He told me, ‘Ya know, I’ve noticed things you guys have picked up from us that we learned when were opening for the J. “I had an interesting chat with Mike Campbell one night while we were hanging out. That’s not the only thing Droge has learned from tour headliners. It was a challenge trying to connect with an audience that’s predominantly listening with new ears.” “Using broader strokes and focusing our energy further out really works well in that environment. “We’ve learned a lot about the kind of stage presence it takes to deliver music in a big room,” said Droge, who once worked in a pizza parlor with Mike McCready, now of Pearl Jam. I was too disconnected from my work, and I realized that my time with my music is sacred, and I need to be constantly tapped into it.”ĭroge recently has been opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow and others and said he worked hard to make the most of it. “I was guilt-ridden because I wasn’t making myself available to my muse. “After touring last summer in Europe, I took 10 days off-I didn’t write, I didn’t play. to constantly be doing something without letting it weigh you down too much,” Droge said. “That song’s about feeling tied into that drive to stay creative and keep moving forward. Finding that delicate balance in real life has proved elusive for the restless, often obsessive musician. The slow-building, organ-spiced “You Should Be Running” finds an anxious Droge wanting to be faithful to his creative calling without being a slave to it. Of the 11 tracks on “Find a Door,” one drew inspiration from a not-so-relaxing vacation in Europe. Jade”) to twisted country (“Lord Is Busy”) and plaintive ballads (“Sooner Than Later”). New songs range from breezy pop (“Wolfgang”) and up-tempo rock ‘n’ roll (“Mr.
That chemistry is evident in Droge’s latest album, “Find a Door.” It’s more upbeat and spirited than its introspective predecessor, simultaneously modern-sounding and tradition-minded.ĭroge uses his ‘60s influences as a springboard for his highly melodic, still-evolving style. handing off a riff or solo to Peter, who can elevate it and take it somewhere else.” “Now, when I’m writing a song, I don’t have to think, ‘Can my guitar licks carry a song all by itself?’ And on the performing end, I can just sing the song and kind of play quarterback.
And, frankly, it relieves me of a lot of work. “They bring so much intensity and energy to the band.
“I feel so much more comfortable working with the Sinners than as a solo act,” said Droge, now 27 and living in Seattle after having moved briefly to Portland, Ore. The dexterous Sinners became Droge’s permanent backing band after touring in support of his 1994 debut album, “Necktie Second.” The quartet-guitarist Peter Stroud, bassist Dave Hull, drummer Dan McCarroll and singer-percussionist-rhythm guitarist Elaine Summers-frequently improvises on stage, Droge said, and brings both personality and depth to his post-psychedelic, rootsy, folk-tinged rock. So even with the Sinners, when things get a little too fast, I feel like a fish out of water.” “When I listen to that music now, I see how much that sound really influenced me. “When I was a kid, there would be a lot of music played in the house, like Donovan, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Elton John,” he said. It really ignited a passion in me because it was music I really felt close to emotionally.” King, Dylan and other old blues music and folk-rock from the 1960s. “I spent some time at home playing along to B.B. Without the band, Droge holed up in his room for a while, looking inward-and backward-for direction.
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