Damone

Tagging themselves after a character from the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dave Pino (guitar/vocals), Noelle (vocals/guitar), Vazquez (bass), and Dustin Hengst (drums) comprise the punk-pop group Damone. Pino had been writing songs and making a musical name for himself in and around his native Boston during the late '90s, composing tracks about a girl who dumped him. Within a year or two, he, Hengst, and Vazquez were rocking out in each other's basements. One of their good friends had a sister who was also sketching out her own punk-inspired anthems. Once Pino, Hengst, and Vazquez met the shy, yet vocally confident Noelle, Damone was in full effect. Meshing a skatepunk snarl with crunchy metal licks, Damone inked a deal with RCA in 2002. Joint dates with the Juliana Theory, the Ataris, and Further Seems Forever coincided the spring 2003 release of Damone's debut, From the Attic. Shortly thereafter, founding member Dave Pino quit the band; Damone was also let out of their contract with RCA. Guitarist Mike Woods was added to the punk rock fray by 2004, and Damone began writing songs for a second album. The Out Here All Night EP was self-released in fall 2005. Their spirited, arena-rock inspired second album, 2006's Out Here All Night, marked their first release for Island/Def Jam. Various tour dates with bands like Bullets and Octane and the All-American Rejects followed. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi