"We wanted to make music that was unbearably sexy, without making music that was about, well, sex." says Ben, frontman of Toronto's The Dank. "We want a fun, party kind of vibe, but with something a little more just beneath the surface."
The Dank, which also features co-conspirators Michael Awesome (drums), Mike Millar (guitar), and Max Distortion (bass), was a logical next step for these Toronto bar veterans. "We've all been in bands for years, and been close friends for years, so it just kind of made sense to get together and make some noise." Indeed, Ben and Michael played together in Deepsix, with Emma Werner and Care Failure of Die Mannequin, before starting the short lived Hollywood Kids. Mike Millar was a close ally in promoting both these bands before ever picking up a guitar himself. "He was our number one fan,"Ben explains. "He needed time to absorb. so when he first picked up a guitar, suddenly this strange mix of Kyuss and Zappa and Tool came out. It was beautiful." Max, who also plays drumsin Kabulu Chair, came to his first rehearsal with the band and immediately caught their dirty, intoxicated groove.
"Our influences, one one hand, are pretty obvious," admits the band. "It's easy to pick up on Sonic Youth, QOTSA, The Stooges or even Radiohead and Deftones... but all those bands are pretty dissimilar, so i think if they're all mixed up in there together, there must be something good coming out of it. We're fantastic thieves."
The band's immediate goals are simple: "to play really, really loud and get some hips shaking. If you can do that in Toronto, you can do it just about anywhere." So turn it up, and shake your stuff. The Dank dares you.
