the Dan Band – “Live!”

So, I’m going to assume most of you reading this have seen Old School. There’s a scene in the film during the wedding reception, wherein you see a band crooning Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, albeit with minor changes to the lyrics. Changes such as “I fuckin’ need you tonight.”

That is the Dan Band. Evidently one of the hottest tickets in LA, they have put out a live album. A live album that seems to be one of the funniest goddamn things I’ve ever heard.

The basic conceit behind the Dan Band is that every song they do is a cover of a female artist. Everything from ABBA to Alanis Morissette. It’s usually fraught with profanity, and segues brilliantly from one song to another. It’s a really good party record. Personally, I have a feeling this is going to hit the stereo when the wife and I throw our housewarming party in a few months. This is the king of the drunken sing-along album. The performance isn’t glorying in being bad, though.

The songs themselves are really fucking cheesy, but Dan Finnerty and his backup singers can carry a tune- and well. Finnerty’s been in touring productions of “Hair” and “Stomp.” The man can SING. That talent is what carries the whole thing from novelty to something with repeat listening appeal: bad music is ok for a while, but well-executed cheesiness will win out over outright bad every time.

The liner notes have some pictures of the live show, and I have a feeling that the choreography adds a lot to the performance. Happily, the Dan Band has a dvd coming out in June (directed by McG, no less).

You can listen to a couple tracks over at their MySpace page.