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The
Dropzines:
A
COLLECTION OF CIRCA 1930'S PERIODICALS DEDICATED TO ESSAYS ON
NATIONAL DEPRESSION AND MASS EXHAUSTION.
The
Dropzines’ singer/songwriter/guitarist, Shawn Stabley, has been
composing and performing melody-intensive music since he was a
teenager.
From 1988 to 1991, Shawn wrote, sang and played bass for the
NYC alternative rock group, The Dutch Provos.
In ‘91, Shawn, along with fellow Dutch Provos’ guitarist,
Tim Archer, founded The Most Sordid Pies.
The Pies, as they became referred to by fans, recorded their
debut LP, “Grit & Sunshine,” along side producers John Siket
(Sonic Youth, Phish, Yo La Tengo) and Kramer (Shimmy Disc Records),
utilizing legendary rock recording facilities, Bearsville and Power
Station Studios.
The gritty, yet euphonious acuity of “Grit &
Sunshine” would, without a doubt, have gotten The Pies their
”just dessert” had its release not been suddenly halted by the
bankruptcy of its label’s parent company, Power Station Records.
Sadly, The Pies would not recover from the harsh turn of
events, and “Grit & Sunshine” would never see its release
date, as they disbanded in 1995.
Shortly
afterward, Stabley switched from composing and performing his songs
on 4-string bass to a 6-string electric guitar, and in 2000 founded
the true vehicle for performing his musical compositions, The Dropzines.
Accompanied
by the perfect vocal harmonies and dead on percussion accuracy of
Jason Kline (York, Pa) and the soulful bass of Grant Jenkins
(Baltimore, Md), The
Dropzines have been described by some as “The Beatles meet The Sex
Pistols,” while others contend it’s more like “The
Replacements meet The Clash.”
Jason
Kline, The Dropzines’ drummer, grew up in a family with a music
room, but no TV. He took
drum lessons for many years from his father, learned to play piano
from his mother and taught himself to play guitar.
By 15 he had fashioned his first musical collaboration with a
punk influenced band called Youth Alliance.
A few years later this vocalizing harmonist, who grew up with
music in his soul, would showcase his talents at venues he had only
dreamed of. Although his
early influences were the likes of Buddy Rich and Lars Ulrich, his
tastes ranged from punk to alternative before settling into heavy
electronica. In 2000,
Jason joined The Dropzines, in part because of the intricate rhythms
and meters of Shawn’s writing, but the ear-pleasing harmonies they
sing together draw a crowd by themselves!
As
bassist for The Dropzines, Grant Jenkins’ musical experience is
second to none. He
started on the bass at the modest age of 15, and has had more than
his share of bands with whom to collaborate.
Most notably, he was with The Reputations for five years and
Love in 25th Century for three years before joining The Dropzines!
This phenomenal bassist plays anything from four- to
seven-string bass, and leaves the crowd begging for more!
With
the 2004 release of their 10 song debut, “Between Sheets and
Walls” , The Dropzines have gained worldwide attention through
continual Radio airplay and the placement
of 3 songs from “Between Sheets and Walls” appearing in the Damon
O’Steen directed film,
“29 Reasons To Run” and The Samsung Fresh Films 2006 release, “The
Super Dupers”. In
addition to “29 Reasons To Run” winning best feature at 4 different
Film Festivals in 2006, the soundtrack has won “Best Impact Of
Music” at Park City and "Best Music" at the Bare Bones film festivals.
With
a 2nd album, “Celebration Of Sorrow” recorded and due
for release in 2008, The Dropzines are scheduling tour dates that
will include
The United States,
Holland,
Germany,
Japan
and
Australia.
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.JPG)
Shawn A.
Stabley
Vocals & Guitars
Jason
Kline
Drums & Harmonies 
Marcus van der
Heyden Photographer/Videographer
