Touchdowns All Day with Jon Barber & Max Dawson
E089 - Dan Berkowitz and the Hunka Bunka Bus
Ep. 89
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Wednesday, March 5, 2025
TOUCHDOWNS ALL DAY w/ JON BARBER & MAX DAWSON
E089 - "Dan Berkowitz and the Hunka Bunka Bus" Few venues hold as fond a place in the hearts of The Disco Biscuits community as The Starland Ballroom. Between 2004 and 2012 the band played 18 shows in "Slayerville," many of which fans regard as amongst the band's finest performances ever. In celebration of the The Disco Biscuits' upcoming return to The Starland, Touchdowns All Day is proud to present "The Jernee Mill Road Back to Sayreville," a two-part miniseries exploring the band's history at this storied venue.
In this first installment, Max is joined by Dan Berkowitz, the founder and CEO of 100x Hospitality. Dan is widely regarded as a pioneer in the live music industry and has produced destination events and enhanced/VIP experiences for artists including Phish, Dead & Company, Metallica, Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, and Odesza. But before all that, Dan was the tour manager of The Disco Biscuits. In this interview, Dan recounts how his experiences of first touring with, and later working for, the band have shaped his life and career. He shares his memories of the band's first visits to Sayreville, which took place under the shadow of original drummer Sam Altman's impending departure from the lineup, and reflects on the special relationship that exists between The Biscuits, their fans, and The Starland's staff. Central to these stories is the legendary Hunka Bunka Bus. What began as a practical solution to the problem of getting Disco Biscuits fans to and from The Starland would in time grow into a business, and eventually spawned an entire industry built around celebrating the passion of live music fans.
This episode features excerpts of the following Disco Biscuits' performances:
Basis for a Day (fakeout) > The Thieving Magpies, from June 29, 2001 at Gathering Of The Vibes, Red Hook, NY
Little Lai, from December 30, 1999 at Theater of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Helicopters, from March 8, 2002 at Whisky A Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA
Strobelights and Martinis, from February 16, 2007 at The Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
The 2025 Bubble Tour concludes with a two-night stand at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. For the latest Disco Biscuits tour dates, please visit https://www.discobiscuits.com/shows.
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