Features
The Dan Band
The concept of The Dan Band is simple: Sing “girl” songs and lace them with cuss words. The result is hysterical and addictive. The Dan Band’s L.A. gigs are filled with celebs who totally get the joke and can’t get enough of it. Steven Spielberg, Gloria Steinem, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Florence Henderson have all been known drop by the shows, currently taking place at Club Nokia. In fact, Spielberg produced The Dan Band’s television special on the Bravo network.
Dan Finnerty, a former off-Broadway performer who is a graduate of The Groundlings, has honed a stage presence that mixes humor with choreography and accomplished singing. Finnerty got a lot of attention from appearances as a cussing wedding singer in “Old School” and “The Hangover.”
Finnerty says The Dan Band – which includes backup singers Gene Reed and John Kozeluh who play straight men to Finnerty’s antics – came about after a drunken night at a karaoke bar, where Finnerty sang “I Am Woman.”
Agent Douglas Edley at Gersh told Pollstar The Dan Band is becoming a big hit at colleges, doing good business at the House of Blues and is also gaining traction at comedy festivals. Dan’s also getting lots of business at corporate gigs and Vegas nightspots, and buyers such as C3 find the group a good fit for casinos.
Click here to read the complete interview with Dan Finnerty.
Photo: Collin Stark
Box Office
13 Headlines Feb.-July
Avg. Tix Sold: 750
Avg. Gross: $15,751
Avg. Tix Price: $23
“The bars love booking it because of Dan’s audience,” Edley said. “They definitely do really well on the bar tab. It’s a big drinking party, a fun audience.”
In November, The Dan Band has weekend headliners at The Wilbur Theatre in Boston and Irving Plaza in New York.