Arts & Entertainment
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has Roaring Name, Soaring Music
Former Royal Oak resident Daniel Zott's band goes global.
Many area bands have begun anonymously and gone on to make a name for themselves. That's how it works, right? In the case of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., it has adopted and modified a famous name and gone on to stardom in its own right.
Former Royal Oak resident Daniel Zott and songwriting partner Joshua Epstein, who perform under the elongated moniker of the beloved NASCAR driver, have a rabid following locally, in NASCAR country and around the globe.
The well-traveled musicians are also sports fans. After a chance meeting with ESPN producer Jim Wilkie, they got their own blog on ESPN.com. And while on tour recently in support of their Warner Brothers release It's a Corporate World, Epstein made it clear that thanks to a tour bus equipped with a satellite wherever they are they "keep tabs on what's going on" with their hometown sports teams.
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Recently, the duo was in London for two shows at the fabled record store Rough Trade. After that it was on to Reykjavik, Iceland, an exotic locale considering, as Epstein said, "We started out in basement bands in high school." This week the band is back in North America with a show Wednesday in New York City at Le Poisson Rouge.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.'s music has been described as "hip hop folk," though many influences are brought to bear while the guys switch off on guitar and keyboards during their set, aided by backing and guest musicians.
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Local club and Internet radio DJ Dave Deroches loves the band's music, and Epstein and Zott on a more personal level as well. "There hasn't been two nicer guys making beautifully crafted, soaring, artfully arranged pop music since Seals & Crofts. Invite them over for dinner when they play your town and they'll help with the dishes."
If you missed the chance to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. when it last played Royal Oak over Labor Day weekend at , be assured the band is not on the road forever. These hardworking and high flying local guys, who may one day eclipse their namesake in fame, will wrap up their current tour in Toronto on Oct. 24. When they play our town next, they'll probably get a lot of dinner invitations.
