Named after the wise-cracking ticket scalper from Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Boston-based rock band Damone combine Joan Jett-inspired rock ‘n’ roll brattiness with Rick Nielsen-worthy power-pop sensibilities. Setting itself apart from the pack with the tomboyish verve of eighteen-year-old vocalist Noelle, the quartet’s major label debut, From The Attic, infuses tales of teenage misadventure with hyper-kinetic energy. Drummer Dustin Hengst says players like Phil Rudd, Tommy Lee, and Queen’s Roger Taylor most influenced his playing style. Drumming since his early teens, Hengst eventually studied music engineering at Berklee College before switching to the school’s performance program. “I learned a lot at Berklee about what producers and engineers want from drummers in the studio and what works best for recording,” Dustin states. “I have an expanded vocabulary in that area now, and I get ideas all the time.

However, with Damone I feel I need to focus on playing a basic four-on-the-floor rock vibe. If it sounds good, it’s good, and I’m not going to think too much about the technical aspects of it.”

The young drummer’s energetic playing style seems perfectly suited to Damone. “When we play live,” Dustin says, “I try to focus on having a sense of reckless abandon. When it comes to my style, I don’t feel like I’m reinventing the wheel. I’m just trying to keep the wheel rolling, carrying on a tradition of rock ‘n’ roll drums.”
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