Premiere: “77” – DAN DAN

On Halloween four years ago, Sarah Mckenna and Eric Burch rocked out on onstage at Slims. Having met originally as coworkers, Mckenna says she discovered that Burch was a “synth wizard” and, Mckenna being quite the synth wizard herself, the two naturally started making music together. At the time, the nameless project had just two synths and a drummer — the beginnings of what was soon to be the incredibly dynamic synth squad we know today as DAN DAN. Today, band also features Misty Mary (WL) on bass and vocals, and Parker Hall (Jacksoon Boone) on drums.

After their first official show, the still nameless team jokingly called the project “Danny Tanner” — a play on how Mckenna’s friends thought her dad looked like Bob Saget’s character on Full House when he got upset. Mckenna recounted that her friends would also refer to her father as “DAN DAN the Military Man” because he was a big guy from the Air Force. Eventually, the name fell into place and DAN DAN was born.

DAN DAN’s newest release, “77”, features Papi Fimbres and Devon Shirley (Summer Cannibals) on drums, though Mckenna exclaims that the group has been fortunate enough to work with many amazing Portland drummers since 2014. The album was mixed and recorded by Johann Wagner of Pinewave Studios, a few tracks recorded with Fabian Perez at Room 13 Studios, mastering done by Dylan White (Wet Dream), and album art by Sarah Kue (Wet Dream). The album production ended up being quite the DIY dream, with all hands on deck, and lots of support from friends and local talent. “77” is truly a masterpiece of synth symphony.