Who we are
Individually we are Danny, Andreas, Siah, Quincy, Josh, Damon, Kelby, Joe, Matthew, Kavonda, Teresa, & Kristin. We’re a group of professional musicians, all of whom are all fortunate enough to get to do what we love for a living. We love creating music, listening to music, going to shows, and talking about music and gear. And while there aren’t many things more fun than performing, what makes it more fun is when we are CONNECTED with an audience. From the beginning, the core of our philosophy is to be acutely aware that every wedding/event, every venue, and every client is unique. That means the majority of the time we're playing, we're constantly thinking, “what does this crowd want to hear next?” Each week is different from the last. At one we can be playing music that spans from Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind, & Fire, to Walk the Moon and Lizzo, while another could include jamming hard on all the classic party ballads, while also seamlessly incorporating other not-so-typical styles to your event: nostalgic 80s and 90s rock and pop (Blink 182 & Backstreet Boys), old-school hip-hop mashups (Montel Jordan and early Jay-Z), a medley of The Beatles, some local Texas country ... just to name a few. All based on for whom we're playing. And while it’s hard to convey that versatility through a website, we work hard to put videos on the site and content on our Instagram to try and capture some of our range. Anything you see of us isn't necessarily the type of songs we frequently play, they're the type of songs we thought were THE PERFECT songs for that MOMENT.
We are active members in the local chapters of the National Association of Catering and Events (NACE) and the International Live Events Association (ILEA).
Who We Were
Fresh out of college and after several years of playing in an acoustic duo around Texas, in 2007 Danny began making a name for himself in the Houston music scene by playing at local coffeeshops. He was frequently approached by customers enjoying the music and asked if he would be open to playing their wedding or corporate event. A bride-to-be heard him playing and immediately hired him to play at her upscale, black-tie, New Years Eve wedding at Hotel Zaza in 2007. She was set on walking down the aisle to "Hard to Concentrate" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (a fantastic love song if you haven't heard it). When her mother asked Danny's opinion of a way to make it seem more traditional, he suggested that since he had grown up playing cello, he could arrange a cello part for the song and try to find a cellist. As fate would have it, he found Jenny through a chance meeting while she was still studying cello performance at The University of Houston. One-minute into their first rehearsal it was obvious that this was something special and there was plenty of potential. After the phenomenal feedback from the wedding, Danny spent 2008 playing more solo shows and preparing recordings and the website (while still working full-time in cancer research at M. D. Anderson). As musicians well-versed in classical and contemporary music, they quickly realized they could present music that every guest could enjoy but that could also be specific to the client. In 2009 Acoustic Production was officially formed and in 2010 alone they played at 45 wedding ceremonies, cocktail hours, and/or first dances, while Danny often DJ'ed and provided lighting at the reception.
Since 2013, Danny has been a highly in-demand freelance vocalist with different wedding band agencies. Building on the success of Acoustic Production, Danny found the right group of musicians to expand and form “DANNY RAY and the ACOUSTIC PRODUCTION" in 2016. Since the first wedding as “DANNY RAY and the ACOUSTIC PRODUCTION” they have grown from being primarily a 5-6-piece party band to rebranding in 2022 to “DANNY RAY and the ATLANTIC STREET BAND” as one of the most in demand 8-14-piece corporate and wedding bands in Texas.
