"Ol' Fidel" | Dangermuffin Music Video

Every Fall, the lineup for Wanee Fest is released and I excitedly pour over the list of bands both new and familiar. In 2011, one band name stood out among the rest: Dangermuffin. How can a name like "Dangermuffin" not get your attention? I filed it away, not even really looking up the band itself since the bill was large that year, but a band called "Dangermuffin" had to be fun, right? 

Sure enough, April 2011 I was sitting at the glorious Mushroom Stage watching Dangermuffin play, and I loved every minute of it. The whole band is jammy, fun, light, and breezy, but lead singer, Dan Lotti, has an incredibly unique voice, something that is missing from a lot of jam bands. I don't remember a lot of other details (Wanee can often be hazy) but I remember singing their praises a day later to the delight of a huge Dangermuffin fan from their hometown of Charleston, SC, who was overjoyed that their local hidden gem was getting some love beyond SC. I looked forward to hearing more from the band with the unforgettable name.

Fast forward to Summer 2016. We were on a 30-day road trip, making our way back home to Brooklyn through western New York, looking for stuff to do and see when I noticed Dangermuffin would be in Rochester. Easy decision, we scheduled a stop. The venue, Abilene Bar, is small and intimate, so it was easy to get a  reminder of what a fantastic band they are - they got a big sound just as a 3-piece. We chatted after the show and swapped dog photos (we often refer to our dog Mia as "the Dangermuffin"). A few weeks later I threw out the idea of an animated music video if they were ever interested, and they just happened to be finishing up their latest album, Heritage. Sometimes life just comes together if you open your mouth.

This was a total collaboration with the band. Dan Lotti had a great song and a vision, stuff I would never have thought of, but was a total inspiration that lead to some fresh ideas on my part as well. Relix was kind enough to give it some ink on their site. Here is Dangermuffin's "Ol' Fidel":