Danny grew up in West Chester Ohio and started playing music at a very young age. Bauer started piano lessons as a 6 year old and started playing in bands he out together with his friends starting in sixth grade.

After high school, Bauer moved to Columbus Ohio where he studied jazz piano at Capital University under the great Mark Flugge. After finishing school, Bauer performed locally and regionally in Columbus and beyond. In 2015, Bauer put together a project called “Safety Squad”. Originally starting as a band that covered Snarky Puppy music, this eventually evolved into an outlet for his original music and he recorded and released 5 albums with this band.

In 2019, Bauer moved to Chicago to pursue new music opportunities, and in the summer of 2020 he was featured on WGN local news and the Chicago Reader for his nightly outdoor porch concerts he organized during the lockdowns.