Dropout Year
Encyclopedia
Dropout Year is an American pop punk
band from Baltimore
, Maryland
, formed in June 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Steve Reter and guitarists Adam Goodman and Brandon Reter.
Dropout Year started out in June 2004, when ex-singer Adam Henderson, Brandon Reter, and ex-drummer Justin Childers (playing as a 3-piece originally known as Far From Home) asked Adam Goodman (a high school friend) to join the band after he witnessed them perform a concert at the Recher Theatre
in Towson
, Maryland
. The band, with manager (and future singer) Steve Reter, completed and released two demo CD's over the next two years. Their first studio EP
was titled Seven Unreturned Phone Calls (a quote from the movie "Say Anything") . The EP
was recorded with Paul Leavitt (All Time Low
, Over It
) and the sold-out CD release party was held at the Recher Theatre
on August 4, 2006.
In the summer of 2007, they parted ways with their original drummer Justin. Jordan Young
was asked to audition after he sent them a video of him drumming, and was officially chosen a few weeks later. Later that year they won national exposure by being selected as a Taco Bell
Feed The Beat winner, along with A Day To Remember
, Blameshift, and Mayday Parade
.
Two months later, they were featured as an AP&R band in the October 2007 issue of Alternative Press Magazine, as well being named a HomeTown Hero band. From the article: "Everything they
touch is currently turning to harmonic gold. They won DJ Rossstar's first national unsigned band
contest and this year's Comcast
On Demand Music Video Contest and were featured as one of the top unsigned bands in the country by TheDailyChorus.com."
In January 2008, they parted ways with their singer Adam Henderson. It was soon after announced that long-time manager and co-songwriter Steve Reter would be the new lead singer. After re-recording some of their more popular songs for an acoustic EP, the band started writing for their 3rd studio EP. In July 2008, Dan Ciarrocchi would be added on bass (formerly of Bravo Romeo Bravo). In October, they spent two weeks in the studio recording their forthcoming album with producer and ex-Hidden In Plain View
member Rob Freeman
. The album, titled The Way We Play, was released on April 7, 2009.
Dropout Year has recently won the Ernie Ball
contest, playing the Vans Warped Tour 2009
. They also won the contest in 2007 and were featured that year on the Warped Tour
. The band continued to tour throughout the summer of 2009, including a Hot Topic-sponsored Mall Tour through the Northeast states.
In the fall of 2009, it was announced that drummer Jordan Young had parted ways with the band to join NC band Rookie of the Year. Shortly after it was released bassist Dan Ciarrocchi would no longer be in the band for amicable reasons.
Steve, Brandon and Adam recorded a free holiday album with former drummer Justin Childers in the winter of 2009, called The Seven Levels of the Candy Cane Forest. The EP was posted for free download to the public on December 22, 2009. The band was selected to play Vans Warped Tour 2010. They had their song "Pretty You" featured on MTV's Teen Mom 2 season finale and "Change Today" featured in the commercial for MTV's new season of I Used To Be Fat in 2011. Dropout Year is continuing as a 3-piece band, and is currently working on new material to record in late 2011-2012.
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band from Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, formed in June 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Steve Reter and guitarists Adam Goodman and Brandon Reter.
Dropout Year started out in June 2004, when ex-singer Adam Henderson, Brandon Reter, and ex-drummer Justin Childers (playing as a 3-piece originally known as Far From Home) asked Adam Goodman (a high school friend) to join the band after he witnessed them perform a concert at the Recher Theatre
Recher Theatre
Recher Theatre is a concert venue in Towson, Maryland. It has been open as a concert venue since 1999.The small venue with a capacity of only 700 has had hosted several popular acts over the years, including: Aimee Mann, Anberlin, Bo Diddley, Breaking Benjamin, Buckethead, Buckcherry, Demon Hunter,...
in Towson
Towson
-Places:In the United States:*Towson, Maryland, an unincorporated community in Maryland**Towson Center, an arena in Towson, Maryland**Towson Town Center, a shopping mall in Towson, Maryland*Fort Towson, Oklahoma, a community in Oklahoma...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The band, with manager (and future singer) Steve Reter, completed and released two demo CD's over the next two years. Their first studio EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was titled Seven Unreturned Phone Calls (a quote from the movie "Say Anything") . The EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was recorded with Paul Leavitt (All Time Low
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2003.The band consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alexander Gaskarth, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Jack Barakat, bassist and backing vocalist Zachary Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson...
, Over It
Over It (band)
Over It is a rock band from Orange County, California. Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, the band formed in 1998 to play pop punk, and has since developed a more mainstream rock sound with punk roots. They were most recently signed to Virgin Records, but are currently unsigned.The band,...
) and the sold-out CD release party was held at the Recher Theatre
Recher Theatre
Recher Theatre is a concert venue in Towson, Maryland. It has been open as a concert venue since 1999.The small venue with a capacity of only 700 has had hosted several popular acts over the years, including: Aimee Mann, Anberlin, Bo Diddley, Breaking Benjamin, Buckethead, Buckcherry, Demon Hunter,...
on August 4, 2006.
In the summer of 2007, they parted ways with their original drummer Justin. Jordan Young
Jordan Young
Jordan Young is a drummer, and currently plays for Maryland rockers Cinder Road. Jordan started playing just like the rest of them, every sunday with the church band, it wasn't until he joined jam band Injoy in 2005 that he started playing in the club scene. In 2007, he joined the nationally...
was asked to audition after he sent them a video of him drumming, and was officially chosen a few weeks later. Later that year they won national exposure by being selected as a Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
Feed The Beat winner, along with A Day To Remember
A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida. Founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denny and drummer Bobby Scruggs, the band has released four studio albums, nine singles and eight music videos...
, Blameshift, and Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade
Mayday Parade is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. The band formed in 2005 when members of popular local Tallahassee bands Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment converged in 2006. Their debut EP Tales Told by Dead Friends was released in 2006, and sold over 20,000 copies without any...
.
Two months later, they were featured as an AP&R band in the October 2007 issue of Alternative Press Magazine, as well being named a HomeTown Hero band. From the article: "Everything they
touch is currently turning to harmonic gold. They won DJ Rossstar's first national unsigned band
contest and this year's Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
On Demand Music Video Contest and were featured as one of the top unsigned bands in the country by TheDailyChorus.com."
In January 2008, they parted ways with their singer Adam Henderson. It was soon after announced that long-time manager and co-songwriter Steve Reter would be the new lead singer. After re-recording some of their more popular songs for an acoustic EP, the band started writing for their 3rd studio EP. In July 2008, Dan Ciarrocchi would be added on bass (formerly of Bravo Romeo Bravo). In October, they spent two weeks in the studio recording their forthcoming album with producer and ex-Hidden In Plain View
Hidden in Plain View
Hidden in Plain View was a five-piece Pop Punk band from northern New Jersey. They formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2007. During their six and a half year run, the group released records with four different record labels , including two full-length albums and three EPs...
member Rob Freeman
Rob Freeman
Robert Andrew Freeman is the former guitarist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter for the pop punk/post-hardcore group Hidden in Plain View...
. The album, titled The Way We Play, was released on April 7, 2009.
Dropout Year has recently won the Ernie Ball
Ernie Ball
Ernie Ball was an American entrepreneur, musician, and innovator, widely acclaimed as a revolutionary in the development of guitar-related products. He began as a club and local television musician and small business entrepreneur, building an international business in guitars and accessories that...
contest, playing the Vans Warped Tour 2009
Warped Tour 2009
Warped Tour 2009 was the 15th installment of the annual Summer Warped Tour festival. Vans Shoes was again the tour's primary sponsor. Tour founder/organizer Kevin Lyman announced that this year's tour would feature only one main stage with bands playing 40 minutes each instead of two main stages...
. They also won the contest in 2007 and were featured that year on the Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
. The band continued to tour throughout the summer of 2009, including a Hot Topic-sponsored Mall Tour through the Northeast states.
In the fall of 2009, it was announced that drummer Jordan Young had parted ways with the band to join NC band Rookie of the Year. Shortly after it was released bassist Dan Ciarrocchi would no longer be in the band for amicable reasons.
Steve, Brandon and Adam recorded a free holiday album with former drummer Justin Childers in the winter of 2009, called The Seven Levels of the Candy Cane Forest. The EP was posted for free download to the public on December 22, 2009. The band was selected to play Vans Warped Tour 2010. They had their song "Pretty You" featured on MTV's Teen Mom 2 season finale and "Change Today" featured in the commercial for MTV's new season of I Used To Be Fat in 2011. Dropout Year is continuing as a 3-piece band, and is currently working on new material to record in late 2011-2012.
Discography
- Daily Confessions EP (2004)
- You Say When (2005)
- Seven Unreturned Phone Calls (2006)
- Best Friends for Never (2007)
- On a Lighter Note (2008)
- Red Sweaters With Snow Flakes On Them (Free Christmas EP) (2008)
- The Way We Play (2009)
- The Seven Levels of the Candy Cane Forest (Free Christmas EP) (2009)
Reviews
- "Dropout Year has stunned me. What has been sent my way is the most promising EP I have heard in some time. Best Friends For Never features eight songs of book-filled, catchy and perfectly paced pop-punk tunes. I will not soon forget these tunes, which is usually a problem for me. Pop-punk lives or dies in it's choruses, and Best Friends For Never features one irresistible hook after another." –Blake Solomon, ABSOLUTEPUNK.NET
- "Dropout Year fails to hold anything back. Every track off of this new EP is singularly unique, each with a very defining sound, none sounding like the next." –Andrea Hubbell, DRIVENFAROFF.COM