The Dangerous Summer (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Ellicott City , United States |
| Products | Studio albums, EPs, live albums |
The Dangerous Summer is a rock group originating from Ellicott City, Maryland, United States. Taking their name from Ernest Hemingway's novel, the band draws inspiration from artists such as Third Eye Blind, Bright Eyes, U2, and Jimmy Eat World. Their discography has achieved sales exceeding 60,000 albums and 300,000 singles.
History
Established in the summer of 2006, the band composed their initial EP titled There Is No Such Thing as Science, which garnered interest from various record labels, including Hopeless Records, with whom they signed in May 2007. This EP was subsequently reissued under the name If You Could Only Keep Me Alive in August 2007.
Their first full-length album, Reach for the Sun, was released on May 5, 2009, and attained the position of number 42 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The song "The Permanent Rain" was featured in the promotional trailer for the 2009 movie Love Happens. A digital acoustic rendition of this album followed in March 2011.
The band’s sophomore album, War Paint, launched on July 19, 2011, reached number 149 on the Billboard 200 chart. That year, they performed on the Nintendo 3DS stage during the Warped Tour 2011.
By February 2013, they had completed their third studio album and simultaneously initiated a Kickstarter campaign aimed at producing a documentary. The album titled Golden Record was released on August 6, 2013, with its lead single "Catholic Girls" premiering in June. In 2014, lead vocalist AJ Perdomo exited the band amid internal conflicts.
In February 2017, guitarist Cody Payne was sentenced to one year in prison for felony burglary. Later that year, the group reactivated their social media presence and announced a reunion excluding Payne. On January 26, 2018, they unveiled their self-titled fourth album along with the single "Fire".
Their fifth studio effort, Mother Nature, came out on June 14, 2019. Departing from Hopeless Records in 2020, they independently released "Fuck Them All" through Molly Water Music and collaborated with Aaron Gillespie on an EP.
Christian Zawacki joined as drummer in January 2022. On April 29 of the same year, they released the title track from their sixth studio album Coming Home via Rude Records. This release was succeeded by Gravity in 2024; both records were produced at The Bakery Recording Studio located in Richmond, VA with producer Will Beasley.
Personnel
Current members
- AJ Perdomo – lead vocals, bass guitar (2006–2014, 2017–present)
- Josh Withenshaw – rhythm guitar (touring: 2018–2021; official member: 2022–present), lead guitar (studio recordings: 2023–present)
Current touring musicians
- Marcus Leopard – lead guitar (2023–present)
- Nick Pultz – drums (2025–present)
Former members
- Cody Payne – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2006–2014)
- Bryan Czap – lead guitar (2006–2012)
- Etay Pisano – lead guitar (2012)
- Tyler Minsberg – drums, percussion (2006–2010, 2011)
- Ben Cato – drums (2012–2014, 2017–2020)
- Matt Kennedy – lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (2012–2014, 2017–2023)
- Christian Zawacki – drums (2022, 2023–2025)
Former touring musicians
- Doug Rogells – drums, percussion (February UK Tour)
- Kyle Jordan Mueller – drums, percussion (March 2011 US Tour; War Paint Tour 2012)
- Chris Kamrada – drums, percussion (Europe and UK Tour 2012)
- Alex Garcia – guitar (2018)
Timeline
Studio albums
- Reach for the Sun (Hopeless Records, 2009)
- An Acoustic Rendition of "Reach for the Sun" (Hopeless Records, 2011)
- War Paint (Hopeless Records, 2011)
- Golden Record (Hopeless Records, 2013)
- The Dangerous Summer (Hopeless Records, 2018)
- Mother Nature (Hopeless Records, 2019)
- Coming Home (Rude Records, 2022)
- Gravity (Rude Records, 2024)
EPs
- There Is No Such Thing as Science (2007)
- If You Could Only Keep Me Alive (Hopeless Records, 2007)
- All That Is Left of the Blue Sky (Molly Water Music, 2020)
Live
- Live in Baltimore 2019 (Hopeless Records, 2020)