The Droppers
Newport Beach, California, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Posted in: Album Reviews, Reviews
Okay gang, right now I’m struggle-central. I am furrowing my brow, clacking my teeth, and squinting a lot.
And it’s all because of this dinky 5-track album, Live For Today, from rockers THE DROPPERS (name evolved from The Panty Droppers…YES). It’s no doubt an impressive debut album from the five-piece band, but the sound is so strangely familiar that I am pulling my hair out trying to place it. Who is their soundalike?
O.A.R…. A little bit, particularly in the harmonies and acoustic guitar sets.
Dave… Only in lyric. The Droppers and DMB both tell stories that often veer refreshingly from the well-marked romantic love course.
Pearl Jam… I keep coming back to this conclusion, but something tells me no. Similar in diddling guitar and vocal arrangements, but that’s about it.
Barenaked Ladies… Lead singer Joe Puccio’s plummy voice brings me back to the days of Born on a Pirate Ship and Maroon.
I think we’re looking at a hybrid: Dave-o is Barenaked covered in Jam.
Live For Today is a short but sweet nugget of acoustic rock that throws back nicely to the alternative rock of the 90s. Major highlight of the album is the beautifully melodic “Crime,” which references a band member’s struggle with alcoholism: “You are locked up in a bottle/ And I can’t seem to find the key.” It takes a slow beat as a really quite lovely piece of honesty, and you can’t beat a track that includes a viola in the instrumentation.
I dig that The Droppers have the distinct flavor of bands past, yet they have still created a sound unique to them alone. That’s art… art that’ll drop my panties any day.
Live For Today is available on iTunes and Amazon.com, and you can check out the band website for a full listing of upcoming shows: http://www.thepantydroppers.com/index.htm
- OC Music Magazine
Posted in: Album Reviews, Reviews
Okay gang, right now I’m struggle-central. I am furrowing my brow, clacking my teeth, and squinting a lot.
And it’s all because of this dinky 5-track album, Live For Today, from rockers THE DROPPERS (name evolved from The Panty Droppers…YES). It’s no doubt an impressive debut album from the five-piece band, but the sound is so strangely familiar that I am pulling my hair out trying to place it. Who is their soundalike?
O.A.R…. A little bit, particularly in the harmonies and acoustic guitar sets.
Dave… Only in lyric. The Droppers and DMB both tell stories that often veer refreshingly from the well-marked romantic love course.
Pearl Jam… I keep coming back to this conclusion, but something tells me no. Similar in diddling guitar and vocal arrangements, but that’s about it.
Barenaked Ladies… Lead singer Joe Puccio’s plummy voice brings me back to the days of Born on a Pirate Ship and Maroon.
I think we’re looking at a hybrid: Dave-o is Barenaked covered in Jam.
Live For Today is a short but sweet nugget of acoustic rock that throws back nicely to the alternative rock of the 90s. Major highlight of the album is the beautifully melodic “Crime,” which references a band member’s struggle with alcoholism: “You are locked up in a bottle/ And I can’t seem to find the key.” It takes a slow beat as a really quite lovely piece of honesty, and you can’t beat a track that includes a viola in the instrumentation.
I dig that The Droppers have the distinct flavor of bands past, yet they have still created a sound unique to them alone. That’s art… art that’ll drop my panties any day.
Live For Today is available on iTunes and Amazon.com, and you can check out the band website for a full listing of upcoming shows: http://www.thepantydroppers.com/index.htm
- OC Music Magazine
The Droppers: Experiment Turned Sensation
May 19th, 2010 | By Rhiannon Janee | Category: Band Features, Current Lead, Features
Photo by: Aaron Huniu
About five years ago, THE DROPPERS began playing for their own personal entertainment. Joe Puccio (vocals/guitar) and Mike Fitzgerald (drummer) are two original members who have aided in the band’s musical identity. Two years after the founding, Ramsey Sindaha, a.k.a. Dr. Shred, (lead guitarist) joined the band. And in the last year, there have been three new additions: Kim Gram (violist), Bryan Downey (bass), and Tim Newman (saxophonist).
They’re not your typical rock band, since some of the instruments include viola and saxophone. Another thing that makes this band distinctive is their professional sides. Somehow they’ve managed to balance humor along with maturity, and the band is able to joke around while still being productive.
Rhiannon: Who typically writes the music? With six members, is it a collaboration?
Ramsey: Mostly me and Joe. We present it to the band…
Joe: But it is a collaboration because there is a song called “Friends” that we’ve played forever. Before Bryan joined the band there was never a bass line that worked. When he came in with a bass line, it changed the whole feel of the song.
Photo by: Aaron Huniu
Bryan: You guys kind of bring the meat and potatoes. And we just add our own little garnish.
Mike: Chives and butter (laughs).
Rhiannon: What is the band currently working on?
Joe: We’re working on our new album. We got a development deal with Big Fish Music Group, so we’re working on a three song LP… then after that, we have five or six songs to add to that.
Rhiannon: When will that be available?
Joe: Right now Big Fish is trying to package us and sell us to a bigger label. Or get us on tour with a bigger label….it will be released later this year.
Ramsey: One way or another. We’re already on iTunes and Amazon.
Rhiannon: Lets talk music…influences?
Mike: Backstreet Boys (laughs). Don’t write that. For me, Zeppelin and the Stones. Janis Joplin.
Kim: For me it’s Yellowcard, or bands that bring violin or viola players. And Dave Matthews Band.
Tim: I have a real classic appreciation. Classic rock. And song appreciation for jazz. I like the idea of cross-pollinating different genres together.
Joe: Our producer added this disco beat and bass line to some of our new songs. And at first we were like, “no, we’re not doing this.” But melding those styles together…
Tim: We’ve done a lot of fun things with it.
Rhiannon: What makes this band different?
Bryan: We’re not your typical bar band.
Ramsey: We have the sax and the viola.
Bryan: The viola adds so many different textures to the music, especially in a live situation.
Ramsey: We’re not into heavy guitar solos like most bands. We try to stay away from that to distinguish ourselves. I don’t know anybody who goes to a bar and wants to get their ears blown out.
Tim: Joe, you said one time we’re a jam band and that makes a lot of sense because there is plenty of opportunity to improvise and showcase individual contribution with your instrument.
Photo by: Aaron Huniu
For more information, check out The Droppers at www.myspace.com/droppersmusic or www.droppersmusic.com. Their 2009 album, Live For Today, is also available on iTunes, or see them live on May 21 at The Blue Beet in Newport Beach.
- OC Music Magazine
The Droppers: Experiment Turned Sensation
May 19th, 2010 | By Rhiannon Janee | Category: Band Features, Current Lead, Features
Photo by: Aaron Huniu
About five years ago, THE DROPPERS began playing for their own personal entertainment. Joe Puccio (vocals/guitar) and Mike Fitzgerald (drummer) are two original members who have aided in the band’s musical identity. Two years after the founding, Ramsey Sindaha, a.k.a. Dr. Shred, (lead guitarist) joined the band. And in the last year, there have been three new additions: Kim Gram (violist), Bryan Downey (bass), and Tim Newman (saxophonist).
They’re not your typical rock band, since some of the instruments include viola and saxophone. Another thing that makes this band distinctive is their professional sides. Somehow they’ve managed to balance humor along with maturity, and the band is able to joke around while still being productive.
Rhiannon: Who typically writes the music? With six members, is it a collaboration?
Ramsey: Mostly me and Joe. We present it to the band…
Joe: But it is a collaboration because there is a song called “Friends” that we’ve played forever. Before Bryan joined the band there was never a bass line that worked. When he came in with a bass line, it changed the whole feel of the song.
Photo by: Aaron Huniu
Bryan: You guys kind of bring the meat and potatoes. And we just add our own little garnish.
Mike: Chives and butter (laughs).
Rhiannon: What is the band currently working on?
Joe: We’re working on our new album. We got a development deal with Big Fish Music Group, so we’re working on a three song LP… then after that, we have five or six songs to add to that.
Rhiannon: When will that be available?
Joe: Right now Big Fish is trying to package us and sell us to a bigger label. Or get us on tour with a bigger label….it will be released later this year.
Ramsey: One way or another. We’re already on iTunes and Amazon.
Rhiannon: Lets talk music…influences?
Mike: Backstreet Boys (laughs). Don’t write that. For me, Zeppelin and the Stones. Janis Joplin.
Kim: For me it’s Yellowcard, or bands that bring violin or viola players. And Dave Matthews Band.
Tim: I have a real classic appreciation. Classic rock. And song appreciation for jazz. I like the idea of cross-pollinating different genres together.
Joe: Our producer added this disco beat and bass line to some of our new songs. And at first we were like, “no, we’re not doing this.” But melding those styles together…
Tim: We’ve done a lot of fun things with it.
Rhiannon: What makes this band different?
Bryan: We’re not your typical bar band.
Ramsey: We have the sax and the viola.
Bryan: The viola adds so many different textures to the music, especially in a live situation.
Ramsey: We’re not into heavy guitar solos like most bands. We try to stay away from that to distinguish ourselves. I don’t know anybody who goes to a bar and wants to get their ears blown out.
Tim: Joe, you said one time we’re a jam band and that makes a lot of sense because there is plenty of opportunity to improvise and showcase individual contribution with your instrument.
Photo by: Aaron Huniu
For more information, check out The Droppers at www.myspace.com/droppersmusic or www.droppersmusic.com. Their 2009 album, Live For Today, is also available on iTunes, or see them live on May 21 at The Blue Beet in Newport Beach.
- OC Music Magazine
Discography
LP's:
Live for Today
EP's:
Forgetting Yesterday
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/forgetting-yesterday/id444507539
Singles:
2 Long years
A night next to you
Beer Goggles
Bitterness On my own
Blue Dreams
Bounce House
Crime
Cross the Line
Desert Air
Destiny
Dreaming of something real
Feel The Rhythm
Freight Train
Friends
Green Eyes
Innocence
Inside Out
Live for today
Love at first sight
My Shell
One Kiss
Pain Inside
People Sometimes Say
Saw you there That Day
So Much Time
Summer Girl
Time for Peace
Watched You Walk Away
When the World Decides
Why We Rushing to Our Graves
Wonder Why
Your Eyes
Stand Up and Beathe
We Walk
The World Keeps Turning
Don't Know Yet
Photos
Bio
We are “The Droppers”
The Droppers refuse to be your typical cliché band. They are not the music playing in the background of life. They capture your heart, mind, and soul with their melodies. They inspire and connect with their audience on a level that has never been felt before. They believe in the intense power of their music and feel that you will as well. Joe Puccio (Lead Singer) was once quoted "Our songs are powerful because they are raw. Our songs come from our lives, true experiences, and emotions. Every lyric has a meaning. We don't use words for the sake of creating a song, or to "just make it fit." We use them to communicate and convey emotion. To Connect..." Their music will deliver a message to you that you will understand. Their motto is the title of their debut CD. "Live for today." Ramsey Sindaha (Lead Guitarist) states "We realize that we will be laying 6 feet under much longer than we are on top of this glorious planet. So we are just trying to live for fun and not the long run." That statement really touches base with most people. It's a true reflection of how each member lives their lives. Each of which is extremely dedicated to what they do, and they enjoy doing it to the fullest extent. No regrets.
The band was originally founded by a small group of friends on a surf trip one fateful summer in Mexico. Too much sun, and a few too many cerveza's led to an all-night jam session consisting of one solitary song everyone knew. One of the founding members Barry (Who is no longer with the group) came up with the name original name The Panty Droppers referring to an old joke his father once told him. The name has since been shortened to The Droppers once the band realized they honestly had something more to offer to the world besides booze and dirty jokes.
The Droppers current lineup consists of a stellar cast of musicians and songwriters:
-Joe Puccio - Lead Vocals \ Rhythm Guitar
-Ramsey Sindaha - Lead Guitar
-Mike Fitzgerald - Drums
-Bryan Downey - Bass
-Kim Gram –Viola
-Tim Newman - Saxophone
The band has evolved from a cover band to a fun-loving rock band that fuses together many elements from various genre's such as Alternative, Folk, Classic Rock, and Indie in order to create an original home-grown sound that is rivaled by no one. Even though the band was born of modest means, their music is anything but ordinary. Their sound mixes elements of other amazing groups such as The Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mayer, and U2.
Lyrically, they address everything from stories of good times to more serious subject matter. The song "Crime" focuses on one of the member's fight with alcoholism. "Destiny" revolves around the ideas that an individual does not have to be a slave to fate. "Rushing to our Graves" was inspired by the masses that live their lives like an obituary instead of actually enjoying the moments presented to them in the present.
The Droppers have performed at numerous popular venues across Southern California. The Whisky a go-go, The Derby, The Joint, The Key Club (where they were a Top 10 finalist out of 900 in a Battle of the Band competition) and Safari Sam's just to name a few. They have also performed for the March of Dimes Charity Group on several occasions for audiences of thousands. The band has also performed at various outdoor venues such as Balboa Park in San Diego, CA for 10,000 people, and Fashion Island in Newport Beach, CA for 6,000. Even an impromptu performance atop an RV at the world famous Stagecoach Music Festival. That just goes to show that they will play anywhere at any time. The Droppers have also had the pleasure of sharing a stage with such amazing talent as Eddie Money, The Gin Blossoms, and William Tell.
You can pick up a copy of The Droppers’ debut album, Live for Today, on iTunes or Amazon.com.
The Band:
Joe Puccio: Lead Singer and Rhythm Guitar
Joe has been the driving force behind the band since its beginning. He is
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