Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Since the inception of the genres, Hardcore and Metal music have received significant negative attention from the media. After the tragedy at Columbine, many parents condemned these types of music as influencing their children to hate, be violent, and be self-destructive. Now, five years later, in Old Saybrook, the Metal band, Drop Factor, is garnering praise, support, and positive attention from all sides concerned, including educators, peers, parents, and members of the Connecticut music scene.
Lead singer, Bryan Conway, explains the origin of the band name, “Tom [lead guitarist] was struck by a divine inspiration one day and decided to bestow that name, Drop Factor, upon us.” Conway jokes, “We chose the name originally to reflect the rate at which objects are drawn to the Earth by gravity, but our physics teacher recently corrected us. Apparently, ‘Drop Factor' is not a valid scientific term. So whatever, now it's just a vague reference to decay and descent, which is perfectly fine for our tastes.”
They characterize their style of music as a blend of Progressive and Traditional Metal with a hint of Hardcore. “It's what we listen to,” explains Joe Nardos [rhythm guitar], “so, it's no big surprise that we should play this type of music.” Conway adds, “By drawing together different genres, we can give ourselves the greatest degree of self-expression, and the most room for experimentation.”
Nevertheless, what's unique about Drop Factor is not the type of music they play, but the values and energy behind it. Conway vocalizes the band's common philosophies, “We all agree that a person should have respect for his or herself—not go ruining his body with drugs, or selling away his values or decency. None of us are very fond of wars and violence outside of video games.”
Lyrics to the song “Offering” expand on this notion, “I watch the flock of angel sheep breed/ Bicker, scamper and feed/ On the steps of the bloody temple/ Giving praise to a god constructed of me/ And serving only my desiccating greed.” Conway explains, “It condemns the unfeeling warmongering of great nations.” While they project their skeptical eye to the conflicts ongoing in the world, their primary focus is back home.
The drummer, Frank Canapino, asserts “Friends and family. People we care about are the things most important to us.” This sentiment reflects in many of the band's most prominent attributes. The Briggs brothers, Tom and Josh, founded the band with Canapino. Canapino lists his father, who played drums, and his mother, who was a singer, as two of his main influences. The values of friendship and family bind the group and resonate in the intensity and honesty of the music.
They may have their priorities straight, but they still have a wild time on stage. Tom Briggs says, “A lot of our intent as musicians is to perform and have fun. The name symbolizes jumping around, fists in the air, and the chaos of a live performance.” He recalls a story of pulling an all-nighter trying to get the tracks down for their four-song demo and walking back to the Canapino residence at five am.
Except for the bassist, Josh Briggs, who is a freshman at Old Saybrook High School, the other four members are graduating seniors. They understand fully the importance of education, and it reflects in their commendable grades. In fact, they've chosen to integrate their passion for music with a senior project in school. Tom Briggs explains, “We're making our new EP, ‘Bitter Eyes to Sunrise,' for a WISE project, which is an extensive project done by seniors in order to learn about and accomplish something you want to do. In our case, it was to do a whole CD: the music writing, the promotion, the art work, and recording.” After this year, each of them intends to go to college. However, they all agreed on continuing to pursue the band as far as it can go without hindering their studies.
Although Drop Factor has only been playing together for a year and a half, they have the focus and drive of a serious group. They put a positive spin on the negative connotations associated with Metal and prove that it can be an intense, fun and constructive musical outlet. Their charm and cohesive vision comes from their closeness as a group of friends, with strong integrity and values. Audiences have responded well, supporting them at such premier clubs as Toad's Place and the Webster Theater.
See them perform at the Madison Arts Barn with Lesson and Throne on January 24 th . In the meantime, go check them out at their website, http://www.dropfactor.com/ where you can find touring information, biographies, music samples and contact information for each of the band members. They're actively looking for sponsors for their Senior Project. Interested parties should contact Frank Canapino. Phone Number: 860-395-4777. Email: Frank@dropfactor.com . - Harbor News
Discography
Daybreak - Ep
Drop Factor - 4 Song Demo
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
It’s become apparent in recent years that the most intriguing possibilities of modern, aggressive metal lie in the fusion of melodic, progressive sounds with the traditional insistent methods of organized destruction. Bands such as Opeth and Killswitch Engage have become dramatically more popular through their willingness to, on occasion, surrender to harmony and melody, and in so doing they have brought new attention to the heaviest and most extreme depths of metal.
On the local level, the Connecticut-based band Drop Factor is contributing to this widespread change. Over the last two years, the band’s musical blend of fury and solemnity has propelled it onto the New England metal scene. With the recording of their spring 2004 EP Daybreak, the band has made a significant contribution to the revolution in modern metal. Recorded at Sonalysts Studios in Waterford, Connecticut under the direction of legendary producer Bill Scheniman, Daybreak’s 7 tracks document every facet of Drop Factor, from the enraged to the reflective, and occasionally even the comical.
Drop Factor traces its earliest roots to musical sessions involving Tom and Josh Briggs, respectively guitarist and bassist, and drummer Frank Canapino. In the autumn of 2002, guitarist Joe Nardo and Vocalist Bryan Conway joined the group, finalizing the current lineup of the band. In its first year, Drop Factor wrote constantly, and performed in venues of progressively higher profile, working up from shows at schools and town squares to concerts at Hartford’s Webster Theater. The spring of 2003 found Drop
Factor with the opportunity to record for the first time, at Atmosphere Control studios in West Haven. Now in its second year, the group has continued to claw its way upwards, exporting itself to such venues as Toad’s Place and Danbury’s Empress Ballroom, and playing with the widely known rock groups Chimaira and Orgy.
Perhaps the most surprising element of Drop Factor’s identity is its youth. Every accomplishment already described was achieved when no member of the band had yet graduated high school. Before any member of the band could drive, the whole collection of musicians could be found in their basement practice space limping painfully through covers of Nirvana, Black Sabbath, or the Deftones. The band’s appetite for experimenting with their own compositions soon led them to abandon covers, however, and has kept them relentlessly pushing for greater and greater quality in their own compositions.
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