When you have a love for the showmanship of 80s hair metal, the hooks of pop music, passion of post hardcore, and five kids just itching to put a little danger back in rock n roll, you get Tonight the Riot. While maintaining their own uniquely influenced sound in todays rock scene, they consistently win fans over from all genres and can hold their own with bands from anywhere in the spectrum. When members of three Buffalo, New York, area bands with similar musical and creative passion as well as an unmatched drive for success came together in September, 2005, the chemistry was instantaneous. The band consists of four members: Danny Wells (vocals), Greg Merante (drums), Harmony Griffin (guitar), and Brendan OConnor (bass). As self-taught and schooled musicians, each member brings years of experience and knowledge to the table. Within a month, excited by the songs they had written, the band turned a friends three-room lake house into an isolated make-shift recording studio. Here they recorded what would become their self-released five-song EP. When presented with the chance to mix at the world famous Sear Sound in NYC, at times home to such famous artists as Bob Dylan and Sonic Youth, they seized the opportunity. From the outset, Tonight the Riot have had the intention of being a full-time touring rock band. With this in mind, theyve played any and every show they could get their hands on. With their work ethic and relentless self-promotion, promoters around the area began to take notice and offer supporting spots with bands such as Anberlin, Roses are Red, Cute Is What We Aim For, and Punchline to name a few. Whether it is a sold out venue, or a private party, the Riot pride themselves in giving all they have and more to whomever may be listening. Recently, Tonight the Riot scored a slot on the Vans Warped Tour by winning the Ernie Ball battle of the bands. They were selected from over 11,000 bands that enter this annual contest. With their self-promoted DIY tours, their original van was overwhelmed to the point of literally falling apart nine hours from home. Without any label support, Tonight the Riot have established themselves as a complete touring package. Their new 15-passenger van and website/webstore give them the ability to be on the road and be successful. Tonight the Riot just completed work on three new demo songs with Mike Hatalak (It Dies Today) and Rich Spalla (Stemm). These demos are just a sample of the arsenal of songs ready for a full-length record. Tonight the Riot are constantly promoting themselves through every avenue possible, writing new material, and booking/playing shows all over the United States. As they say in Buffalo, if you dont like the weather, stick around for five minutes, and it will change. If you havent heard about the up-and-coming band Tonight the Riot, stick around for five minutes... you will.
