Dropout Year is a four piece pop/punk band hailing from Owings Mills, Maryland. With a formidable hometown following, they are quickly gaining audiences coast-to-coast. Theyve recently released their newest album On A Lighter Note which features acoustic versions of tracks from their first two albums Best Friends For Never, and Seven Unreturned Phone Calls. As independent artists, Dropout Year have an ironclad fondness for fans and carry it out through constant Youtube video updates and endless Myspace log-ins chatting it up with those who love them.
The band consists of vocalist Steve Reter, guitarist/vocalists Brandon Reter and Adam Goodman, drummer Jordan Young and brand spankin' new bassist Dan Ciarrocchi. Recently traveling up and down the East Coast the crew will soon be hitting the road with Warped Tour to promote their newest album and hang out with their fans. The energetic and humorous nature of these four musicians shines throughout their music which hits all the right notes for the very necessary pop/punk guilty pleasure.
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Review of On A Lighter Note, Dropout Year's newest acoustic album by Meghan Kearney:
There is always something loveable about the soft sounds of acoustic melodies. In Dropout Year’s most recently released album On A Lighter Note they provide exactly that. With various songs off of their first two albums the band brings their energy down just a tad to provide audiences with the unfeigned sounds of acoustic guitar and piano.
This six song acoustic album opens up with the melancholy track "Beer Tears," which narrates the common burden of a drunken night and its possible bedroom consequences.
In "A Coming of Age Story," the opening hard guitar riffs from the Best Friends For Never album are replaced with peaceful piano. The chorus, brimming with harmonized vocals is full of sentiment through the lyrics “let go of the hate/ let go of the pain/ We were kids back then/ We've made our mistakes/ Now time has changed.”
Like its original counterpart "Breakin’ Bones In ABC Order" picks up the pace of the album, this time acoustic style. It opens with simple Arpeggio style melody, that couples up with rhythmic strumming.
"Confetti" is the most musically upbeat song of the bunch with a faster paced, foot-tapping worthy rhythm. Though the music seems more jubilant, the songs theme, like the overall theme of the album, displays loneliness and heartache.
The album closes off with "Tire Swing Romance." Here we are given the same beautiful sonance and heartfelt vocals of the original. This song brings a brighter feel to the theme of the album where instead of expressing heartbreak or distress we get something of a love song. As with most love songs, the simple acoustics here bring a new beauty to this ending track.
Trying to achieve an admirable acoustic album can sometimes be hit-or-miss. On A Lighter Note is far from the latter. With smooth, and not overly digressed melodies, Dropout Year successfully takes already amiable songs and makes them acoustically beautiful. With their own little “Punk Goes Acoustic” effort, Dropout Year makes a strong name for their talent and brings about a promising hope for what is yet to come.
Dropout Year - Tire Swing Romance
Interview with Steve, frontman of Dropout Year:
How did you guys meet and form the band?
Well the band formed back in 2004 when my brother Brandon and our old singer Adam Henderson started jamming together. Adam's friend Justin came along and drummed for the band and that's where it started. It wasn't actually called Dropout Year until they decided they needed an additional guitarist, which would be Adam Goodman. Adam, Brandon, Adam and myself all went to school together, so that's how we all knew one another. At that point, I was the band's manager.
After writing your acoustic album On A Lighter Note would you say your prefer to play acoustic over electric?
I think overall, the electric live show is preferred. But we've all come to appreciate the acoustic side of things over the past few months, and it's great to know we now have that in our arsenal.
Are you hoping to get signed to a label in the near future? What would be your dream label?
Of course we'd love to sign to label that could help us get our name out there more. It's becoming harder and harder to get label attention with the climate of the music industry these days, but an ideal label for us would be a nice little indie who could help nurture and develop our band. I think a label like Fearless or Hopeless would be dream labels for us at this point.
What was your experience playing on Warped Tour last year like?
Playing Warped tour was incredible. It' like that dream come true kinda thing. We've all gone so many times as fans and spectators, so to be a part of it was such an honor.
What are your expectations and goals for traveling with Warped this year solely promoting?
Just to get the word out there. We have two albums we're promoting (Best Friends For Never and On A Lighter Note), so we have plenty of opportunity to get the awareness up. One of the other primary reasons we're going out is to raise money to record a new EP in the fall.
Being that you have a strong hometown following do you have any good "super fan" stories?
I dont know that we have any crazy or weird stories, but we just have great fans and friends that support us 110%. We definitely have those superfans that come to every show and know every word and at times sing louder than we do. But they're the best, and we couldn't ask for better fans.
You're also very good about communicating with your fans. How do you feel this has affected your fan/band relationships?
I thing it's one of the things that sets us apart from a lot of bands. We built a lot of our following on the fact that we're all accessible, and love talking with the people who make us having a band possible.
What are some bands you have performed shows with and who were your favorites?
I'd say some of the favorites would have to be All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Boys Like Girls and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. And of course we have local homies we love playing with, and those include Bravo Romeo Bravo, Fairgreen, Count Your Blessings and Apathy Eulogy.
Do you have any specific goals for your future, i.e. tours, new albums, etc.?
When we get back from Warped we'll be playing weekend shows out of state trying to get the live electric show back up and running (now that we have our bassist). And in early fall we'll be recording a new EP. We've been writing for a few months, and are super stoked with what's coming up. Lastly, what artists are you all currently listening to?
Right now we're all listening to a lot of Hit The Lights, The Maine, Count Your Blessings, Anberlin and Forever The Sickest Kids. Oo Oo! And can't forget some good ol' 90's rock like Third Eye Blind, Feeder and Goo Goo Dolls.
