Interview: A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN's Danny Young

As adept as he is on the drums - and make no mistake about it, Danny Young is headbangingly assertive and confident on the aforementioned drum kit - it might surprise you to know that at the ripe old age of eight, he actually started out as a singer in his family's quartet. And, to top it all off, he got his start in the business of show as a boy soprano.

When his voice started to drop (as well as other body parts, we suspect), the young musician's attention had turned to the drums and, after several years nagging his parents for his very first set of drums upon which he yearned to batter and bang, they relented and Danny Young set off on a lifelong adventure that now has him onstage every night. Along the way, he's collected some terrific stories and urban legends in the making as he continues to add luster to his reputation as one of the best drummers on the road.

Of his career to date, Young counts "some incredible musicians, artists and shows" among the brightest highlights on his growing resume. "Working with Roger Taylor and Brian May of the band Queen on We Will Rock You, Jerry Lewis, Marvin Hamlisch and Liza Minnelli. Danny is also currently touring full time with Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, playing drums and singing

So how did this tour gig with A Night With Janis Joplin come about for you? Oddly enough, I was in a band rehearsal in Nashville when I got a random call from a New York number I didn't recognize. When I finally got around to listening to the message, I quickly realized it was from Howard Joines, an INCREDIBLE drummer and contractor from New York! He had contracted A Night With Janis Joplin on Broadway, so was also in charge of hiring the band for this first national tour. The band for this show is not only on stage and visible the whole time; they also have to sing. Somehow, he had remembered from a conversation we had three years ago when I sat with him in the pit of the Broadway show Matilda that I also sang. What are the odds? Needless to say, I luckily got a phone call offering me the gig and didn't want to pass it up!

I know you've done several tours now...how does touring differ, performance-wise, from a sit-down engagement? Touring can be pretty tough honestly, and on non-stop three-month tour we are doing mostly one or two shows per city instead of long sit-downs. This is really a straight up rock show and is honestly as close to seeing Janis Joplin live as you will ever get, so booking it like a rock tour works. We have even had fans jump the stage in our shows...that's how crazy they get!

With our current schedule, it's really more a mental game than anything. We sometimes travel up to 400 miles all day, go straight to sound check, eat quick at the venue, and immediately play a show, so you really have to be in the right headspace to deliver every single night. The crowds on this tour have been SO amazing and really get you pumped up! It's a pretty amazing ride every single night, and kind of incredible to see a different venue across the United States almost every single day!

What's your favorite part of touring? Obviously I love the excitement of get to play shows in front of screaming audiences all over the world with some incredible musicians...that's a given! But, second to that has to be finding all the best coffee shops and coffee roasters in every town we go to. I am such a coffee geek that I spend any free second finding the hottest places in town and "getting my fix" if you will. I wouldn't say I have a problem, but I'm guessing if you ask anyone else about my coffee habits you will get a different response.

What's the most difficult aspect of touring? Well, there's kind of two answers to this I think...As I get older (as much as I hate to admit it) it does get pretty tough on the body. But I'd say the hardest part of being away is really missing my incredible fiancé Kate, my bed, my kitchen, and my amazing friends. I'm so happy to be able to do what I do though, and can't thank Kate, my friends and family enough for supporting me and my crazy lifestyle!

You're now based in Nashville, right? How did you end up here? The first time I came to Nashville was actually when I was considering going to Belmont and I just fell in LOVE with the city. The city just has such a great energy and amazing people! I didn't end up at Belmont, but the city was always at the top of my list of places I want to live someday.

I decided to try Los Angeles right out of college since I had a great job opportunity there, but after a year I decided to head to Nashville. I toured full time with a few artists for over a year before I decided to try New York City as well. I had a lot of Broadway connections and ended up on several Broadway tours and shows over a three to four year period. Both LA and NYC were amazing, but everything was pulling me back to Nashville. I'm very proud to say I've lived in three of the biggest music hubs in the U.S., but Nashville is and always will be home. The people, the food, the energy, the music... there is just magic here that no other city can compete with!

What's your dream gig? I get asked this a lot, and I honestly don't know if I have a good answer for this question. I think more than anything my goal is just to keep working; not for anyone in particular and not only as a drummer, but also as a song writer, a singer, a music supervisor, a studio musician, a teacher, etc. There is so much one can do in the musical world that experiencing as much of it as possible while creating music with good friends is really the "dream gig" for me.

That being said... I'm ready to play a few 30,000 person arenas here soon! That is definitely on the bucket list.

Who is your professional idol? And why? You know, more and more I think I would have to say Don Henley! Not only is he an incredible drummer, but one of the world's greatest songwriters, singers, and business minds. He is just an all-around inspiration and really shows you how widespread a career in music can be.

Where do you hope to find yourself professionally in five years? I'm sure I will still be playing music full-time, but with who, where, for how long I have no idea! Life as a musician is always kind of a mystery and I'll really just be happy to be drumming and singing with people as passionate about it as I am. There is definitely something about the unknown side of a career in music that I love and thrive off of. It keeps it interesting, that's for sure.

What's next for you after this tour ends? Once this tour ends, I will head back to Nashville for a few weeks of rehearsals with Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, Danika Portz and a new band I helped create called EASTLAND, before hitting the road again for the summer! They are all very different/unique projects that have some exciting journeys ahead.

About the show: Broadway's critically-acclaimed musical A Night With Janis Joplin, a music-filled live show celebrating Janis Joplin and her biggest musical influences, brings its national tour to Nashville, performing at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's James K. Polk Theater on April 15-16.

Tickets for A Night With Janis Joplin are on sale now at TPAC.org, by phone at 615-782-4040, and in person at the TPAC Box Office, 505 Deaderick Street, in downtown Nashville. The three-performance run includes 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15, plus 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.

A Night With Janis Joplin is a musical journey celebrating Janis Joplin and her biggest musical influences - trailblazers like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, all of whom inspired Joplin to become one of Rock 'n' Roll's greatest legends. Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll. The unmistakable voice filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock. Audiences of A Night With Janis Joplin will experience Joplin's favorite hits, including "Summertime," "Piece of My Heart," Cry Baby," "Me and Bobby McGee," and more.

A Night With Janis Joplin features Mary Bridget Davies in the starring role. Upon gaining local acclaim for her work in various rock bands, Cleveland native Davies was asked to sit in with Big Brother & The Holding Company (Joplin's original band, with whom she would later tour), as well as legendary blues guitarist Robert Lockwood Jr. Davies received a Tony Award nomination for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical" when A Night With Janis Joplin debuted on Broadway in 2013.

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