On one visit, getting a sense of the two Danny Rosses is easy.
There is the Danny Ross in slacks, oxford shirt and a tie, denoting his work as a staffer for Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan/Brooklyn). But hidden underneath is the other Danny Ross, with the tousled hairdo and a pair of thick-framed glasses, which add some indie street cred, as well as a smidgen of studiousness.
Ross speaks deliberately, sometimes slowly drumming his fingertips on the table as if he is subconsciously working out piano scales to help him channel the right words.
“My whole life,” he said, “I’ve really had these dual passions: government and music.”
At night, as a musician, he often does work out piano scales during practice—alone, or with his band. But during the day, as scheduler and operations coordinator for Nadler’s two district offices in New York City, he deals with things like wrangling new copiers, coordinating interns and sending out a daily round-up of political news.
The Long Island-raised singer, songwriter and pianist likens himself to a more rock-and-roll version of the piano-heavy band Ben Folds Five. His first album, “Introducing Danny Ross!”, was celebrated with a June 30 record release show and a second gig at the Lower East Side venue Pianos on July 18.
The only way Ross has managed to pull off a full-time job, band recruitment and the execution of a debut album is by applying the same disciplined scheduling that dominates his workday to his music. In an interview before his June 30 debut, he said he was not nervous about his first live performance since college.
“I’m incredibly well prepared,” he said.
Type A?
“Yeah,” he says, stretching the word out.
Ross has been interested in music for years. At 13, he discovered the Beatles and a piano in his basement and taught himself to play. He had a band in high school. But it was not until he got to college, at Cornell, that he began to take music seriously.
“Having a great musical mind is only half the battle,” he says. “The other half is pure workmanship, pure practicing.”
About a year ago he graduated and began a job hunt, setting his sights on the music business.
“Getting a job in the music industry is really tough, even for very educated people,” he said. “It’s really about who you know.”
Then the opportunity with Nadler arose. This led to an unusual double life, which could conceivably create some conflicts. The lyrics for one song, for example, refer to getting caught making out, listening to Dylan “feeling high,” and getting banned from a Dairy Queen. Could these documented indiscretions of youth come back to haunt him should he ever run for office?
“No,” he said. “My songs are about peace, love and understanding. There’s no real profanity in my music. It’s all about those positive things. They’re rock-and-roll lyrics.”
Plus, though he will not rule out running for office at some point in the future, he is currently more focused on a music career. Should he decide to step into politics later in life, he said, “people would know me as a musician anyway, so I don’t think it would be distracting.”
Sonny Bono, he agreed, might be an apt analogy.
At the office, coworkers are “incredibly supportive” of his music. Nadler chief of staff Amy Rutkin introduces Ross as a “rock star” to everyone who comes in, and when staffers from the D.C. office call and Ross picks up, they’ll ask, “Is this the Danny Ross?”
Three Nadler staffers with friends in tow came to the show, according Ross—which is about half of the entire Manhattan office.
“It was great,” he said. “Tons of energy, lots of family, friends—a lot of people I didn’t know. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start my musical career in New York City.”
Nadler himself could not make it (due to a conflict, Ross said), but the show was apparently on the Congressman’s mind.
The following Monday morning, “the first thing he did was come to my desk and ask me how it went,” Ross said.
Twenty years from now, Ross said he would like to have many platinum albums behind him and be on his way to joining the “best of the best” of rock-and-roll.
His political career, he admitted, might not be quite as advanced.
“What’s 20 years from now—I’ll be 43? It might still be a little young,” he said, explaining that some Congressional hopefuls are often in their 50s or 60s with full careers behind them.
Planning weeks, let alone years, ahead is hard when you are a musician.    
“In the immediate future,” he said, “I know I’ll be at Congressman Nadler’s office every day from 10 to 6.”