Jack Droppers & the Best Intentions

For Jack Droppers, the march toward rock splendor really began as an 11-year-old kid, recording snippets of songs through “a $13 toy microphone” and later playing in a three-piece punk band, The Sidekix, at a party for “the prettiest girl in middle school.”

Unfortunately, The Sidekix knew only one song and failed to capture that pretty girl’s heart.

Fast forward to 2018 and Droppers – along with his band The Best Intentions – now has plenty of songs to captivate listeners, with 11 of them appearing on the Grand Rapids Americana-fueled rock band’s debut album, “I Just Wanna Play Rock & Roll With My Friends.”

Droppers, a Grand Rapids native who grew up near Orlando, Fla., and returned to West Michigan to attend Hope College, concedes that the album title expresses a middle school-styled plea that remains a passion for him to this day.

“There’s a really true part of myself that just wants to play rock ‘n’ roll,” says Droppers, who adopted his family’s love of heartland rockers such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger.

“It (album) definitely has a coming of age vibe, just wrestling with what does it man to grow up into myself and to learn what it is to be Jack Droppers. So, a lot of the songs wrestle with that and wrestle with faith and with doubt.”

The band – Droppers (guitar, vocals), Laura Hobson (vocals), Garrett Stier (bass, vocals), Devin Sullivan (guitar, vocals), James Kessel (keyboards, vocals) and Josh Holicki (drums) – took about 18 months to record and self-produce the album, which was mixed at Stone House Recording in Grand Rapids. It features a mix of songs that were true collaborative efforts and others that Droppers brought to the band as the group’s chief songwriter.

Droppers says the band’s sound is honed from “a blend of the Springsteen cassettes” he inherited from his dad and “the garage-rock scene in central Florida” where he grew up.

Droppers, Stier, Sullivan and Holicki brought that earnest vibe to Studio X at WYCE=FM for this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE, playing the songs “More Than Just a Little” and “While We’re Still Young” and chatting about their music. Check out a video for “While We’re Still Young” here and listen to the full radio show podcast below.

The band plays Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids at 9 p.m. tonight (Friday, Jan. 26) with Lane Ellens opening the show. Details online here. Droppers and his band also will open for national act Carrie Nation & The Speakeasy at Founders Brewing on Feb. 15.

“We’ve reached this point where we just really love making music together,” Droppers says of the band which already is working on a follow-up album and will debut a couple of new songs at the Tip Top Deluxe show. “The long-term plan is to keep playing and writing music together.”

For Droppers, that musical motivation began as a kid.

“Part of it grew out of this desire for self-expression and carried on as a way to process life – as a way to celebrate the good things and to sort of name the bad things in our world, and to live in that tension as a songwriter.” - Local Spins

A fast-rising name in the Grand Rapids music scene, Jack Droppers & the Best Intentions have been toting their rambling Americana-rock all around the state and the country. Fresh off a jaunt down to Austin for SXSW, the group released its third studio album, “Bottled Up Like a Neon Light.” As with projects before, the LP is full of passionate narratives that are sparked by Dropper’s weathered voice and contemplative poetry. From opener “Hey Maria,” the vivid storytelling begins, stitched
together with electric guitar, pianos, bass and drums. A couple tracks later, “Ain’t Dead Yet” provides a runaway rock ’n’ roll number with screaming organ and raucous drums behind Dropper’s scrambling, wild vocal performance. One of the album’s standout songs arrives with “All Things Sing,” a tender track with a delicate melody, dancing electric piano, and lush backing vocals. Ramping things up, “American Jesus,” is a driving, Springsteen-esque tune, fit for windows down and burning down the interstate, before the album closer, “Nothing Left,” brings things back down. Like a rock ’n’ roll lullaby, the track is a slow-burn sentiment of life’s wear and tear. Perhaps the best track on the album, Dropper’s emotions are sincerely felt through every line, and the band is relaxed and grooving gently. Overall, “Bottled Up Like a Neon Light” does a wonderful job of establishing Jack Droppers & the Best Intentions’ sound and character. It’s a satisfying collection of songs that paint a broad sonic picture. Each song, instrument and note is doing just enough work to complement those surrounding it. – Ricky Olmos - Local Spins

What Stands Out: Mr. Droppers and crew confidently deliver a buzzer-beater of an EP before the conclusion of 2019, following “Bottled up Like a Neon Light,” an LP released earlier in the year by the collective. Standout tracks on the EP (No. 3 on the Local Spins Hot Top 5 Chart for November) include the wistful shuffle of “Dog Years” and “Magic,” a whimsical opening number that drops into the grooviest of outros. Closing out the album, “While We’re Still Young” (which originally appeared in shorter form on the band’s 2017 album, “I Just Wanna Play Rock & Roll With My Friends) offers a passionately inspiring refrain, during which Droppers bears his soul whilst rock ‘n’ roll fireworks dazzle.
Digging Deeper: Droppers’ ability to weave conversations and events of everyday life into intriguing songs is distinctly showcased. Musically, the record rolls and revs like a steady engine fueled by shapeshifting electric guitars and the rhythmic heartbeat of bass and drums. Meanwhile, dazzling keyboards float like stars overhead. (Now, Droppers moves on to take over in January as director of Calvin’s Student Activities Office.)
Perfect For: Rambling and roaming; foot-tapping and daydreaming. – Ricky Olmos
Website: https://www.facebook.com/JDandTBI/
Upcoming Shows: Feb. 7 at Grand Rapids’ Listening Room and Feb. 21 at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion
Listen: “Found My Way” - Ricky Olmos