AJ Perdomo, Cody Payne, Tyler Minsberg and Bryan Czap make up the alternative rock band The Dangerous Summer from Ellicott City, Md.

AJ Perdomo, Cody Payne, Tyler Minsberg and Bryan Czap make up the alternative rock band The Dangerous Summer from Ellicott City, Md.

They played for the first time at Kent State on Wednesday night at the Rathskeller, wrapping up their current tour.

Naming their band after an Ernest Hemingway novel, the band members got together four years ago when they were still in high school.

“Me and Cody went to high school together, Tyler and Bryan went to neighboring high schools,” Perdomo said. “We all had played in bands before and just got together.”

The band devotes all their time to making music and pleasing fans.

Perdomo plays bass guitar and is the lead vocalist, Payne plays guitar and is the backup vocalist, Czap plays guitar and Minsberg plays drums. The band said that when Hopeless Records heard their music, the label knew they needed to sign the band.

The group has toured all over the United States, playing over 800 shows.

The Dangerous Summer has visited Ohio several times. The group won’t be back for the rest of the year, but they hope to return in the spring.

The band has one more tour lasting until November. Then it’s off to the studio to record their next album over winter.

“We’ve been writing for a while,” Minsberg said. “It takes time.”

“Reach for the Sun” was the last album they put out in May 2009, and they seem excited to record their next album.

“I really love every song on this album for one reason or another. They all had their own little story in our lives while we were writing the album and seeing it come together in the studio,” Payne said. “The album is overall very positive and about real life. AJ covered a lot of different ground — love, life, death, the past, the future — it’s all there.”

For the full interview, check out the Daily Kent Stater’s website.

Contact reporter Katie Moore at [email protected].