If drums are the foundation of a great group and the instruments are the bricks that create the structure upon which a vocalist can weave their story, than the bass is the mortar that holds everything together; and Danny Knapp does that in spades. His solid rhythm and impeccable feel and timing brings the beat of Raise Your Glass (RYG) to life.

Danny grew up listening to all the classic rock greats of the day including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and later on Rush, Iron Maiden, and the Dixie Dregs to name a few. He also loved the jazz stylings of bassist Stanley Clarke and the pure soul groove of Bob Marley. His parents though had other ideas of what classical music he should be paying attention to, so rather than a Les Paul, Danny found himself at age eight trudging to school with a cello. For the next few years it was Mozart and Bach rather than Lennon and McCartney. This education served him well in that by the time he was 16 and finally got around to slinging a bass guitar around his neck, he was already a very well-trained musician. So well-trained that he immediately found himself getting paid performing original and cover music at nightclubs around his then home town of Flagstaff, Arizona. His very first gig was in fact recording bass lines for commercials for a couple of local car dealerships.

Upon moving to “Surf City, USA” aka Huntington Beach, Ca in 2012, Danny discovered the second passion in his life; surfing, as well as the island culture that surrounded it. That of course led him to an exploration of Hawaiian and Polynesian music which added the ukulele and keyboards to his musical arsenal. Danny played bass and ukulele for Mikioi, a Hawaiian reggae band that received a lot of Polynesian radio attention for their singles, “Hawaii, My Home” and “Kanaka Wai Wai” as well as traditional Hawaiian music with several Halau (hula dance troupes) and playing as a member of the renowned symphonic Pangean Orchestra.

Danny also toured with several metal bands in the late 80’s including a stint as the bass player for Feedbags with Scotty Johnson (later of the Gin Blossoms) and as bassist for actress Katie Garfield, which he continues to this day. He has performed everything from funk to industrial, hip-hop to alt-country, and a heap of other styles in between.

With RYG, Danny brings his world of music knowledge and experience to help drive the sound that is making this band so unique.