From the Rec Hall to Boston’s Roadrunner

How summers at Crane Lake helped shape Danny Silverston’s path from camp songleader to keyboardist for Couch.

Feb. 27, 2026

Song sessions at camp can often feel like a sold-out concert, a comparison that rings especially true for Danny Silverston (Olim ’15), a Crane Lake Camp alum and keyboardist for the pop band Couch. Couch is a seven-piece band composed of musicians primarily from the greater Boston area.

Now, as Couch prepares to embark on the international leg of the tour for their debut album, Big Talk, Danny is bringing the same energy that once filled the Rec Hall to stages all around the world.

Earlier this month, we caught up with Danny to talk about how being in a band compares to being bunkmates, how songleading at services translates to performing at sold-out venues, and how his summers at Crane Lake helped shape his musical journey.

What is your camp story?

My connection to camp actually started with my sister, who went to Eisner. When I was old enough to go to camp, I chose Crane Lake. I liked the emphasis on building a bunk community and the focus on sports. I still remember Herb May leading my family’s tour. I started in Upper Nitz in 2010 and stayed through my second year on staff in 2019. I cherished my time as a camper. I came to camp focused on sports, especially tennis, but camp is also where my love of music took shape. I learned to play guitar at camp from my counselor, Jeff Schwartz. More than anything, camp gave me the people I felt most like-minded to and the most myself around. Going to Crane Lake was truly one of the best decisions of my life.

My time on staff may have been even more fun. I was a counselor for two summers with Lower and Upper Bonim – an awesome group of kids with tons of energy. During my second year, the Bonim Boys won Fight Song with a Spider-Man themed performance to “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee. The songwriting I did back then helped build the skills I’d later use writing for Couch. Another highlight from that summer was leading Purple Hufflepuff to victory in Mini Macc. All in all, my time at Crane Lake as both camper and counselor was unforgettable.

What was your experience like as a songleader?

I was initially hired as both a general counselor and a songleader. I was lucky to be part of a team of excellent musicians, many of whom learned music first and songleading afterward. During services, I typically played the guitar and djembe drum. I vividly remember being in front of camp and picking out my best friends in the crowd, riling up their kids, getting them excited and engaged.

My last summer at camp is when we started the tradition of shouting “one more time,” “several more times,” and even “ten more times” during “Twisted Candle” at Havdalah services. There’s something powerful about leading music in a space where the whole community is fully present and invested.

What led to the creation and success of Couch?

I grew up surrounded by music. I started playing piano at a young age and got into jazz during high school. I met Zach, Couch’s guitarist and an Eisner alum, while songleading at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA. Most of Couch consists of friends from high school who loved playing music together.

I continued to play music in college where I developed as a musician and songwriter. After graduation, we all moved to Boston and started playing gigs, including a sold out run in 2021 that put us on the map. From there, promoters and agents started taking notice.

We just wrapped three-quarters of our 40-city international tour. It’s been incredible to see the connections we’ve made with fans turn into something people want to experience live. Our biggest show to date was a few months ago at Roadrunner in Boston, with 20+ Crane Lakers in attendance. I never imagined this would be my life and I’m tremendously grateful.

How has your camp experience benefited you professionally?

There are absolutely skills I learned as a Jewish songleader that translate directly to putting on a 90-minute set of pop music. In both, it’s important to keep people engaged, make them feel like part of the performance, and maintain momentum. Songleading at my synagogue taught me early on that a group of kindergarteners is the toughest audience. You have to prepare a program of music, talking points, and ways to actively involve them. I’ve been to plenty of concerts where the music is great, but the artist doesn’t know what to say between songs. That’s where the time spent leading services comes in. There was a moment in a previous Couch set where I led the crowd in a three-part harmony, and it felt deeply reminiscent of my time as a songleader.

A huge part of being in the music industry is just working with people. Whether it is collaborating with other artists or coordinating with venue reps, going to camp gave me a social sensibility I don’t take for granted. Several of us in Couch grew up going to summer camp. Being on tour in a band is surprisingly similar to being in a bunk: you know each other so well, they sometimes annoy you, and yet you love them.

What makes camp important?

For me, the most important thing about camp is the relationships that you make. The connection with my Crane Lake friends has had the biggest impact on me. We’re still in touch almost every day. They’ve been some of the most supportive people throughout my journey with Couch. It means so much having them in the audience cheering me on.

I also found the spirit of tradition and the ritual at Crane Lake deeply meaningful. This spirit of upholding camp traditions and shouldering that burden of history. There is this experience of going to camp that was so magical as kid. It’s important for kids in the future to have access to that same magical feeling.

Even after playing over 200 shows in my life, there is an atmosphere in the Rec Hall that is incomparable. The electricity. The intensity. You see that most during Color War. You learn so much while participating in it. It’s an incredible team effort and the pinnacle of the camp experience. Whether you’re running torch or co-writing the march for Blue Uprising, everyone contributes to something bigger than themselves.

Want to see Danny and the band perform live? Couch will return home to Massachusetts this summer for two nights at The Chicken Box in Nantucket on August 4-5.