Grave Danger Re-emerge with TOMB IT MAY CONCERN EP Featuring A "Skath" Cover of The Misfits' "Halloween" (Spooky Action Records)
"The world needs more Ska songs about skeletons and ghosts and stuff. 666th Wave Ska," reads the Bandcamp Bio of Berkeley, California-based Ska band, Grave Danger. Technically, Grave Danger have forged an entirely new genre for their releases: "Skath," which combines elements of both Ska & Goth, as well as Punk, Hardcore, and Rock. "The idea of a "Skath" band stems from a strange place: what would a Goth/Ska band sound like, one [that] combined The Misfits' aesthetic with Reel Big Fish's goofball schtick?" explains a Grave Danger press kit. Grave Danger is the brainchild of high school buds, David "Dave" Schwantes & Dane Erbach, who "spent the bulk of their gym class brainstorming fake bands with their friends, in an attempt to avoid whatever physical despair their P.E. teachers had in store for them that day." A selection of these faux groups included a "Death Metal" band called Throbbing Reaper, 80's "Hair Metal" rockers, Live Wire, and, of course, Grave Danger.
Grave Danger's current line-up includes Dave Schwantes on guitars, bass, keyboards, tenor/baritone sax, and backing vocals, drummer Dane Erbach, lead vocalist Chris Marcanti, trombonist Margaret Miller, trumpet player Andy Miller, Emily Erbach on theremin, and Elliot Schwantes with Alan Erbach, Josh Marcanti & Eileen Hays-Schwantes appearing frequently as part-time members. Grave Danger re-emerged from their crypt this Halloween with the proper follow-up to their 2018 debut EP, "LET 'ER RIP!" TOMB IT MAY CONCERN consists of four fun-loving, tongue-in-cheek originals and one cover, an updated Skath cover of The Misfits' beloved 1981 Horror-Punk single, "Halloween." TOMB IT CONCERN opener "Give Up The Ghost," additionally, seems to be a thinly-veiled allusion to American Nightmare's short-lived/one-time nom de plume, Give Up The Ghost, as well.
Mere days before All Hallow's Eve, NEW NOISE ran an exclusive premiere of Grave Danger's lead-off TOMB IT MAY CONCERN EP single, "Undead End Job." Song-writer Dave Schwantes told NEW NOISE: "'Undead End Job" is Grave Danger doing what it does best. The song has bouncy horn parts, a driving groove, and the line "had half a doughnut, though, I'm hungry for blood.'" Making spook-tacular usage of Grave Danger's typical four-piece horn section, synths, organs, and harmonies galore throughout, Schwantes says, "we tried to focus on giving each song on this record exactly what it needed to create a big sound, without muddying things up and "Undead [End Job]" is a great example of that spooky mix coming together." Grave Danger's TOMB IT MAY CONCERN EP is now available on your preferred digital streaming platform of choice, via Spooky Action Records, ghouls and gals!