Born in 1991 in Melbourne, Australia and starting off on piano and saxophone, Dan ‘Mango’ Mangano first picked up the drumsticks at the age of 13. After teaching himself the basics, he was in and out of high school garage bands until finally, fresh out of high school, he and two guitar-wielding friends formed what would go on to become Ablaze – a Melbourne-based hard rock outfit that has since released two EP’s, a ‘rockumentary’, and a full-length album that has seen 3 East Coast tours, and a European tour in November 2019.
Whilst being self-taught was a fun experience, Mango’s drumming skills were further honed and polished under the tutelage of seasoned Melbourne drummer and drum teacher Luciano Alvaro (Teargas, Moments Apart) who helped fill in the gaps and sharpen up his technical abilities.
Mango is known for his full-tilt, high-energy, hard-hitting drum style, with hair flying and a big cheesy smile on his face from start to finish. The reason? ‘I get to hit stuff with sticks really hard – why would I not be smiling?’