Night Beats

Night Beats is an American psychedelic/garage rock project, formed in 2009 in Seattle, Washington as the pseudonym of Danny Lee "Blackwell" Rajan Billingsley. The project has remained active internationally throughout the years, touring with The Zombies, W.I.T.C.H., The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Black Angels.

Night Beats
Background information
OriginSeattle, Washington, United States
GenresGarage rock, psychedelic rock, soul, R&B
Years active2009 — present
LabelsFuzz Club, Cooking Vinyl, Heavenly Recordings
Trouble In Mind
The Reverberation Appreciation Society
MembersDanny "Lee Blackwell" Rajan Billingsley
Past membersTarek Wegner
James Traeger
Jakob Bowden
Websitethenightbeats.us

History

Danny "Lee Blackwell" Rajan Billingsley had previously fronted various bands in his hometown of Dallas, Texas including The Old Explosives, White Light Fever and Medicine God Box.[1] With White Light Fever, who were initially called Japanese Auto Clinic,[2] he released debut album Heavy Knife Blues in 2007 and the band were reportedly courted by Columbia Records. A second album Count All Your Father's Wealth was seemingly abandoned.[3][4]

Raised Catholic and Hindu, Billingsley moved to Seattle to study comparative religion at the University of Washington.[4] Leaving Dallas, which he saw as "a wasteland of music", he founded Night Beats in 2009. Named after the Sam Cooke album 'Night Beat',[5] the solo self-recorded Street (Atomic) EP was released that year via Holy Twist Records.[6][7][8]

Early Night Beats recordings such as H-Bomb were done solo as a one man project, and rotating members were added as he began to tour. Night Beats completed multiple North American tours during 2010, and were signed within weeks of self-releasing the H-Bomb EP, picked up by Chicago's Trouble in Mind Records (Ty Segall, Fresh and Only's, Hex Dispensers, etc.).[9] The re-release of the EP topped several college radio charts.[10]

The band continued to tour extensively and jn 2015, the band signed to London-based label Heavenly Recordings and released their third album "Who Sold My Generation" in January 2016. The album featured Black Rebel Motorcycle Club member Robert Levon Been on bass, who also co-produced the album.[11] By 2019, the band released their fourth album Myth Of A Man. The album was recorded by Billingsley with producer and Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach. For the sessions, Billingsley was backed by a cast of old time session musicians who had worked with the likes of Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin.

In late 2020, Blackwell signed Night Beats to Fuzz Club Records. Outlaw R&B, the fifth Night Beats studio album was released on June 4, 2021.[12] A live album, Levitation Sessions, was released via The Reverberation Appreciation Society in August 2021.[13] In 2022, Danny teamed up with Carolina Faruolo (ex-Los Bitchos) to release the Tropicalia influenced album Monte Carlo on the Seattle based Suicide Squeeze Records.[14]

Notably, the song "Right/Wrong," was the official song of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival in 2022.

Band members

Current
  • Danny "Lee Blackwell" Rajan Billingsley - Vocals, lead guitar

Former
  • Tarek Wegner - Bass
  • James Traeger - Drums
  • Jakob Bowden - Bass

Discography

Studio albums

Singles/Splits/EPs
  • H-Bomb 7" - 2010 (Self-Released)
  • H-Bomb 7" - 2010 (Trouble In Mind Records)[15]
  • H-Bomb EP (iTunes) - 2010 (Holy Twist)[16]
  • Night Beats/UFO Club Split 10" - 2011 (The Reverberation Appreciation Society)
  • Night Beats/TRMRS Split 7" - 2012 (Volcom Entertainment/Resurrection Records)[17]
  • Night Beats/ Her Cold Cold Heart - 2018 (Heavenly Recordings / [PIAS])

Compilations
  • Get Wyld! Vol. 1 - 2010 (Holy Twist)[18]
  • Portable Shrines Magic Sound Theatre Vol. 1 - 2011 (Translinguistic Other/Light In The Attic)[19]
  • Sailor Jerry Vol. 4 - 2011 (Sailor Jerry Rum)

References
  1. "Danny Rajan | OKC Thunder Music - Feel the Thunder!". Mail.okcthunder.info. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  2. "The Sub-Rosa: Heavy: The Passionate Blues of White Light Fever". Archived from the original on 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  3. Freedman, Pete. "White Light Fever Readies New CD While Battling Those Underage Blues". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  4. Segal, Dave. "Gimme That Old-Time Innovation". Thestranger.com. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  5. Maguire, Paige (2010-04-09). "Austin Psych Fest Preview: For the Benefit of Mr. Night (Beats)". Austinist.com. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  6. "Night beats : Street (atomic) EP | arbobo". Arbobo.fr. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  7. "Street (Atomic) EP". Open.spotify.com. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  8. "Tonight in Music: Night Beats, Sunn O))), Fatal Lucciauno - Line Out - the Stranger". Archived from the original on 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  9. Troublemakers (2012-03-15). "Trouble In Mind". Troubleinmindrecs.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  10. "Top 30 Albums |". Kdvs.org. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  11. "Night Beats - Who Sold My Generation". Clashmusic.com. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  12. "Night Beats announce new album 'Outlaw R&B'". Fuzzclub.com. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  13. "Levitation Sessions : NIGHT BEATS". Shop.levitation-austin.com. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  14. "Monte Carlo". Suicide Squeeze. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  15. Archived August 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  16. "iTunes Store". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  17. "Volcom Entertainment - Vevc". Store.volcoment.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  18. "iTunes - Music - Get Wyld! Volume 1 by Various Artists". Itunes.apple.com. 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  19. "Portable Shrines Magic Sound Theatre Vol. I | Light In The Attic Records". Lightintheattic.net. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
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