Danko Jones

The Canadian hard rock trio Danko Jones draws its name from the frontman and channels a blues-soaked, punk-driven approach that echoes the legacies of Thin Lizzy and AC/DC. Renowned for explosive concerts and witty songwriting, the group surfaced in the late 1990s and earned early attention through the Juno-nominated follow-up We Sweat Blood in 2003. While respected at home in Canada, Danko Jones also achieved major success across Western Europe, where albums such as Below the Belt in 2010, Fire Music in 2015, and A Rock Supreme in 2019 reached the top of the charts. The Garth Richardson–helmed Power Trio arrived to strong reviews in 2021, and the Eric Ratz–produced Electric Sounds came out two years later.

Danko Jones on vocals and guitar, John Calabrese (also known as JC) on bass, and Dan Cornelius on drums formed the lineup that originated in Toronto, Ontario, in 1996. Their first recording, a five-song self-titled EP, appeared on Sonic Unyon in 1998; the next EP, My Love Is Bold, followed on Sound King Records in 1999 and received Canadian hard rock radio play, paving the way for the 2001 compilation I’m Alive and on Fire that gathered thirteen tracks recorded between 1996 and 1999.

I’m Alive and on Fire marked the band’s initial European connection when Swedish label Bad Taste Records issued it abroad, while Born a Lion became their first major-label album in 2002 through Universal Music Group in Canada, with Bad Taste handling European distribution. We Sweat Blood continued under the same arrangement in 2003. For Sleep Is the Enemy in 2006 the band stayed with Bad Taste in Europe but moved to independent Aquarius Records in Canada; Never Too Loud followed on the same Canadian label in 2008.

Tracked at Studio 606 in Los Angeles with Grammy Award–winning producer Nick Raskulinecz—whose résumé includes the Foo Fighters’ One by One from 2002 and In Your Honor from 2005 plus Velvet Revolver’s Contraband from 2004—Never Too Loud achieved the group’s strongest European sales to that point, peaking inside Germany’s Top 40. The aptly named B-Sides collection surfaced in February 2009, succeeded in 2010 by the fifth studio album Below the Belt.

The next year Danko Jones confirmed the exit of longtime drummer Dan Cornelius, whose replacement was Atom Willard of Angels & Airwaves. Rock and Roll Is Black and Blue, the sixth studio set, appeared in 2012. Garage Rock!, a compilation of scarce and previously unreleased material from 1996 to 1998, arrived in 2014. Rich Knox joined on drums in time for the Fire Music sessions, released in February 2015. Wild Cat, an album that placed Jones’s interest in women at the forefront, followed in March 2017. The band recruited Garth Richardson—producer for Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers—to helm the ninth album, the hard-hitting A Rock Supreme in 2019, before returning in 2021 with the fittingly titled Power Trio.

After extensive touring across North America and Europe the members took a break and resumed recording in late 2022. With the musicians living on separate continents, they first exchanged files for several months, then gathered in Berlin to rehearse and brought in producer Eric Ratz to finish the record. Guests who contributed included Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham, Barenaked Ladies’ Tyler Stewart, and Exciter’s Daniel Dekay. The single “Guess Who’s Back” b/w “Good Time” preceded the completed album Electric Sounds, issued on AFM in September 2023.