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The publicity photos taken before dance/pop duo ex­ complete his degrees in music and psychology. A bi -coastal duo with ev­ ploded onto the digital music scene tell quite a tale . The bolder, more eryone wanting a piece of them , in-person collaboration time had been pronounced of the two is Mike Furey-"the danger," they say in jest. limrted. They were up until 3am toiling the night before we met. Twenty-three-years old, upright and confident. he engages the world "Working on MySpace.com. the Web site. going to events, wrrt­ w ith thick parted lips and an intense come-hither gaze that gui lefully ing new lyrics and doing Dange rous Muse stuff is a full time job," says declares, "You want me." Behind hi m is "the muse," Tom Napack. 21. Furey who. in between photo shoots. music conferences and network­ He broods. hiding behind Maybelline-lined eyes, innocent. demure and ing. works temp jobs for extra cash. Napack, on the other hand, still has expression less, ironically depending on "the danger" and his own trusty to complete his senior year of college and often yields his half-hold on Keytar to protect him. In the pictures. that is. the band reigns to Furey, In reality. they are something different A couple of average young "With schoo l. I have to monitor how much time I put into the band guys. they went from "playing around and making music" in college to [and class]. It's always a battle to find time to collaborate, " Napack says . becoming a digital music powerhouse and club scene It Boys in a mere adding that the battle can be a losing one . "I had a paper due the fol­ two months, In person, Furey's gregarious demeanor has no notion of low ing morning after The Rejection release party. But then they started sexuality at all. He smiles a lot. makes Jokes and brushes the non-colfed offenng me drinks... " locks of his Emo hair-do from Ilis eyes. N apack. trying to coordinate The paper was turned in a brt late. band time w ith school time. is not as coy as he comes off on photo pa­ Aside from Furey moving away, campus life didn't change much for per. Eager to share, and resistant to being shadowed by his band mate. N apack, As of May. he had just performed a small part in the University's he makes certain his voice is heard (but still blushed when I called him production ofOthello . His teachers are not overly Impressed w ith the na­ "Tommy"), They offer each other teasing jabs, supportive pats on the tional attention hiS music is getting and, besides Facebook.com messages back and curious looks that seem to imply they know something we reading, "You're my ring tone," or "I just downloaded The Rejection." he don't know. And although they came up with it themselves, neither is isn't treated that differently by students either, "I was already known as sure what their band name means. the guy w ho wears eyeliner." he says, HIS post graduation plans include taking a stronger role in representing the band and hopefully going on Over Coffee tour. In the meantime, the joke remai ns that Napack. younger. shorter "We'd be slee ping," had it not been for the interview. Napack informed and not as involved, IS the Robin to Furey's Batman. me on an early Sunday afternoon in . Though the boys Furey laughs. "Have you heard me call you that before?" were all sm iles when they arrived at Chelsea's Le Gamin Bistro (their "No!" Napack rebukes. "If I had. I would have hit you!" pu blicist and I had taken to calling them "the boys" in previous conversa­ "Aww," Furey sympathizes, with hiS hand on Napack's shoulder. tions). they were clearly a little groggy. It w as 12 :30pm. He continues in a soft but froli csome voice. "We need to get you a In all fairness, they hadn't been sleeping much latel y. Their debut yellow cape. " EP's title track, "The Rejection." quickly ranked number two on the And there it was: an exchange of deep glances that seemed to im­ iTunes dance chart upon its release and held steady in the top five down­ ply there was more between them than just that of fl'iends and band loaded singles off their digital label. '. Web site. After mates. W hen questioned about it. they laughed and made Jokes. spending a su mmer in Los Angeles to film "The Rejection'S" original vid­ "Come on," Furey asks. "Can you rea lly see us together?" While look­ eo footage, Furey, a recent Fordham University graduate. opted to stay ing at Furey from aside. Napack revealed a half-smile. Furey's hand was thel'e. Napack headed back to Fordham, and his home in the Bronx to still on hiS shoulder.

38 I PINK Fall 2006 '. The Conoeptlon Two months had passed since our coffee date in New York. Though "No, it's fine," Napack admits, "Mike didn't like me in the beginning." the boys had JUst experienced a harrow ing night, following a major delay A transplant from Portland, Maine, Furey 's proclivity toward mu­ and reroute to another airport, they were ecstatic to be in Chicago as sic came when he started playing the piano at 8-years-old. Planning part of a series of summer performances. Mer some coaxing, Napack on college in New York, he ultimately chose Fordham over New York even sang the chorus to Madonna's "Open Your Heart" on the ride into University because the Bronx campus "has green grass." Napack, DJ-ing the city. and mixing his own brand of electroniC dance music in a Kensington, Md, During the months prior, hype for the boys' live PINK Magazine high school, just felt he "had to be in New York" and landed at Fordham perfor-mance had been buzzing in local and national prrnt and Internet as well. outlets. A couple of teenage girls who couldn't attend the 21 + show The two met in a school musical production and came together had one of their mothers drive them in from Indiana hoping to catch the through a mutual friend. Furey and she had been writing music together, band during sound check. Strict city age restrictions forced them out of and she suggested they include Napack who had a lot of hardware. When the nightclub within a few minutes but Napack and Furey were quick to she graduated and moved away the boys became a duo. However, Furey come off stage and show their appreciation with autographed promo shares in jest that he didn't want to involve Napack at first because he was CDs and hugs. a freshman. Furey laughs as he says this and moves to console Napack It was during that sound check when Dangerous Muse's passion for

once again , but Napack protested, "That's fine I I don't carel" the music became apparent. The It Boys hadn't let their recent popular­ If there was ever any intimate attraction between them, it may have ity eclipse their drive and desire to perform above and beyond expec­ since evolved into something of sibling rivalry. Their teasing and jocular­ tation. Furey fussed with a notepad trying to bust out the performance ity is reminiscent of the ribbing between brothers- and it's a lot of fun particulars with lights and set listings, though he was repeatedly told his to watch. time was up. While Napack, on stage, was disturbed that he couldn't get Mer compiling one of the original tracks for The Rejection, Furey the sound to work to his satisfaction- and still expressed concern well shared the song on his iPod with a stranger at a cocktail party. That strang­ after the sound check was over. Involving themselves in every detail, the er turned out to be famed music producer Seymour Stein. Stein took to band, the music and this show belonged to them and no one else. They the tune and brought it to the attention of Cordless Recordings' President owned it. Jason Fiber. The tone shifted some hours later w hen the boys arrived back at the "They had solid songs," says Fiber, "I like 80s influenced music and club in true rock star fashion. Pants tight, hair waxed and lips glossed, they heard a lot of Depeche Moce, New Order and Pet Shop Boys in their brought along an entourage including a make-up artist, hipster friends , sound. It was catchy and danceable and stooc out from most other acts Fiber and club promoters. Though they were quickly ushered into the in the genre." Fiber shares that The Rejection has held court in the top five dressing room, the boys did not distance themselves from their audi­ off the digital label's Web site since Its release and adds with a smile, "It's ence. They walked around the club, having drinks and chatting up the been doing really well." concert-goers. Then, they took the stage. And what ofthe name, Dangerous Muse? Both catchy and poetically If there is any question as to the worthiness of all the attention meaningful, where did it come from? What definition of "muse" do the Dangerous Muse has been receiving-"They're just a couple of pretty boys consider perilous) There was a pause. boys with a catchy beat, so?"- seeingthem live quells all doubt. On stage, "Oh god," Furey gasps, "We haven't been asked that yet." the press pictures came alive. Napack stayed two steps back, Keytar in Then Napack attempts to answer, "When I think of the muse, I think hand and demure as ever, as he played and swayed like a male version of the Greek myth and the [nine] muses." of one of Robert Palmer's ':Addicted to Love" girls. With a combination "It's important to delineate between our name, Dangerous Muse, of seductive movements and a deep sultry voice, Furey enchanted the and our definition of muse," Furey quickly interjects, "I think our defini­ crowd. Music and sexuality radiated from them both. It was nothing less tion of muse doesn't have anything to do with our name as a group. It's than amazing. a misnomer." In this moment, any anxiety the boys had been feeling about their Napack agreed, but reading from a list of Greek muses I provided he uncertain future simply did not exist. Worries surrounding the late-August continued, "There's all of them. There's the dancing and we do dance release of their second digital EP, Give me Danger, finalizing a full-length music. The poetry because we write song lyrics.."(Napack missed record deal (for an album that Napack feels may be available the first Euterpe, the muse of music.) quarter of 2007), traveling for upcoming summer shows and, not to "It's a misnomer!" Furey enforces again . mention, Napack's upcoming senior year of college wasn't at all evident Finally, Napack concedes, "We're the tenth muse. We're the dan­ in their performance. As Furey linked his blue eyes w ith concert-goers gerous muse. who stormed the stage , his intense come-hither glance guilefully de­ With that. Furey gave me a mischievous look, turned to Napack, and clared, "You want me," and the response from all those starry-eyed boys laughed, "He's thinking: 'You guys are full of shit. '" and girls was clearly, "Yes, we do." What will become ofthis "super sexual" boy band within the trench­ In Concert es ofthe cut-throat music industry may not be certain. But one thing's for "It's been a long time," the always-friendly Furey greets me when I pick sure: With a powerful grip on club-goers and music-downloaders every­ up the band from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. where, the tenth muse is dangerous indeed. P

Fall 2006 PINK I 39