Elevation USA article

[bonosloveslave]

Not sure where this officially belongs, but atu2 posted this write-up about the tribute band Elevation USA:

Metromix
1st January 2004

All That He Can't Leave Behind
Elevation's Danno packs 'em in with a dead-on Bono

By Michael C. Harris


Simply slappin' on a pair of tinted bug-eye sunglasses does not a Bono make. But if you sound like him when you sing, and you actually look like him when you run a little product through your hair, that, my double-take friends, might inspire you to form a tribute act.

Well, at least that's what Danno (a.k.a. Dan Burrow, a former drum teacher) did after a chance meeting with the real U2 rocker at the Las Vegas airport during which Bono inscribed Burrow's jacket with "I am Bono." Danno, 37, says the meeting was the reason he formed Elevation, the U2 tribute band he now fronts.

The group has become a heavy hitter in the tribute world -- and a Chicago favorite -- in just a couple of years, selling out most shows (they've done 166 this year) and sparking a possible upcoming European tour.

All four members are seasoned musicians: Guitarist Greg "Gredge" Flamm has played with another U2 tribute band, The Unforgettable Fire, and bassist Chris Lambrou has been the frontman for R.E.M. tribute act Reckoning. (He does a dead-on Stipe, we're told.) Drummer Dave Ambrose rounds out the group in the Larry Mullen role.

Why is Elevation satisfied riffing on a supergroup rather doing its own thing? Unlike many struggling indie rock outfits, the group says it makes considerable dough doing the U2 thing.

Danno (from St. Louis; other group members live in the Chicago area) filled us in on what it's like to live a double life:


Developed any Bono-like habits?

Well, I sometimes speak in an Irish accent on stage. And I chew my nails...I don't sneak smokes though [like the real Bono does].

Why is Elevation a tribute band and not a cover band?

It's going the extra mile to make it as close to the real thing as you can -- from the Vox [guitar amplifiers] to the Bulgari shades. Greg's got the same picks that the Edge uses. It takes time and money to get that quality.

Let's be blunt: You're really the only guy in the band who looks like his U2 counterpart.

Actually, I'm blond, so I dye my hair for shows. It's very difficult to find people that look and sound like the band to pull it off. So you have to weigh it out. You get a guy that has the gear and sounds like U2, like our drummer, who has the same drums, same cymbals (Larry) used on the "Zoo TV" tour. Or Gredge, our guitarist - he goes for a "Rattle and Hum" look. Everyone is a very proficient musician. Most of the time, people are looking at me anyway.

Got a favorite U2 album or era?

"All That You Can't Leave Behind" was incredible. That really blew me away.

Get any freaky fans that blur the line between your tribute and the real band?

Most of them are harmless. No really weird stuff. I always end up taking at least three or four pictures with people who want to show their friends, or e-mail them on their phones. No stalkers or anything, yet.

You're getting married in May. How does your fiance (a nanny, who sometimes travels with the band) handle your fans?

She doesn't like that female fans want to fantasize a little bit further than the stage. But she's a big U2 fan (we met in the audience at a St. Louis U2 concert). More of an Edge fan, though, so that's the way it goes.

Any chance your idol will be playing at your wedding?

Oh, we're just going to have a DJ, but he'll be playing lots of U2.


? Metromix, 2004.

 

[Edgette]

That's a good article. Yay for Chris' band Reckoning getting a plug.


*giggle*


Probably the best picture of the guys in Elevation USA ever.

 

[bonosloveslave]

When was that from?

 

[Edgette]

That was from a few months ago when they were on the Fox morning show here in Chicago.

 

[Catman]

Wow, he *does* look a lot like Bono

"Everyone is a very proficient musician. Most of the time, people are looking at me anyway."

hahha, nice to see he's picking up the ego bit

 

[Edgette]

Yeah, he does look a lot like him. The band sound so close to U2 as well.

There's more pictures and sound/video clips on their website.

Elevation USA

 

[alexvilagosh]

He definatly looks like Bono! But the others in the band not quite similar to who they are trying to be.

 

[discothequeLP]

Yeah, he does look a lot like him. The band sound so close to U2 as well.

There's more pictures and sound/video clips on their website.

Elevation USA

That's one killer pumpkin