Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Thacker.
Hi Danny, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Number One Sons are an oxymoron. We came up with the name in our early teen years around 2001. A kid we interacted with wore a hat with the words Number One Son on it. We got such a kick out of the hat and the Flanders-like kid, We decided to name our band after it. We started out playing shows at the KC hall in Sullivan, Missouri. Over 100 kids from high school would pack the place and mosh to our pop-punk tunes. We were nowhere near as good as we are now, but we had a lot of fun. We had several other side projects that involved members of the current band over the years.
We played in a cover band, closed bars, and other original/experimental projects. In early 2019 I was going through a divorce and needed to revisit music. I needed it. The name Number One Sons still meant something to me, and it felt right to revive the band. I wanted to go back to my pop-punk roots. I began recording what became a full album in my living room. The tracks were well-written but underproduced and raw. I recorded everything with 1 microphone on “Not Afraid To Fail.” I even sampled and arranged drums from youtube videos. I didn’t have much to work with. Over the next couple of years, I pushed harder and harder. Billy Schatz and I started playing original acoustic sets in my basement in Barnhart, MO.
We talked about performing those sets and the prospect of a full band. Billy got our high school friend Ross Brand to pick up the sticks, and I eventually convinced my lifelong friend Nathan Adam to pick up the bass. After the pandemic, we began booking shows in the St. Louis area. In September of 2022, we had the privilege of opening for punk rock legends Agent Orange. We also received airplay of our song “Bored” on 1057 The Point in St. Louis. The songs get better and better. Life is a dance you learn as you go to quote the song. We’ll release a full-length album in 2023.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle was doing this alone for such a long time. It’s hard to be kind to yourself coming out of an abusive marriage. I hadn’t played a live show or released any music in about 10 years before recording “Not Afraid To Fail.” The album title wasn’t something I believed, but I had to tell myself. I spent a lot of time with my inner voice telling me I couldn’t do it. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I didn’t have bandmates. Recalling the times that Billy (my guitar player) kept showing up for acoustic practices was very eye-opening for me. I will forever be grateful that he kept showing up when no one else was there. Oddly, the four of us came together from the same high school class. It happened in a completely different location almost 20 years later. Call it fate. Call it whatever. Life has these weird ways of being wonderful sometimes. Keep going.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the lead singer and guitar player for Number One Sons. I write and record all of my music. We’re known for pop punk. We’ve been featured on many blogs, 1057 The Point, and now in this magazine. I am most proud of us for continuing to grow as a band. The challenges were hard on my mental health at times, but they also made me a better person. It helped me cope with things like anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. I put myself in unfamiliar situations. I was vulnerable to people. I have success stories that most people can’t tell. I chose to be different. I took my qualms with the world and put them into words and melody. Hopefully, those words and melodies will help others to know that it’s okay to try to live outside the norm. Don’t Be afraid to push the envelope. Don’t Be afraid to stand up for the little guy and what you believe in.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We draw inspiration from bands like Green Day, Machine Gun Kelly, Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182, Weezer, The Beatles, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and more. If you love this stuff, go listen anywhere you stream.
Contact Info:
- Website: Facebook.com/numberonesons
- Instagram: Instagram.com/numberonesonsband
- Facebook: Facebook.com/numberonesons
- Other: @numberonesons on tik tok
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Image Credits
Danny Thacker Michael Harmon
