Ronald Reagan had been the 40th president of the United States for less than eight months when Columbus’s own Danger Brothers embarked on what has been a 30-year musical journey.

The band’s first unpaid gig was playing at the wedding reception of the group’s drummer on August 1, 1981; their first paid job followed just one week later.

Today the band of five, whose ‘newest’ member joined the group in 1984, plays their own brand of rock-n-roll and the oldies at venues all over the country. But their most anticipated gigs occur right here in Columbus-town on football Saturdays, when Ohio State plays at the ’Shoe. That’s because the Danger Brothers will embark on another chapter in their storied history when they perform this season at the Varsity Club, just down the street from their former pre- and post-game home at the Holiday Inn on the Lane. Until two years ago, that hotel hosted Hineygate, the infamous fiesta that considered by many Buckeyes “the” place to party before or after kickoff. Drummer Tom Smith described the band as “ecstatic” about moving back closer to their mid-Lane home, for the new party called "Crank It UP!"

“We are a tradition near the stadium,” he said, proudly. “It’s gonna be beautiful mayhem.”

Meanwhile, The Ohio State University has played a significant role in the lives of many of the band’s members, just as the Danger Brothers are revered as a hallowed tradition of an OSU home football contest. The band’s keyboardist, Bill Bendler, is an OSU alum who earned an undergrad degree from the institution in 1970. Playing trombone in the Best Damn Band in the Land while an undergrad at Ohio State, performing with the OSU Alumni band before the September 2nd season opener, and then playing at the Varsity Club this fall gives Bendler “a mixture of pride and exhilaration.”

He’s also pleased with the band’s change of venue come football Saturdays.

“There’s a possibility of [the VC] being better than the Holiday Inn, because the venues are about the same size – plus, we can see the stadium from where we’ll be. We can see “C” deck and the press box and part of the stadium,” said Bendler. “It’s awesome; that will generate enthusiasm.”

He says he continues to be humbled by the incredible support the band enjoys from its supporters, and Buckeye fans, in particular.

“It shows me people put us up there with the OSU band and the game itself. It’s almost too much to grasp,” he says.

Listen for the group to play its brand of rock, bluegrass and, of course, Ohio State stalwarts like “Hang on Sloopy,” the “Buckeye Battle Cry,” and “Across the Field,” among others. Another crowd-pleaser occurs when the Danger Brothers kick off their own version of Script Ohio. One luxury of the wireless instruments played by four of the five band members is that they can roam among audience members to lend even more frenzy to an already electrified environment. People follow the band around the venue, leading the throng into makeshift version of the classic OSU marching band formation.

Oh, and it ain’t a Danger Brothers show without a bra or 50 left on stage.

The odd tradition started nearly two decades ago when Ohio State hosted Wisconsin, says Bendler.

“We never asked for this, but bras came flying on stage – we got over 200!” he exclaimed. The band’s crew tied the brassieres together to form a chain stretching over 100 yards, he says. Today, that band of bras adorns the group’s practice space.

“It makes for great acoustics!” he joked.

Crank It UP! with the Danger Brothers Every OSU Home Game
www.dangerbrothers.com
www.myvarsityclub.com