Collegiate Times

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Southern rock band Dangermuffin looks to bring its signature mix of generes to Blacksburg with its show at Attitudes Bar and Cafe.

The Charleston-based trio blends reggae, folk, blues, and rock to create a sound that can only be described as uniquely its own. The show in Blacksburg is a stop on the band’s larger countrywide tour to promote its newest album, “Moonscapes.”

After playing in Floyd and several nearby venues, the band has quickly become popular in the area. Curious as to what these southern boys are all about, the Collegiate Times caught up with their lead singer Dan Lotti in anticipation for tonight’s
show.

COLLEGIATE TIMES: Your website says you play “sand-blasted roots rock with a sweet jam spread” can you elaborate on this and explain your sound?

DAN LOTTI: What is at the core of our music is roots rock, but we weave through different genres. We play a little blue grass, reggae, groove-oriented funk and jam styles, and we try to combine all these things. We live down in Folly Beach, S.C., and it’s this really laid-back beach community that has a lot of soul to it. What happens is, we have an old house right on the ocean and it gets into the songs. For “Moonscapes,” the idea came from when the tide goes way out on the beach and there’s all these craters on the sand. It’s as if at nighttime everything looks grey like the moon.

CT: How long has the band been together, and how did you first get your start?

LOTTI: I’ve been playing with Mike (Sivilli) for five years. We were doing an acoustic thing in Charleston and supporting ourselves like that. We had a drummer friend but we went our separate ways, and we started working with Steven (Sandifer) in the fall in 2008 and since then we’ve gone from a local band to a national band.

CT: Will your stop in Blacksburg be your first time in the area?

LOTTI: We’ve played in Roanoke before, but never in Blacksburg. We just got back from two national tours this summer. We got back from Bellingham, Washington, which is just about as far as you can get from Folly Beach. We were recently in Colorado, the northwest and New York during the summer. We are doing just a little short regional touring this fall.

CT: How does your latest album, “Moonscapes,” differ from your past two albums?

LOTTI: The way that it is different mostly has to do with Steven, the drummer. This is our first album with him, and he puts all of his talent into the music. We did a lot of live shows and with Moonscapes we found our legs while we were playing. When we went to the studio to record we did 13 songs in five days. We know it, we know the tempos, and it was like bam, bam, bam.

CT: How did you come up with the name Dangermuffin?

LOTTI: The name is mostly something that stuck with us over time. Mainly we wanted to remind ourselves not to take it all too seriously. It’s all just kind of ridiculous.

CT: What is the best way for fans to listen to your music? Are you on iTunes, or do you have free sample downloads on your website?

LOTTI: You can download all three albums on iTunes. Also you can hear us on the XM Radio station’s Outlaw Country and Jam On. We have a Facebook page we stay up with all the time with photos, and if you go to DangermuffinMusic.com you can listen to our songs there
too.

CT: What do you look forward to when you go on tour?

LOTTI: The best part about the tours has been when we can spend a couple of days somewhere. Last weekend we did a festival in Michigan up by Lake Superior. That’s the kind of stuff that matters.

A version of this article appeared in the Sep 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.