classic sound. Former members Andy Timmons and Kasey Smith contributed to the album.
Track listing
# "Still Ki ...
'' in 1997. Former band members
Andy Timmons
Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Taylor Bay Band, Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band (ATB). He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist.
Timm ...
and Kasey Smith contributed to the album, and the band went back on
tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
. In 2000 they released ''The Return of the Great Gildersleeves''.
In 2001 the band made a unique move after talks with Epic, releasing ''Cockroach'', which was supposed to be their third album, but could not be released for legal issues. The album featured two discs with two versions of the album, one with Laine on vocals and the other with Ted Poley. In 2002 the song "Naughty Naughty Christmas" was featured in the
Tim Allen
Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...
movie ''
The Santa Clause 2
''The Santa Clause 2'' (also known as ''The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause'') is a 2002 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck in his directorial debut. It is the sequel to '' The Santa Clause'' (1994) and the second ...
''. They followed ''Cockroach'' with ''Rare Cuts'' in 2003, a collection of unreleased and rare tracks including early demos with original member Pitrelli, now playing with Megadeth and
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...
, that were recorded in his mother's laundry room. In 2004 Laine left the band and original singer Poley returned. However, in 2005 the band still released, ''Live and Nude'', which was recorded in 2003 and featured Laine on vocals.
In 2008 rock and roll comic
C.C. Banana recorded a song called "
Ted Poley
Theodore Harris Poley (born January 5, 1959) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Danger Danger. He previously performed in Prophet as a drummer.
Biography
Theodore Harris Poley was born on Ja ...
", released on the album ''
Kiss My Ankh.'' The song is a parody of the Kiss song "
Unholy", inspired by the story of Poley's first encounter with Kiss lead singer
Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who was the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss from the band's inception in 1973 to their retireme ...
.
On September 19, 2009, the independent label
Frontiers Records
Frontiers Music (formerly Frontiers Records) is an Italian record label that primarily focuses on hard rock. The label was founded in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is headquartered in Naples.
History
In 1996, Serafino Perugino began his care ...
released ''Revolve'', featuring the return of Poley as lead singer, as well as new member, guitarist
Rob Marcello
Robert Marcello (born Robert Wendelstam; 9 September 1977) is a Swedish guitarist who has been a member of the hard rock band Danger Danger since 2003. He has also played for Ironhorse, Obsession, Twenty 4 Seven, and Marcello-Vestry. In late 2 ...
. The album coincided with the 20th anniversary of their debut release for Imagine Records.
The classic lineup of Ted Poley, Bruno Ravel, Steve West, Andy Timmons, and Kasey Smith reunited in 2014 for a series of touring dates.
Members
Current members
*Bruno Ravel – bass, backing vocals (1986–1995; 1997–present), guitar (1993–1995, 1997–2000), keyboards (1993–1995, 1998–2014, 2014–present)
*Steve West – drums, backing vocals (1987–1995; 1997–present)
*
Ted Poley
Theodore Harris Poley (born January 5, 1959) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Danger Danger. He previously performed in Prophet as a drummer.
Biography
Theodore Harris Poley was born on Ja ...
– lead vocals (1987–1993, 2004–present)
*
Rob Marcello
Robert Marcello (born Robert Wendelstam; 9 September 1977) is a Swedish guitarist who has been a member of the hard rock band Danger Danger since 2003. He has also played for Ironhorse, Obsession, Twenty 4 Seven, and Marcello-Vestry. In late 2 ...
– guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
*Steve Brown – guitar, backing vocals (2016–present; occasional touring guest)
Former members
*David Walls – lead vocals (1986) (repetitions only)
*Mike Rose — guitar (1986) (repetitions only)
*
Joe Franco — drums (1986) (repetitions only)
*Phil Naro – lead vocals (1986-1987)
*
Mike Pont
Mike Pont is an American singer who has been a member of several bands, including Hotshot, Trouble, The Mike Pont Band, Danger Danger, and the Gangsters of Love.
Career Music
In 1983, Pont co-founded a new wave cover band that would perform t ...
– lead vocals (1987)
*
Al Pitrelli
Al Pitrelli (born September 26, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Savatage. He has performed with various acts as a band member, session musician and touring me ...
– guitar, backing vocals (1987–1988)
*
Tony "Bruno" Rey
Tony "Bruno" Rey is an American guitarist, writer, producer and arranger who has worked with bands including Saraya, the Mike Pont Band, Danger Danger, Billy Joel, Janet Jackson, Enrique Iglesias, Joan Jett & the Black Hearts, Kathie Lee, Tayl ...
– guitar (1988–1989, 1997, 2000)
*Kasey Smith – keyboards, backing vocals (1987–1993, 1997–1998, 2014)
*
Andy Timmons
Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Taylor Bay Band, Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band (ATB). He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist.
Timm ...
– guitar, backing vocals (1989–1993, 1997–2003, 2014)
*
Paul Laine
Paul Robert Laine is a Canadian musician. He began his professional career as a solo artist, then was the singer of Danger Danger out of New York for eleven years, then fronted his own band, Shugaazer. Laine now has a band called "Darkhorse," ...
– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards (1994–1995; 1997–2004)
*
Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to:
Sportsmen
*Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State
*Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
*Scott Brown (footballer, born ...
– bass, backing vocals (1994–1995; touring member)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
*''Down and Dirty Live'' EP (1990)
*''Live and Nude'' (2005)
Compilation albums
*''Rare Cuts'' (2003)
Singles
See also
*
List of glam metal bands and artists
The following list of glam metal bands and artists includes bands and artists that have been described as glam metal or its interchangeable terms, hair metal, hair band, pop metal and lite metal by professional journalists at some stage in their ...
Notes
References
External links
Official website*
Hotshot website – features info on Danger Danger's roots
{{Authority control
Epic Records artists
Frontiers Records artists
Glam metal musical groups from New York (state)
Hard rock musical groups from New York (state)
Musical groups established in 1987
Musical groups from Queens, New York