Meet Danny Torgersen of Captain Squeegee & Friends in Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Torgersen.

Danny, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Music, performance and other people were all that mattered growing up… so it’s no surprise really that I pursued these things in the wild. To be more specific, playing music IN A BAND is truly an honor and a vastly misunderstood entrepreneurial adventure that I was instantly attracted to. My youth was in theater and musicals, raised by a mother from Broadway… but after learning piano, trumpet, then finally guitar, I knew I wanted to play instruments on stage, not just sing and dance. THEN I FOUND ROCK MUSIC. I was hooked. Being in a band would end up being the perfect marriage of all my skills, but also create the longest working relationships/friendships I still have today. To work with friends and creatives relentlessly, on the shows, albums, videos, tours, etc… is a one-of-a-kind life path totally mystified by modern society. Fifteen years ago, when I joined my first band ‘Captain Squeegee’, I had no concept of the journey I’d embarked on… nor did I realize, it would land me roles in other bands, cities, studios and music scenes all over America.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
HA! Who wants a smooth road? Sounds too easy. The human spirit is for mountain climbing… and there is no rockier industry than the entertainment industry. When I think of every show, I’ve played for free or “exposure”… or the heaps of money spent on van repairs, broken gear, studio over-time… or even losing band members and trying to replace them… THE STRUGGLE IS SO REAL in rockstar-land. It’s not all party! Especially, some of the long stretches of touring I’ve been a part of can have dramatic effects on band-member sanity and our relationships at home! Superhero endurance and meticulous organization are demanding necessities to maintain a healthy band environment… on the road and at home.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Captain Squeegee & Friends story. Tell us more about the business.
Captain Squeegee is a 7-member psychedelic rock band, based in Arizona. We are known for our lively stage-shows, music videos and the unique use of horns in our music. We’ve released 5 studio albums, acquired almost 200,000 views on YouTube, played hundreds of shows regionally, performed at music festivals at home and abroad. We have opened for legendary artists, like George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic, Beck, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and many more. Our music is often hard to categorize and our style very unique… we are often perceived as a musically unusual band and our fans like it that way! I act as the front-man, leaping round the stage with my theatrical-rock vocals and trumpet in hand. Through my time in Squeegee and networking in the music scene, I also now perform as a side-man in other professional touring bands… Fayuca, Badfish and Mouse Powell. All of our members appear as guests in other bands and original recordings and I’m particularly excited to be on the next Authority Zero album and perform with Captain Squeegee at Warped Tour this year.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Honestly, joining Captain Squeegee was like a freak accident… I just wanted to ‘play trumpet in a Ska band’. I never expected to eventually become the band-leader and then be signed to our record label and management (80/20 Records). I feel mostly lucky to have met my fellow musicians/friends… who make these bands happen and sound incredible… these groups would be nothing with out the divine intervention of all our paths crossing and fates aligning.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://captainsqueegee.8020records.com/
• Phone: 480-246-6387
• Email: contact@captainsqueegee.com
• Instagram: @captainsqueegee & @dan_et33
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/captainsqueegee/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/captainsqueegee
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU7MsCv_jOk

Image Credit:
Matty Steinkamp

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