Danny and the Parts — 10 January 2024 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour

Monochrome photo by Ross Mickel

Danny and the Parts joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9 FM The Radiator. Catch up with them at instagram.com/dannyandtheparts

Text by Keagan Lafferty

Last February, I sat in on an interview with Danny LeFrancois of Danny & the Parts as he turned Burlington’s radio station at WRUV into a heavenly soundscape of acoustic Americana tunes. One listener asked him about advice for aspiring songwriters, and his answer gave me a unique glimpse into what it really means to be a creator of good music.

“Walk the streets aimlessly, a lot, alone, at dusk,” LeFrancois said. “Play video games by yourself. Wear shades while doing this. Go home and write a lot of stuff on paper, then crumple them up and throw them in the wastebasket, and miss most of the time. Then, lay in the crumpled up papers and cry. Then, in the morning, look at the papers and the tears will have skewed some of the words—and there’s your song.”

This quote has been a guiding principle for me over the past year, and recently on Rocket Shop, LeFrancois once again invited me to embark on his journey of atmospheric bliss, this time with a five piece band to escalate the energy and give his music a new sound altogether.

Danny & the Parts, of Burlington,Vermont, plays experimental folk rock Americana, with extremely unique dynamic shifts in energy. They embrace an original honky-tonk feel, self described as having “sweeping vocal and harmonic melodies and twangy telecaster guitar magic, creating a wildly new atmospheric sound.”

Bandleader Danny LeFrancois, on vocals and guitar, can often be found at local music events in Burlington, usually wearing a beanie over his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair that frames his bearded face. He is extremely thoughtful and has a warm sense of humor that displays his acute love of having fun wherever he goes.

LeFrancois started playing music as a kid, playing drums, singing and making tapes. He was most interested in acting and comedy, but quickly evolved into a talented musician. While his older songs were simple traditional country, he discussed how he has evolved as a songwriter, discarding limits and branching out with collaborations. 

The most established of those collaborations include the Parts; in the band’s various forms, Luke Awtry, bass, and Matthew Jaden, drums, have played influential roles, along with recent additions Britt Kane and Andriana Chabot contributing their lofty and powerful vocals.

Throughout the band’s time together, they’ve experimented with guest musicians, and are extremely open to collaborating with diverse local artists. “[I’m] trying to embrace the whole community, putting myself out there,” said LeFrancois. “So [Kane and Chabot] started creeping into the lineup here. And I said, ‘well, you know, that's fine.’ We need somebody smiling around here.”

LeFrancois leads the songwriting process of Danny & the Parts, with songs beginning in an acoustic setting, before the rest of the band contributes to the final product and the live sound. LeFrancois likes to be dramatic in his songwriting, creating a sound that is loud and fun with sad lyrics. 

“A lot of the writing goes into this romantic version. My daughter says, ‘you think you're such a main character!’ And then I was like, ‘yeah, kind of,’” said LeFrancois. “I don't know if it's me or if it's just too many fantasy ‘80s movies growing up. I don't know what happened, but I'm really hooked on that kind of dynamic in a song right now.”

LeFrancois’ musical inspirations include his own friends and collaborators, as well as B-side recordings of Neil Diamond, ‘80s pop, and ‘90s dancehall. He is also inspired by poems of Edgar Allan Poe and Edward Gorey, movies, art museums, and AM radio static.

Danny & the Parts’ most recent release was an EP, and is mostly a collaboration between LeFrancois and Cosmic The Cowboy, “a psychedelic outlaw project and alter-ego of Burlington Vermont-based producer and multi-instrumentalist, Trevor Sohnen,” according to a post by Burlington City Arts. 

The first song performed by Danny & the Parts on Rocket Shop was an unreleased song called “Wasted” off their upcoming album. It’s mellow and groovy, reminiscent of Jack Johnson or Colter Wall, with calming vocals and harmonies that lead up to a loud chorus that exhibits a carefree feeling. Unique guitar fills complement the song as it approaches a key change toward the end, with an instrumental buildup to a powerful guitar solo. 

In “Wasted,” LeFrancois sings, “I just wanted anything at all; crystalize each moment in the snow; memories be faded as my jeans.” LeFrancois says that this line is a direct reflection of his music and career. “Growing up and having the realization that we can’t always see the future, or control it, however we should enjoy it and be present,” said LeFrancois. “Whether right or wrong it fades away anyhow.”

Danny & the Parts' next song, “Buddy,” was written about LeFrancois’ cat. It has a slow tempo with buildups and dynamic shifts in energy, utilizing chords reminiscent of psychedelic rock. The lyrics invoke a sentiment of melancholy romance, with LeFrancois singing “we can always love each other.” Vocal harmonies with overlapping lyrics during the choruses create a conversational tension, and the guitar solos have unique experimental effects, as if Pink Floyd played Americana.

Danny & the Parts upcoming album is set to release soon, and is in the final stages of mastering and promotion. Awtry led the recording process at his Burlington studio, Voltage Controlled Life, and he is also a successful photographer helping with promotion for the band.

The album will be titled Mona Lisa’s Eyes Are Blue, and is about discarding limits and embracing new ones. “Being more open to change is what this record is about, embracing all the different voices,” said LeFrancois. “This record is definitely pushing the boundaries on being secure for me. It's having fun and letting it go and it's sad but it's also very free.” 

The album has guest musicians on every song, including Captain Tony and Cosmic the Cowboy on pedal steel, Connor Young on trumpet, and Phil Cohen on mouth trumpet (where one makes trumpet noises with their mouth). These guests are people that LeFrancois has been playing shows and writing with over the years. 

The album’s title track, “Mona Lisa’s Eyes are Blue,” was the next song that Danny & the Parts played on Rocket Shop. It begins with a guitar picking pattern and harmonica, and is rhythmically similar to bluegrass, with upbeat twang. Kane’s powerful voice is featured in the song, and she briefly sings the chorus to “Creep” by Radiohead before going back to the original song. There’s lots of hollering in the background, expressing the fun nature of the band and the song, and perfectly complimenting the exciting harmonica and guitar solos. 

“Mona Lisa’s Eyes are Blue” was inspired by a DaVinci book that LeFrancois got when he attended art school. He wrote the song while staring at the book, which is set up on a music stand in his studio where the band practices. “She's not really a person in the room, but she's becoming this person,” said LeFrancois. “Don't laugh. It could be you.”

There’s a theory that Mona Lisa is DaVinci, and it’s really his face, which inspired LeFrancois to imagine that he too is the Mona Lisa. “I was thinking about that one day sitting there just looking at the book, and I wrote this song,” said LeFrancois. “I guess maybe thinking, what if I became the model? Like it was a reflection because I have blue eyes. And then I was like, well, I kind of like that. Doesn't make sense, but who cares.”

The last song performed by Danny & the Parts was “God.” It’s slow with heavy reverb on guitar and a soothing walking bassline. LeFrancois and Chabot sing back and forth to one another to create stunning harmonies, and a combination of vocal layering and an emphasis on the drum overheads creates louder sections with intense depth. There’s a buildup in energy during the second chorus as the song approaches a guitar solo and belting vocal harmonies.

LeFrancois is invested in Burlington’s music scene, and tries to incorporate collaborations whenever possible. “I've been cultivating the whole lifestyle,” said LeFrancois. “[The Parts is] a supergroup at this point with so many different musicians being featured. It's kind of like Burlington’s Frankenstein band.”

Apart from recording, Danny & the Parts places high priority on live shows, usually playing multiple gigs each week. “It’s hard to say no,” said LeFrancois. They play all around the state at bars, venues, and ski resorts, but want to go further and play around the country. LeFrancois has two young daughters, making touring difficult, but he hopes to expand into more states and bigger cities like Boston and New York.

One venue that particularly stood out to LeFrancois was the Mad River valley. “It's like another world up there. It's a different vibe. It's almost like Burlington in the ‘90s, like a solstice party,” said LeFrancois. “They like to gas it up out there. They really want you to rip it and grip it. They're just having a good time. They want you to really go for it.”