Hailing from the Garden State, three friends and bandmates pack their suitcases, lug their guitars and head west to sunny Southern California. Upon arriving in the Dream Factory Entertainment Capital of the World that is Hollywood, singer/songwriter John Easdale, guitarists Peter Wood and Mark Englert and former bassist Chris Carter (Chris is now host extraordinaire of “Breakfast with the Beatles”) discover their dream is, well, a reality. The “World Famous” KROQ in Los Angeles is not only playing their song, “Anything, Anything (I’ll Give You)” [from their first LP, 1985’s Cinema Verite], but is playing it in heavy rotation! One day you’re working at the local hardware store in Wayne New Jersey, the next you’re being courted by countless record companies and touted to be the next big thing. And unlike most “modern rock” of the time, no synthesizers, but actual guitars! Didn’t they realize this was the ’80s?
Unfortunately for Dramarama, it was the ’80s. Lacking eyeliner and an androgynous frontman, Dramarama had only their music to propel them to stardom. Too rock to be pop and not enough hairspray to be rock, Dramarama never found their mass market musical niche. In 1994, after releasing five critically acclaimed albums, the band broke up. Although Dramarama never became a household name, Easdale’s work has been cited as an influence on several major bands of the last two decades.
Luckily for Dramarama “Anything, Anything” maintained its popularity, remaining the most requested song ever on KROQ, and a staple on “alternative” stations around the country and VH1. In 2003, still believing in the dream, and to much acclaim, original members Easdale, Englert and Wood once again donned the Dramarama moniker and decided to get back in the proverbial ring.
Now the band is having more fun than ever, exuding a confidence and ease that only can come through experience. With the addition 20-plus years ago of drummer Tony Snow and bassist Mike Davis, Wood, Englert and Easdale have truly found their musical brethren. As Easdale puts it, “Few things compare to that sense of uninhibitedness you feel during a great show–waving your fist, stomping your feet, singing out loud and not giving a f*ck about anything but the music. I’m proud to say that this is the feeling experienced by both the band and audience at the vast majority of Dramarama live shows–fast, tight, loud, sweaty sing-a-longs. EVERY time we play, the audience’s pleasure is our primary concern.” And luckily, critics seem to agree:
“…be prepared for a live show that’s tight as hell and surprisingly loud.”
Dallas Observer
“Dramarama-Rising Like Lazarus From The Ashes: …reviving the hard-driving sound that made this ¬alterna-rock band so beloved by those in the know.”
Jim Farber – NY Daily News
“…it is a tribute to a potent sound and enthusiastic vision that Dramarama still sounds as fresh and sharp now as when it first emerged during the corporate-rock bloat of the mid-80’s.”
David Fricke, The Trouser Press Record Guide
“one of America’s best rock bands…”
Chicago Sun Times
“…[the] band’s supercharged set blew everyone else away.”
Orange County Register
“…some of the best musicians New Jersey has ever produced”
Upstage Magazine
“…I can’t wait for the next sweaty, sing-along experience.”
Whitney Matheson, USA Today
“…John Easdale….one of the finest singer/songwriters of these times…”
Los Angeles Times
“…the epitome of cool”
Orange County Register