Michael Garner and Dan Chang grew up in Danville, CA -- a small town in Northern California home to fond childhood memories, girls with cooties, and the world’s best deli, Doeminico’s Delicatessen. While strangers to each other in Danville, Michael and Dan would eventually meet at UCLA on one fortuitous night while auditioning for Awaken A Cappella, UCLA’s premiere a cappella group to which Matt Frankel already belonged. With Matt’s approval
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Michael Garner and Dan Chang grew up in Danville, CA -- a small town in Northern California home to fond childhood memories, girls with cooties, and the world’s best deli, Doeminico’s Delicatessen. While strangers to each other in Danville, Michael and Dan would eventually meet at UCLA on one fortuitous night while auditioning for Awaken A Cappella, UCLA’s premiere a cappella group to which Matt Frankel already belonged. With Matt’s approval, Michael and Dan became the newest members of the group on that fateful night and thus began the friendship of the trynamic trio, which would eventually lead to the beauty and dysfunction (every family has its dysfunction) of lady danville.
After singing together sans instruments, Michael and Dan decided to pick up the piano and guitar (respectively (Michael’s really strong; he bench presses two pianos for fun)) and attempt the college cliché endeavor of writing a song about a girl instead of focusing their efforts on the 20-page paper* due the next day. Finding success with their first song, “Easy On Me”, both decided that their collective musical ambitions were something worth exploring. In 2006, exactly a year after the debut of “Easy on Me”, Michael and Dan performed at UCLA’s Spring Sing as mikey g and dan from danville and won the award for Best Duet and Best Overall Entry with their song, “Cast Away” – an honor shared with past winners such as Sara Bareilles, Maroon 5, and Tyrone Wells. Despite their success at UCLA however, both members felt that something, or someone was missing.
Cue Matt Frankel (enter stage left (he was a theater major, so these instructions are more than appropriate)). Yearning for a more driving and rhythmic sound, Michael and Dan turned to Matt Frankel whose natural control of rhythm combined with his onstage presence and ability to grow manly facial hair (Dan is still jealous) proved to be just the jelly to their peanut and butter. Thus began lady danville.
With Michael on the keys, Dan on guitar, and Matt on the cajon (literally), lady danville has begun to make a name for themselves in the L.A. area playing at some of L.A.’s most treasured venues – The Hotel Café, The Roxy, The El Rey, The Temple Bar, The Knitting Factory – with artists including Tyrone Wells, Adele, Jason Reeves, to name a few.
In September of 2007, lady danville won the Annual 98.7 Star Lounge Competition with their song, “Tired Magician” which can now be found on the Star Lounge Compilation CD with artists such as John Mayer, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and many more. After releasing their first EP back in December of 2007, lady danville is now working hard to write more songs that people can connect with all the while maintaining and building their fan base all across the galaxies, starting with the Milky Way, in L.A.
While working hard on music and life in general, the boys of lady danville still acknowledge the need to have fun and stay youthful which is why on holidays, they head back home to Danville, (Matt lives a few towns away in Hillsborough) and have back to back sleepovers where they fight for spots on the swings, slides, and the new girl in the sandbox.
The band started at UCLA, where huge support among the students and of course, their mothers, have helped them continue their passion for music. Sharing a love for grass stains and insomnia, these three good ole all American boys have come together to create music armed with a guitar, piano, cajon, aww-inducing lyrics, and sweet blending harmonies. It started in Danville and it continues with lady danville...right here.
*Note: Michael and Dan eventually finished their papers and turned them in with 3 minutes to spare. Matt drove them to campus. Long live procrastination.
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…shrink me down again