Dexter Danger

Dexter Danger is an American pop punk and alternative rock band formed in 2000 in San Francisco, California, United States. The group is known for being leading artists in the San Francisco Bay Area underground pop punk scene and breaking onto the national scene during the early 2000s. To date, the band has released two full-length albums, three EPs, and toured the U.S. on eight separate occasions. In 2015, the group was recognized by itcher magazine (UK) as one of the top five underrated pop punk bands from the U.S. Soon after, Dexter Danger was invited to join national tours and has shared the stage with popular pop punk and alternative rock acts including Audio Karate, The Aquabats, Rx Bandits, Yellowcard, Steel Train, Suicide Machines, Bowling for Soup, Home Grown, Rufio and many more.
Biography
Dexter Danger was formed in December 2000 by singer/songwriter Aymen Trouble with the original lineup consisting of friends Josh Curmi and Sean McKnight. Previously called Spoiled Rotten, the name Dexter Danger was born from a super hero invented by Aymen while he was in high school. The band played its first show on December 7, 2000. In October 2001, guitarist Miguel Ceja joined the group and along with Aymen, became one of the core members and songwriters. With Aymen and Miguel being the foundation of the band, they went through four rhythm section changes throughout the band's history. Nonetheless, Dexter Danger quickly made a name for itself in the Bay Area music scene, using a DIY ethic to release music and book regional and national tours. The group was influenced and often compared to bands like Green Day, Saves the Day, and The Get Up Kids.
Before signing to Fremont-based Orange Peal Records, Dexter Danger sold more than 5,000 CDs independently, was frequently featured on commercial radio in the SF Bay Area, and had nearly 20,000 unique MP3.com downloads. The band's first release came in 2001 with an EP entitled "It's Not Pretty Being Easy," and an album called Forver Broken, followed in 2002, both of which are now out of print. Both the EP and LP were produced and recorded by the esteemed Andy Ernst (Green Day, Rancid, AFI, Link 80). The tracks "Access Denied," "Lose It All," and "The Second I Asked For" made their way onto mainstream radio, including the largest modern rock station in the Bay Area, Live 105 KITS FM, as well as various college and Internet radio stations across the United States.
In May 2002, Live 105 selected Dexter Danger out of thousands of music submissions from all over Northern California to compete against nine others for a coveted slot at the station's summer festival, BFD. Determined by fan voting, Dexter Danger held on to a strong lead and received second place. That same summer, Aymen was a guest host on Live 105's "Local Lounge" with disc jockey No Name. In 2003, the band took second place in a similar Live 105 contest, but this time around the band competed for a spot on the August 17 Mountain View stop of the Lollapalooza tour. Throughout the years the band continued to receive regular play on the "Local Lounge," as well as, Aaron Axelsen's "Sound Check."
As word of mouth continued to spread outside of California, the band was asked to perform on the Drive-Thru Records stage at the Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe stops of the 2002 Vans Warped Tour.
Dexter Danger signed a recording contract with Orange Peal Records in March 2003. Before releasing any music on the label, the band self-booked a West Coast summer tour and made an appearance at the Sacramento date of the 2003 Warped Tour. September 2 marked the group's first release on Orange Peal Records with the EP "Written in Blood." Following the release, Dexter Danger embarked on its first national tour with label-mates The Berlin Project. Near the end of 2003, the "Written in Blood" EP was subsequently released in Japan, selling more than 1,000 copies in the first week of its release.
Proving to be relentless about touring, February 2004 saw the band on the road with Kung Fu Records' Audio Karate. In the spring, the band was invited to join various artists, including Drive-Thru Records recording artist, Steel Train and label-mates The Berlin Project on the Blossoming Media Tour. The tour ran from March to May, helping Dexter Danger accumulate more than 60 shows in that small span of time, touring through major cities across the United States. The band received national media attention through various regional publications and was also featured on the Budweiser True Music series for HDNet programming. Additionally, MTV included the band's music on two episodes of the reality show Made (episodes No. 502 and No. 504).
After continuing to tour nationally for the rest of 2004, the band went back into the studio in January 2005 to record its second album Hellafornia. The album was recorded and produced by Scott Llamas and Dexter Danger at Popsmear Studios in San Rafael, California. It was mastered by Dominick Maita (Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, Less Than Jake) at Airshow Mastering in Boulder, Colorado. The album features a special guest appearance by multi-instrumentalist Anton Patzner, who played violin on the song "Alta Mesa Drive."
Band members reported that they took a different approach to their music prior to recording "Hellafornia." They took in a variety of influences not particularly familiar to them and the result was a maturely crafted rock-influenced punk album. The Gauntlet said the album was "much like the reincarnation of Green Day's "Dookie" record." Noting the band's consistent use of fine-tuned melodies and lyrics, Daily Vault wrote, "I've been waiting for another band to grab me and not release me. I found that band: Dexter Danger. This quartet from California bring an energy and determination to their music that captures you and doesn't release you." The album's single, "System Overload" was a No. 1 hit on Punkradiocast.com, marking the second time the band topped the charts.
In support of "Hellafornia," Dexter Danger booked four national tours in 2005. The band's summer tour included an appearance at the San Antonio date of Warped Tour. In the fall, the band toured with label-mates Sloppy Meateaters. The group was also featured on the Drive Thru Records release Bands You Love, Have Heard of, and Should Know.
On October 29, 2006 lead singer Aymen Trouble wrote on the band's MySpace blog that Dexter Danger would hold its "last show" on December 30, 2006 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, California. Between 2007 and 2010 Aymen and Miguel wrote music and performed as an acoustic duo under the pseudonym Hey Sunshine. They played a series of semi-secret shows at small clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area and their sets consisted of several new songs and occasional covers of Nirvana and The Beatles. According to Aymen, Hey Sunshine gave Dexter Danger's primary songwriters "an opportunity to work on and perform new material in front of a live audience, stripped-down, in its rawest and purest form."
Dexter Danger announced their return via their Facebook page on January 25, 2015. The group held their 15th anniversary show on May 30, 2015 at Brick & Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco. On September 1, 2015, itcher magazine (UK) named Dexter Danger as one of the top five underrated pop punk bands from the United States.
In the spring of 2016, Dexter Danger began recording their fifth studio release, the "Lucky Strike/Hey Sunshine" EP, at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California. To engineer the project, the group recruited Zack Ohren, who recorded, mixed, and mastered the group's 2003 "Written In Blood" EP. The "Lucky Strike/Hey Sunshine" EP was officially released online and in Limited Edition CD format on July 27, 2016. The group also announced their 16th anniversary show to be held on September 24, 2016 at Brick & Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco.
Related projects
Como La Guitarra
Miguel Ceja's first feature film, "Como La Guitarra," premiered on July 15, 2006 at San Bruno's Skyline College and was later made available on DVD. The synopsis for "Como La Guitarra:" When his parents are hospitalized from a severe car crash, twenty-year-old Hector decides to leave the band he's been touring with for two years behind and take care of things at home. He's immediately thrown into a whirlwind of familial, romantic, and financial conflict. His younger brother and sister have surpassed rebellion, and the business his parents built is desperately waiting for a miracle. But some unexpected news from his former band mates may yet solve his problems at home. Before he can catch his breath, however, a romance ensues, and Hector is left making one of the biggest decisions of his life.
I'll Catch You
Miguel premiered his second film "I'll Catch You" on July 30, 2011, also at Skyline College. The synopsis for "I"ll Catch You:" When inept thief Brian finds out his sister's new boyfriend Damon is a retired con artist, Brian blackmails him into partnering up to pull a big con. Intending to help his new girlfriend, Damon agrees to work with Brian, hoping to steer him off crime in the process. But as they get deeper into it, the con becomes bigger than both had anticipated, and Damon finds getting out increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, Damon's relationship with Brian's sister is slipping away, and she's getting closer to finding out what Damon and Brian are up to.
Shartimusprime
In 2008, Russ Akin established his own YouTube channel (eventually becoming a partner) where he is currently known as "Shartimusprime." He is still one of the most well known and well regarded Marvel and DC figure collectors and reviewers of the entire fanbase. He is also one of the founding members of the MLC (Marvel Legends Community).
Band members
Current members
*Aymen Trouble - vocals, guitar
*Miguel Ceja - guitar
*Ryan Casstevens - drums
*Jared Casstevens - bass, vocals
Former members
*Josh Curmi - drums
*Sean McKnight - bass, vocals
*Gary Jones - drums
*Brian Weber - bass, vocals
*Russ Akin - drums
*Isaiah Sanchez - bass
*Daniel Piotter - Bass
*Devin Nixon - drums
Discography
Albums
* Forever Broken (2002) self-released
* Hellafornia (2005) Orange Peal Records
EPs
* It's Not Pretty Being Easy (2001) self-released
* Written in Blood (2003) Orange Peal Records
* Lucky Strike / Hey Sunshine (2016) self-released
Singles
* Guilty As Charged / Our Anniversary (2003) Orange Peal Records
* Spring Sampler (2005) Orange Peal Records
Compilations
* "Our Anniversary" and "Guilty As Charged" featured on Orange Peal Records sampler, Orange Peal Records, 2003 (US)
* "Seven Days" featured on Blossoming Media Tour Enhanced sampler, Orange Peal Records, 2003 (US)
* "Mrs. Claus" featured on The NorCal Compilation, Agent Records, 2003 (US)
* "Alta Mesa Drive" (previously unreleased) featured on The NorCal Compilation, Agent Records, 2004 (US)
* "Guilty As Charged" featured on Punk Rock Academy, Suckerpunch, 2004 (US)
* "Alta Mesa Drive" featured on Bands You Love, Have Heard of, and Should Know, Drive-Thru Records / PureVolume, 2005 (US)
* "System Overload" featured on The NorCal Compilation, Agent Records, 2005 (US)
DVDs
* Dexter Danger appeared on Drive-Thru Records DVD Vol.1 (2002)
* "Our Anniversary" featured on Live @ iMusicast 1.0 (2003)
Notes and references

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