Jeremy Danneman and The Down On Me
The Down On Me is Jeremy Danneman’s latest project and his first foray into singing and songwriting, with his previous bands featuring only instrumental music. Having been a literature major at New York University, Danneman had, in an earlier stage of life, aspired to become both a writer and musician. As reality set in, his ambition for bardhood was dropped to make more room for dreams of maestrodom, and it would be years before Danneman’s desire to reach audiences with words would be rekindled. The Down On Me is named after a traditional American folk song, from the 1920s, though the most famous version was recorded in 1967 by Janis Joplin. As the name suggests, Danneman’s songs explore the gulf between one’s self-perception and outside perceptions of one’s identity and the instability of one’s self-image in the face of challenges from lovers, friends, and life in general. Some songs from the “Big Fruit Salad” represent the early stages of Danneman’s work on a musical theater production about personified fruits and life on the fruit farm. In addition to lyrics, The Down On Me features the improvised instrumental component for which Danneman is already more known.