Warped Tour DHC Bio
July 21st, 1996
Author: Warped Tour
In an era where rock n’ roll is dominated by purveyors of angst and “why me,” Dance Hall Crashers have something to say:
Lighten the hell up.
Yes, it’s true…there are still a few bands out there for whom fun is the driving force, and you need not look further than Berkeley, CA to discover a prime example: Dance Hall Crashers.
The group –comprised of Elyse Rogers (vocals), Karina Deniké (vocals), Jason Hammon (guitar), Scott Goodell (guitar), Gavin Hammon (drums) and Mikey Weiss (bass) tackle subjects ranging from creepy record execs (Queen For A Day) to debt (”We Owe”) to asshole boyfriends (Enough) on their new (510) Records LP Lockjaw, all with tongues planted firmly in cheek. Toss in DHC’s trademark blend of ska rhythms and aggressive punk/pop guitars and melodies, and you get the idea of what sets Dance Hall Crashers apart from the pack.
DHC have been a firm staple of the thriving East Bay music scene for some time. The group began in 1989 as a side project of Rancid members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, then of the popular ska/punk band Operation Ivy. DHC went through several lineup changes before coalescing into its current format. Rogers, who along with Deniké, supply DHC’s buoyant harmonies and much of the astute lyrical commentary, admit that Op Ivy was a big influence. “They were the first band to combine the two formats. We learned a lot from Tim (Armstrong) and the rest of them.” Armstrong actually contributed a track to Lockjaw entitled “Pictures.”
Dance Hall Crashers caught on fast, gaining a large foothold in the Northern California scene. They broke up briefly in 1990 just as their self- titled debut LP was being released on New York indie Moon Records. After a year and a half of being deluged with letters from disgruntled fans who were unhappy about the band’s sudden demise, DHC reformed on a lark for a show at Slim’s in San Francisco in 1992. The response to the show was so overwhelmingly positive that the band decided to stick around for the long haul. Rogers remembers, “We couldn’t believe that the people knew our songs and were singing along. We barely knew the words to our songs at that point!”
The band’s venture with Moon was not a happy one, and although the brief association resulted in a debut LP and a 1993 compilation CD called 1989-1992, (which contains all the material from their debut plus a few other songs,) Dance Hall Crashers have since won back the rights to these records and plan to re-release them on an as-yet-unnamed label down the road. For now, DHC brings us Lockjaw on the new (510) Records label, and with the help of producer Stoker–who is currently working with the Specials–and Jerry Finn (Rancid, Green Day, Pennywise) mixing, Dance Hall Crashers have delivered their best stuff yet. “Stoker and Jerry just got it,” the band adds. “We chose Stoker because he knows the British two-tone scene better than anyone and Jerry because he gets great American punk sounds. They were the perfect combination for us.”
Dance Hall Crashers are here to remind you to get over it. After all…you’re gonna die soon anyway.
Entry Filed under: Mentions