D & M is a blues infused alternative pop band based out of Philadelphia, After meeting on the first day of college in the fall of 2009, lead singer Danny Fornasa and Matt Klahre decided to form a band, mixing their shared love of pop, blues, and rock and roll. D & M’s sound draws influences from current artists such as John Mayer and Fun., and icons like The Band and The Beatles.
After playing regionally throughout 2010 they went into the studio to record Delawanna, a five song EP. It was released on June 23rd and was featured on such notable outlets as AOL Music, Relix, AbsolutePunk, and many more. To support the release D & M teamed up with kickstarter.com to fan-fundraise for a national summer tour. This fan-funding project took them from coast to coast all summer, playing concerts in big cities, small cities, and even “Good Morning San Diego”.
To follow up Delawanna D & M released their newest record, Wait For Me on April 24, 2012 to critical acclaim. Recorded in Philadelphia, the band stays true to their roots, but expands their sound with help from producer Brandon Bost. It has garnered the attention of national media with favorable reviews featured on CMJ, AOL Spinner, Purevolume, MP3.com, and many more. The band plans to do an expansive 7-week national tour to support “Wait For Me” and bring the live show to fans around the country.
When I first heard this band, I was instantly attracted to their intricately amazing blend of blues and alt rock. Top it off with the seductively strong and inviting vocals of Danny Fornasa and you have a sound that you just can’t get out of your head. This music blends the best of rock, pop, and blues, molding bouncy, piano melodies they create some heart breakingly great music.
Eat Sleep Breathe Music caught up with the band to talk about their influences, new album, and world tour:
ESBM: How did you come together?
D&M: We met at our college orientation in Philly during one of those “ice-breaker” games. Turns out those things work, and soon after we were practicing in dorm rooms and playing shows around Philadelphia. After a few months we recorded our first EP, went on tour around the country and never looked backed!
ESBM: Who/what inspires your music?
D&M: Luckily we’re “20 somethings” trying to navigate the mysterious ocean of life, so there’s plenty of inspiration to be found! It’s kind of like that TV show “Girls” but instead of girls in Brooklyn, its boys in Philadelphia. We’re all going through break ups, make ups, and crazy life changes that not only shape our lives, but shape our music! We’re also inspired by the musicians we love and look up to. We saw Fun. play at UPenn in Philly for 10 bucks barely more than a year ago. “We Are Young” was out but hadn’t blown up yet on the radio. It was definitely inspiring to see them take off like they have over the past year, especially since we’ve followed them since Aim and Ignite (their first record) and even the Benson Hedges demo that premiered on Myspace after The Format broke up! Hopefully we’ll follow a similar trajectory soon!
ESBM: What place are you most looking forward to visiting on your world tour?
D&M: We have some amazing shows lined up in London, so going to the UK is going to be a blast. Also we’re particularly excited to play Cannes, France. We actually have a song called “The South of France”, so to be playing in the south of France is pretty insane for us. We may end up staying there forever.
ESBM: What can fans expect of your debut release?
D&M: This album should firmly establish us in the Top 5 rock bands of the present day. But if that doesn’t happen we could always go country… Hopefully that doesn’t have to happen though, since Matt doesn’t play mandolin as well as he plays electric guitar. Also I don’t look very good in cowboy hats.
ESBM: Any last words?
D&M: Stay up to date with all the latest D&M news, music, and videos at facebook.com/dandmmusic
For more information on D&M check out their official website, Facebook, and MySpace pages.