'Dancethink Music.' What started as a concept for My Dear Disco is quickly becoming a full-fledged movement surrounding them. Hailed as, ". . . one of the must see acts in Detroit and Ann Arbor," (The Detroit Fashion Pages), their high-energy blast of pop, techno, rock, and funk is stirring up a buzz that leaves critics saying, " . . . genres spill gracefully all over the map of edgy punk-punched new wave, acrobatic instrumental jams, soulful grooves, throbbing house raves, and liberating dancefloor moonwalks," (The Real Detroit), and "It's trancy and brilliant and gives me hope for the future of this planet -- all during the first song," (The Ann Arbor Observer).
Cut to May of 2008: American Eagle's New American Music Union names My Dear Disco one of the most promising college bands in the country. The result? MDD is invited to perform at the A.E. New American Music Festival (curated by Anthony Kiedis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers), sharing the bill with Bob Dylan, Gnarles Barkley, The Roots, and The Raconteurs, to name a few.
Immediately following the announcement, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producer Mark Saunders took their debut album under his wing, giving it the same magic touch he was responsible for on The Cure's Wish, Shiny Toy Guns' We Are Pilots, Tricky's Maxinquaye, David Byrne's Feelings.
While finishing Dancethink LP with Mark, the band was also hitting the summer festival scene, billed alongside artists such as ZZ Top, Lotus, Moe, Bucket Head, and Bela Fleck. The collective buzz from their performances at the A.E. Music Fest, BlissFest, Hoxeyville, Dunegrass, Feel Good, Ann Arbor Summer Fest, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass, was loud enough to attract the interest of internationally renowned booking agency, Fleming Artists (Ani Difranco, Martin Sexton, The Verve Pipe). Shortly after signing with Fleming Artists, My Dear Disco signed a publicity deal with Fanatic Promotions – the same group of people who blew up the Chemical Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Sigur Ros, Deerhoof, and many more.
One of the many challenges a touring band faces is reducing their negative impact on the environment. Economy-sized, fuel-efficient vehicles aren't an option for a band with seven people, large equipment, enough luggage to sustain a coast-to-coast tour, and bulky PA equipment. As a result, most bands are given no choice but to travel in gas-guzzling 15-passenger vans, SUV's, RV's, and buses.
In order to battle this dilemma, My Dear Disco purchased a diesel "short bus", originally designed as a commercial shuttle, and had it converted to run on waste-vegetable oil (not bio-diesel, but that unfiltered, unsightly dumpster oil that you find behind your favorite greasy spoon). The new system transforms the oil that cooked those fries you ate into a fuel source just as powerful as diesel. Hoping to contribute to the ever-growing community of people who are looking to protect the environment and lessen their dependence on the oil industry, My Dear Disco is joining forces with local restaurants and environmental groups to exemplify ways in which anyone can reduce their carbon footprint. You can find out more about waste-vegetable oil conversions at www.goldenfuelsystems.com.
Complete with their booking agency, their publicist, and their road-worthy veggie bus, My Dear Disco is in full-flight, spreading its infectious Dancethink Music across North America.
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