February, 27th, 2008

Streetlight Manifesto is taking me out on tour again in a month.   This time solo. Who is that guy with just an acoustic guitar at the rock show?  Tons of tourdates have just been posted. I'll have a new version of Eat the Planet with me.. pretty much the same album as I released last year.. only I reworked a lot of the drum machine stuff so it's not quite as annoying.. and the artwork is much improved.  Also, I'll have the new Stitch Up albums with me, and a couple different t-shirt designs. Let's hope my little toyota van can keep up with Streetlight's RV!  I will be playing MU330 songs, Stitch Up songs, songs off my 3 solo albums, and whatever else I can get away with before I start getting pelted with checkered converse.  Just kidding. I haven't seen too many Streetlight fans wearing checkered converse.. but I wear a size 10 1/2 in case you get the urge.

October 2nd, 2007

I've got a brand new band called "The Stitch Up."  Whoo hoo!  I've been hard at work the last few months recording and working on artwork and in general trying to get things together, and I'm pretty psyched about this new project.  We have a new album called "Attitude Adjuster" coming out on Pentimento Music.. SOON.  No release date yet, but this winter is a sure bet.  PLUS, The Stitch Up is going out on a huge US tour with Streetlight Manifesto and the Suburban Legends starting on Nov 6th.  This page will be sleepy for a while.  I'm going to be putting my energy into www.thestitchup.com for the next few months.  I've got some new videos, music, and pictures posted on that site, so go snoop around.   See you on tour! -dp

July 24th, 2007

A couple new tourdates have been added in Austin, TX, Phoenix, AZ, and Las Vegas, NV. Oh yeah!

July 17th, 2007

So the four day run of the play (Johnny Applefucker) that I was playing guitar in is now history.  I can't believe it's over. We had a packed house four nights in a row, which is pretty exciting, plus I got to work with some really sweet and talented people.  Good fun!    Check out this hot review!

July 6th, 2007

Here's what I'm up to in NYC for the next week or so.. I'll be playing solo at this show tomorrow.. Corn Mo w/ Jerm Pollet and Dan Potthast July, 7 2007 at Parkside Lounge 317 E Houston at Attorney, NYC, New York Cost : $5 7pm start Also, I'm playing guitar in a play in Soho that my buddy Jerm wrote called Johnny Applefucker. It should be really funny. Here's a link. http://www.sohothinktank.org/icefactory.html#Jonny_Applefker It's playing on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. My buddy James Rickman from The Rinse/ Slow Gherkin is also playing in the band for the play. He's playing drums, and I believe will be dressed up like a deer. I will be dressed up like a bear.

May 24th, 2007

Check out the new stuff I've got up on the Dan Potthast store..  You can now buy the new demo Album "Eat the Planet" and a new t-shirt design and some buttons and stickers by using paypal.  Also,There is a NEW DAN POTTHAST VIDEO on youtube for the song "Eat the Planet" off of the "Eat The Planet" demo that was released earlier this year.

May 22nd, 2007

So I've spent the last two weekends driving back and forth from Santa Cruz to LA, rehearsing to record a new solo album next month.  I go into the studio June 20th and will have a full band backing me up.  Here's a rundown of the lineup so far. My friend Matt Bennet is playing drums. We met last summer at the Power Chord Academy in San Diego.  He plays in a band called the Bloody Hollies.  Another buddy that I met at band camp has been working hard w/ me on harmonies and a bit of arranging, Mr. James Webb from the Webb Brothers.  James recruited his brother Cornelius to play bass.  We had a couple great rehearsals last weekend, and worked out about 7 songs.  It looks like I might be headed back down around the 11th for another rehearsal session, and then it's into the studio.  After getting home and listening to the rehearsal demos, I really feel great about the songs on this album.  It's exciting to see it coming together, and feels good to play with a brand new group of people.  It's good to mix it up every once in a while.

May 11th, 2007

Right now I'm down in LA rehearsing with my friend James Webb for a new solo album that I'm recording next month with Tomas from Streetlight Manifesto. (Does anyone know what's up with the Risc Group?) This will be all different songs from the Eat The Planet Demo, and we be considerably more Hi-Fi. The songs I'm using for this one are all my non-ska stuff that I've been writing since Sweets and Meats. James is a master of harmony, so look out. There's going to be a lot of sweet singin' going down on this record. After a day of rehearsing, I'm starting to see things coming together and am getting excited to get going on recording. I'm still planning on re-recording Eat The Planet as well, with a full band in a nice studio. I've got a handful of new ska songs to add to the Eat the Planet stuff that is screaming to be recorded with a really good band. I'm hoping to do that later this summer. Also, In September, MU330 will be playing a string of shows in the mid west with old pals Mustard Plug.. joining them for their CD release extravaganza. I know we'll be in Chicago (Metro), Detroit, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, and St. Louis.

May 11th, 2007

There is a NEW DAN POTTHAST VIDEO on youtube for the song "Eat the Planet" off of the "Eat The Planet" demo that was released earlier this year.  Check it out.  I get to use three of my favorite super powers in the video.. flying, shopping, and eating.

April 27th, 2007

Thanks to my buddy Rick Johnson, you can now order my new CD "Eat The Planet" online using Paypal.  Wow.  Hi-tek. Just click here, sucka..

April 26th, 2007

Tour is winding down.  Just a few more dates left. Check out the TOUR DATES And.. Here's a couple links for an online UK interview I did.   Also, next month, (May) I head to LA to record a brand new solo album which should be coming out sometime this summer.  This will be all new stuff.. totally different from the Eat the Planet songs.  Eat the Planet=ska..   New Album=not so much ska.  I'm still planning on trying to re-record Eat The Planet with a full band if I can work that in this summer. Speaking of.. you can order Eat The Planet by e-mailing me @ dantacruz@yahoo.com It's $5 plus whatever you can afford for postage, and I'll throw in some stickers and a button.  I should have a paypay account up and going by the end of the week, but for now, you've got to just e-mail me and I'll let you know where to send the check. Also, I'll be playing a few select dates in Texas during the first week of June. On June 2nd, I'll be opening up for a Gal's Panic reunion show at Emo's in Austin TX.  I'm trying to fill in  a few dates in that neighborhood, so if you're in that area and want to set up a show, drop me a line at dantacruz@yahoo.com AND: as always you can check out how this tour's been going by clicking TOUR DIARY

April 17th, 2007

OK, Now I'm actually out on tour w/ Rick and the tour is rocking.  Check out this link to see pics from the show in New Jersey. Also, new TOUR DIARY stuff is up too.  We're at the Trocodero in Philly tonight.  Oh yeah!  Should be a good one.

March 8th, 2007

New Mid-west/ East coast TOUR DATES are up.  I'm heading out on tour again with The Rick Johnson Rock N' Roll Machine!

Feb 19th, 2007

New UK TOUR DIARY is up.

Feb 15th, 2007

So far so good.  I'm in the Dallas Fort Worth airport, on my way to England.  I'll try to post tour updates in my TOUR DIARY.   If I don't have time to post them there, they should be up on my MYSPACE PAGE blog.  See you on the road.

Feb 12th, 2007

Just got home from work in Santa Cruz.  I've been working construction for the past few weeks with my friends Matt and Jim.  So tired! I'm psyched to get back on the road on Thursday, and a little nervous too.  I've got lots of stuff to get done before I leave. So the dates are all finally in, and here they are below in case you're too lazy to click on the blue "TOUR DATES" link. You should still  click on the link just to see an amazing picture of me on my last solo tour in Scotland! Feb 16 Bristol- Croft 17 Derby- Victoria Inn 18 London- Underworld 19 Southampton- Joiners 20 Sheffield- Uni- Raynor Lounge 21 Newcastle- Telegraph 22 Kingston- Peel 23 Day off 24 Brighton- Engine Rooms 25 Secret show. I can't tell you yet where I'm playing yet. Also, I'll be looking for places to stay after the shows on the 16th through the 22nd, so if you've got a floor or a couch that you wouldn't mind letting me crash on for a night, I could absolutely hook you up w/ 1 sticker, 1 badge, and a night full of calming snoring.  See you on the road!  -dp

Jan 25th, 2007

OK, the UK double album on Gravity Dip is here.  I haven't seen it yet, but word on the street is that the artwork turned out really well.  Can't wait to get my hands on one.  I'm headed to the UK next month for 10 days.  Check out the tourdates.    See you on the road.

Jan 11th, 2007

Happy New Year, suckas!  If you're reading this, I finally figured out how to update my page on my computer.  That is my first major victory of the new year.. with many more to come.  Here's a list of some big things happening for me lately. 1) I'm going on a solo tour in the UK next month.. Feb to be exact.  The tour goes from Feb 15th through the 24th. Some shows I'm really looking forward to include playing in London with the band Monkey, and in Brighton w/ the Epoxies.  Check out the tourdates! Venues and more dates coming soon. Feb 16th Bristol - Croft 17th Derby 18th London 19th Southampton 20th Sheffield 21st Newcastle 22nd Kingston 23rd TBA 24th Brighton 25th TBA 2) Also this Feb- The UK label "Gravity Dip" will be releasing a Dan P. double album called, "Sweets, Meats, and Eyeballs."  http://www.gravitydip.com/ It will have both my Asianman Records releases on it, plus a couple unreleased tracks from the demo "Eat the Planet"which is not available in the UK. 3) In April, I will be going on tour w/ my buddy Rick Johnson in the US and Canada.  Tourdates TBA, but I can say that I'll be covering some uncharted solo territory.  All places that I've been with MU330, but have never had the opportunity to get back to with myself.. such as the EAST COAST and CANADA.  I'm super stoked. 4) As of right now, the Dan P. demo "Eat the Planet" is available mailorder only!  It's $5 plus whatever you can afford to throw in for shipping.  It's 11 ska songs that I wrote and recorded by locking myself in a room for 8 hours a day for two weeks.  It also includes three Spitzer songs, (The rock band that I play with in Santa Cruz, CA) and four more bonus Dan P. solo songs.  How do you order it, because it's such a crazy good deal?  e-mail me at: dantacruz@yahoo.com 5) I've also been busy recording and writing songs with my band, MU330.  We now have almost 16 songs about Monsters.  This album is going to be insane.  The newest ones include a great one that Ted wrote about the BLOB.  Nothing can stop the blob!  We also wrote a brand new one called "Bat Attack" over the Christmas break. 6) I'm getting married!  In November I got engaged to my best buddy in the whole world.  She is truely amazing and I feel like a very lucky duck. Big thank you's to everyone who helped me out on tour in 06', especially Andy from Fancy Pants (WELCOME TO APACHE JUNCTION!!) and Chris, Sarah and Jose in Florida.  Also, thanks to the Creepy Crawl and Steve Smith at the Royale for killer shows in St. louis over Christmas.

Dec 12th, 2006

I'm on tour right now in Arizona.. On my way to Florida, and then on to St. Louis.  Check out the tour diary for updates.  Also.. MU330 has a song in the new holiday blockbuster smash hit movie, "Unaccompanied Minors!"  I just checked it out last Friday on opening night.  Funny to hear our song set to the Big Screen. I've started using a new html editor that I don't completely understand yet.. so this site is going to look goofy for a while.  Check out this funky box that this paragraph is in.. don't know how to fix it.  Whoops.  Anyway, I'll have some new tour diary entries up soon.  Until then, you can read them on my myspace page or my livejournal.  -Dan p.

Aug 6th, 2006

Four big solo shows coming up next month in FL! Oh Yeah. I'm excited to go back on tour with old-school ska buddies Skiff Dank. Should be super fun. Lately I've been working more on recording Spitzer stuff, writing some for my surf/ska project that I'm working on with Matt and AJ from Slow Gherkin/ Huxtables, and still writing more stuff for the new MU330 album. It's looking like I'll be doing LOTS of recording in '96.. Hopefully some of it will be recorded in LA w/ Tomas from Streetlight Manifesto.. Still working out the details. Also, it looks like MU330 might be headed to Alaska in April! Super psyched about that. It will be our first time up there. Just two more states to go, and we've got all 50 states covered. Can anyone guess which two we haven't ever played in?

AND.. the Plea For Peace Bicycle tour was an absolute blast. I met some great people, had an amazing ride, and we raised over $50,000 bucks. Pretty cool. Thanks so much to everyone who donated to the teen center. We couldn't have done the ride w/o you.

DAN P. SOLO SHOWS
12/15/05-Orlando,FL-Will's Pub w/Skif Dank,Madd Agents,The Sweet Kings doors:6pm $6 all ages
12/16/05-Jacksonville,FL-Thee Imperial w/Skif Dank,Madd Agents,Good Fortune,Dead Man's Flag 6:30pm $6 all ages
12/17/05-Gainseville,FL-Eddie C's w/Skif Dank,Madd Agents,One And Done 10pm $6 all ages
12/18/05-Tampa,FL-Pegasus Lounge w/Skif Dank,Madd Agents,CIO,Is It Safe?,Safety 6pm $5 for 21+ $7 for all others all ages

Lots of things going on lately.. For one, the back-up band that I've been playing with lately (Shannon-bass, Greg-drums) has morphed from a back-up band into a power trio deserving of it's own name, and that name is "SPITZER." We've played two shows as Spitzer so far in Santa Cruz, (one at the Attic and another the night before last at the Poet and Patriot) and they both have gone really well.

It feels like we've picked up a little momentum lately, and have been working on some home recording stuff and have a Myspace site up now, with a brand new unreleased song posted. Oh yeah! The new song is called "Stuck in the Middle." We'll have two more posted soon. "Beginning to See" and "Set Your Alarm" is on the way.

The big news though, is that in a week and a half, I start on the PLEA FOR PEACE BIKE TOUR.

Mike Park, Matt Embry (Rx Bandits), myself, and about ten other people are riding our bicycles from Seattle to San Diego, and are playing shows along the way. The purpose of the trip is to raise money for a teen center in San Jose. That's the brief rundown on that. If you're intersted in reading more... the letter I sent out is below. The Plea For Peace Web site has more detailed info about the tour and where we'll be playing and camping. I'll be trying to update the page as I go, but I'm not sure how much online access I'm going to have since we'll be pedaling for 6-8 hours a day and then camping every night. I want to keep posting though, because I know the trip is going to be incredible. Anyway, here's the letter I sent out to people. There is still time to get donations in before the ride starts. Thanks!

Hello everyone,

This is Dan Potthast from the band MU330. This fall, I'm doing something completely ridiculous. On Sept. 9th I'll start pedaling my bike south from Seattle, and won't stop until I get to San Diego. Well, actually I'll be stopping quite a few times for food and water... and to play shows. It's the Plea for Peace Bicycle Tour 2005!
Basically, it’s a charity fund raising tour to open up an all ages teen center in San Jose. For more information on the cause, you can check out <http://www.pleaforpeace.com/>
I’ve been training for the last few months, and it’s going pretty well. I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about it though. I think we’re going to try and average around 75 miles a day. I’ve never done anything this physically demanding in my life! Gerry from MU330 will be driving Mike Park’s van along the route with all our gear, and we’ll be camping all the way down the coast to try and save money so more will go towards the teen center.
We are desperately in need of donations to help make the ride a success. The financial responsibility for getting a bicycle and all the gear together for this tour has rested completely on my own shoulders, and because the 5 1/2 week tour is an attempt to raise money for the charity, that basically means 5 1/2 weeks with no income. Any donations you could spare would help us greatly help us greatly along the way, and in turn, help the dream of this teen center to become a reality.
As I look through my address book, I can see that most of the people I’m contacting are fellow musicians who are just as broke as I am. For everyone who can’t afford a donation.. Please just take this e-mail as a “hey, here’s what I’m doing this fall” kind of thing. Please imagine that I didn’t just hit you up for $$$.
For anyone willing to make a contribution, there is a donation form attached. These contributions will go directly to the Plea for Peace Foundation and will go towards the teen center. Another option would be to send a check made out to “Dan Potthast” to 145 Franklin Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. These donations would go directly towards fixing my early 80’s model road bike that I bought for 5 bucks at a rummage sale. It’s going to take a lot of duct tape to get her to San Diego.
One last thing to consider.. The ride is about 1400 miles long, so if you were to sponsor me at a rate of half a cent per mile.. That would be a 7 dollar donation!
Any other questions, please feel free to e-mail me at dantacruz@aol.com
Thanks for your time. -Dan P.

Three big shows this weekend. The Dan P. Trio is hitting the road.

On Friday we'll be in Lake Havasu at Klub Kayos, Rock N' Roll dive bar, 3185 Maricopa Blvd. in Lake Havasu city. Frank from Voodoo Glowskulls owns the bar, so it will be cool to hang out and catch up on what's been going on in Voodoo-world since the Ska is Dead Tour.

Sat. Las Vegas! Looking forward to rocking out w/ the Las Vegas crew. Should be good times, and very HOT!

On Sunday we're playing a private party in LA... but if you are in the area and want to come, call this number 310 985-5881 and someone will give you the super-secret directions!

Also, the big news is that this fall, I'm riding my bike from Seattle to San Diego. Yep. The whole way on a bicycle, and I'm playing shows along the way w/ Mike Park to try and raise money for a new teen center in San Jose. It's the Plea For Peace bicycle tour. Check it out at http://www.pleaforpeace.com/

So far this summer, I've been riding at least 100 miles a week, and I'm trying to build that up to where the ride this fall won't be so brutal. The thing is, I've been riding on a bike that my girlfriend got for $5 at a rummage sale. So far it's been ok, and I've logged some pretty long rides on it.. (SF to Santa Cruz, San Jose to Santa Cruz) but I need to get a new seat as well as new handle bars, and the pedals need to be replaced. New parts are so expensive, that I'm thinking I should just get a new bike, but I just don't have the money, especially when 5 1/2 weeks of riding and playing shows on a fund raising tour means 5 1/2 weeks with no income. If anyone out there has a road bike, parts or funds that they could donate.. please e-mail me at dantacruz@aol.com

If you want to find out more about the teen center that we're raising money for check out this link: http://www.pleaforpeace.com/

I'm on an airplane right now headed to St. Louis to start the big Ska is Dead II Tour with MU330, Voodoo Glowskulls and Streetlight Manifesto. I'm psyched to be going back on the road.

Big thanks to everybody who came out to the Gilman show. What a blast. Here's a couple shots of the crowd from the stage right before we played. Can you find yourself in the crowd? I see Mike Park! I see Brendan Thompson! I see Andre Minor! Is that Colossal?

I've got two solo shows in CA in Jan. before I fly to St. Louis on the 26th to meet up with the rest of MU330 for the Ska is Dead II tour.

The first one is on Sat. the 15th at iMusicast in Oakland. This was a last minute added date, so Greg won't be playing drums with me. We might be playing as a two piece (me and Shannon) but I'm not sure yet. I'll have the lineup for this show posted soon.

The other solo show is with Mike Park and Colossal and Short Round at Gilman on Sat. the 22nd. Please come out! This should be a great one.

Update on the toe.. I had surgery in Oct. and they put not two, but three metal wires through the bone in my big toe. They're out now, and after about two months of crutches and swelling, I'm able to hobble around a little bit. I'm not sure if I'll be skipping rope anytime soon, but at least I'lkl be able to stand up for the upcoming shows. We played in Chicago at the Metro on Dec. 23rd, and I had to sit down the entire set in front of 1200 people. Weird.

On Halloween I had a bass amp fall on my foot and crush my big toe. I go in for surgery at noon today. The doctor told me I might have two metal wires sticking out of my big toe for about four weeks. Oh yeah! Anyway, I've got a handfull of shows added, but they're all really cool ones. MU330 is playing at the Metro in Chicago withe the Blue Meanies on December 23rd, and I'll be back at the Metro on the 28th playing solo opening up for Mustard Plug. I'll be with the Mighty Plug for the next two days too. The 29th we're in Milwaukee, and the 30th in the Plug's hometown, Grand Rapids. On Jan. 22nd I'll be playing at Gilman St. in Berkeley with Mike Park, Short Round, and Colossal. Keep checking back for tour updates. Pretty soon we're going to be able to post a really big MU330 tour in Feb/March.