Danny Rocco, also known as Des Rocs (/ˌdɛz rɔːks/), is an American rock musician from New York City.[1] Des Rocs is a solo project produced and led by Danny Rocco. When touring, Rocco is joined by his long time friends and bandmates, William Tully and Eric Mendelsohn.[2][3][4]
Des Rocs has toured with rock bands such as Muse, The Rolling Stones, The Cult, Kaleo and The Struts.[5][6][7][8][9] In 2025 Des Rocs collaborated with Zayn Malik to write and produce Zayn's new single "Break Free".[10] Influences for Rocco include Muse, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Orbison, and Queen, though Rocco's focus is individuality and sounding unlike other rock artists.[7][11][12][13]
![[icon]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: more information on EPs and touring. You can help by adding to it. (August 2021) |
Rocco was raised on Long Island's Nassau County. He began performing in bars and basements from as early as 13 years old.[14][15] His first band Secret Weapons opened for bands such as Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer.[9] The band eventually went on permanent hiatus after bandmate Gerry Lang's health deteriorated with Lyme disease.[16] He released his first EP, Let The Vultures In, in November 2018.
In the spring of 2021, Des Rocs announced the Alive tour and a virtual livestream concert (also called the "Des Rocs Alive Virtual Concert"). During the live dates of the tour, rock band The Velveteers accompanied the tour as the opening band. Kicking off in the fall of 2021, the tour spanned 20+ cities across the United States, ending in the New York City's Bowery Ballroom.[17] During the virtual concert, which was the first live playthrough of This is Our Life, Des Rocs culminated with the track "Tick" from his then yet-to-be-announced album. The track's lyrics also hinted at the title of the new album, A Real Good Person In A Real Bad Place.
The album title and tracklist was announced on July 30, 2021, coinciding with the release of the album's first single, "MMC" (Mickey Mouse Club).[18] Des Rocs released two more singles before the album's debut: "Imaginary Friends" and "Hanging by a Thread".
In the spring of 2022, the Once In A Lifetime tour was announced, co-headlining with Canadian rock band The Blue Stones.[19] The tour spanned over 20 cities in the continental United States, beginning in Milwaukee, WI and ending in Columbus, OH. Openers for the tour included Clay Melton and First In Flight. Des Rocs headlining shows were announced after the initial tour announcement in Salt Lake City, UT and Portland, OR, without The Blue Stones, and for the last 3 dates of the tour (St. Louis, MO; Nashville, TN; and Columbus, OH). The Blue Stones canceled their sets, leaving Des Rocs as the sole headliner.[20][21][22]
Des Rocs supported Badflower on their "Asking For A Friend" tour, alongside Blood Red Shoes.[23] They debuted a new song, "Never Ending Moment", during this tour, and officially released it on April 25, 2023.[24] At the same time, it was announced that the band had signed with Sumerian Records.[25] On June 13, Des Rocs released the single "Nowhere Kid" from the album "Dream Machine", which released on August 25, 2023.[26]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Rock | ||
| A Real Good Person In A Real Bad Place |
|
— | — |
| Dream Machine |
|
— | — |
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Let The Vultures In |
|
| Martyr Parade |
|
| This Is Our Life |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt. [27] |
US Main. [28] |
US Rock Alt Air. | |||
| "Used to the Darkness" | 2018 | — | — | — | Let The Vultures In |
| "Let Me Live / Let Me Die" | — | — | — | ||
| "Maybe, I" | — | — | — | ||
| "Outta My Mind" | 2019 | — | — | — | Martyr Parade |
| "Dead Ringer" | — | — | — | ||
| "SLO" | — | — | — | ||
| "This Is Our Life" | 2020 | 36 | 23 | — | This Is Our Life |
| "Nothing Personal" | — | — | — | ||
| "Wayne" | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "I Know" | — | — | — | ||
| "MMC" | 2021 | — | — | — | A Real Good Person In A Real Bad Place |
| "Imaginary Friends" | — | — | — | ||
| "Hanging by a Thread" | — | — | — | ||
| "Manic Memories" | 2022 | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Never Ending Moment" | 2023 | — | 29 | — | Dream Machine |
| "Nowhere Kid" | — | — | — | ||
| "I Am The Lightning" | — | 6 | 20 | ||
| "In the Night" (original or with Underoath) | 2024 | — | — | — | |
| "This Land" | 2025 | — | — | — | Borderlands 4 |
| Year | Title | Producer | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "HVY MTL DRMR" | Kristjan Thor | [29] | |
| 2020 | "Wayne" | Des Rocs | Des Rocs and Tnsn Dvsn | [30] |
| "I Know" | Des Rocs | Des Rocs and Dan Newman | [31] | |
| "This Is Our Life" | Dreambear | Rock & Egg | [32] | |
| "Nothing Personal" | [33] | |||
| "POS" | [34] | |||
| "Suicide Romantics" | [35] | |||
| "Pieces" (Version 1) | [36] | |||
| 2021 | "Pieces" (Version 2) | Rock and Egg | [37] | |
| "MMC" | Bobby Hanaford | [38] | ||
| "Ruby with the Sharpest Lies" | Des Rocs and Austin Kearns | [29] | ||
| "Imaginary Friends" | [39] | |||
| 2022 | "Hanging By A Thread" | [40] | ||
| "Manic Memories" | Dan Newman & Joel Cook | [41] | ||
| 2023 | "Never Ending Moment" | Wouter Stoter | [42] | |
| "Nowhere Kid" | [43] | |||
| "Dream Machine" | Wouter Stoter | |||
| 2024 | "I Am the Lightning" | |||
| "In the Night" | Mark Seliger | |||
| "Love and a Smoking Gun" |
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