Donovan Sebastian Balough was a true man ... Always honest as hell. He’d tell you when you were full of shit, and he’d probably be right. And then you’d both have a laugh.
War Danzon : Punk Rock & Gospel
Santa Cruz Gospel Choir is a group of amigos I regroup with to sing my guts out, to vent on the political side in hopefully a cathartic way. Coming of age in Santa Cruz, CA in the early 90s opened my eyes to communities involved in politics and music – the hard-core scene I guess you call it – that seemed like a kind of church I might like to be involved in. Now, that’s only how it relates to me and there are other people in the group. The group contains at least 3 people, two living and one gone… All believers are welcome.
The title track of “War Danzon” is adapted from a traditional war dance song of the Teton Sioux. The album came out of my frustration in ‘03 with the obvious march towards war and the limp resistance it was meeting; especially among those who could have raised expedient and effective objections.
While we worked on the album in San Francisco, the war broke out and there were riots and demonstrations. And, there were some heavy personal things happening closer to home. other things going on at the time. A close friend and a member of the group was dying of cancer. This album is dedicated to him.