The members of L.A.-based band Drop 6 are a clever group of guys. When forming the group about a year ago, they had wanted the name Drop. They found out that five other bands had already staked their claim on that moniker, and so they simply decided to christen themselves Drop 6, since they would technically be the sixth band with that title. Aside from being sprightly, these guys are also very talented, and possibly on the verge of stardom.
I recently talked to the boys after witnessing their show at the Martini Lounge in Hollywood. Although they told me their influences include Tool, Stone Temple Pilots, and Jane's Addiction, their sound cannot accurately be compared with any other band. After working with acclaimed producer Thom Wilson (The Offspring, The Dead Kennedys), Drop 6 have churned out a red hot 3-song demo that was recently ranked “Top 15” among 3000 submissions sent to Music Connection Magazine, who also dubbed them “one of the best unsigned bands in L.A.”
My favorite song on the CD is called “The Gift.” This tune's proud melodicism and radio-friendly hook put the spotlight on frontman David Donah's rapid-flow, slippery stream vocals. With guitarist Kevin Ellis' slowly strumming guitars and punishing chorus, the next offering on the demo, “Dead,” is a brilliant, harmony-rich merger of metal and melancholy rock. The final song on the disk, “Learn,” possesses unpredictable, chunky guitar riffs buried in a bass-heavy soup of gratifying sonance. After listening to the CD, I found myself trying to think of other bands that sound like Drop 6. I couldn't think of a single one.
The members of Drop 6 are as multi-cultural as the city of Los Angeles. Their nationalities include Mexican (Gabe Chacon), Irish (Rick Camp), Asian (Dave Lee), and Polish (David Donah). Together, they describe their music as “heavy-handed American rock and roll,” which is exactly what this country needs right now. I've never listened to any of the other five bands named Drop, but something tells me they are not quite as good as Drop 6.
-Rikk eLhaj
Rikk@UnEarthed.com
