Dramarama
is a Los Angeles, California-based alternative rock/power pop band. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's Bands Reunited
reality show.
Since 1996, an evolving lineup of the band, always fronted by singer/songwriter John Easdale, has been performing in one incarnation or another (initially billed as Easdale solo but usually joined by former Dramarama band mates), and from then until 2003 played occasional shows in the L.A. area, as well as in New Jersey. However, amid renewed interest since the Bands Reunited
episode in January 2004 and a large-scale appearance at KROQ-FM's annual Inland Invasion festival concert (attended by more than 78,000 fans) in September 2003, Dramarama has been touring nationally, and released their first new, full-length studio CD, titled "everybody dies,"
on October 25, 2005.
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DRAMARAMA TICKETS
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History
1984–1994
In 1984, Dramarama released their first EP,
Comedy,
a self-funded five-track debut that garnered both critical and cult praise in the unexpected location of France. As such, Dramarama issued its first full-length release, 1985's
Cinéma Vérité,
on France's New Rose Records. It was later re-released in the USA after receiving airplay on
KROQ radio from influential Los Angeles disc jockey
Rodney Bingenheimer (who at first actually thought the band was French). Bingenheimer alerted
Posh Boy Records'
Robbie Fields who contacted his friend Patrick Mathe at New Rose who gave Fields the green light to contact the band directly in New Jersey.
Fields flew the band out for a showcase at The Roxy Theatre, where they opened for the Cast Outs, on the Sunset Strip and was offered the US rights to Cinema Verite for a modest sum. Fields' distributor at the time Chameleon Music Group, on the advice of Bonnie Levitin, initially refused to finance the record's re-release.
Subsequently, the track "
Anything, Anything (I’ll Give You)," perhaps Dramarama's most recognizable song, became a number-one hit on KROQ, becoming a staple of alternative radio airplay, and even today is one of the most requested songs in KROQ's history (younger listeners often call the station asking "What's that song called that goes 'Anything Anything'?") Following the local L.A. success of "Anything, Anything," the band obtained a far larger advance from Chameleon and permanently packed up and relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles. The song has been featured in the box office success
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
.
As an expression of gratitude to both Bingenheimer and Fields, the band gave
Robbie Fields their recording of the NY Dolls' song "Private World" for inclusion on "The Best of Rodney On The Roq" CD, released in 1987 on
Posh Boy and re-released in 1992 through
Rhino Records.
Dramarama's second album, 1987's
Box Office Bomb,
underperformed in the marketplace but went on to become a fan favorite. Their third
LP,
Stuck in Wonderamaland
, was released in 1989 through independent
Chameleon Records of California. Shortly thereafter, Chameleon, distributed by
Elektra Records, went out of business.
The recording sessions for
Stuck in Wonderamaland
produced enough material for three albums. Instead of letting so many songs go to waste, Easdale & Carter decided to again try a foreign release. Thus,
Looking Through...
, a 14-song album, was released in Europe by "The Bent-Backed Tulips," a pseudonym the band chose in reference to
The Beatles (see the lyrics to "Glass Onion" if you don't get the connection; even the album's title is directly lifted from that song's lyrics).
Looking Through...
was eventually re-released in the U.S. through Fullerton, CA-based with extra tracks, increasing the number of songs to 20.
The band then signed with Chameleon distributor Elektra and released 1991's
Vinyl
. Backed by a major label for the first time, Dramarama started getting nationwide airplay, most notably the singles "Haven't Got A Clue" and "What Are We Gonna Do?" The album's high-end production w/ Don Smith (Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Keith Richards) was a highlight adding to the success of the LP.
After
Vinyl
, a limited-edition 17-song CD called
The Days of Wayne and Roses (The Trash Tapes)
was made available to members of the Dramarama fan club. It included the band's earliest recordings together, songs that were dropped from their early albums, a couple of self-admitted poorly-recorded live performances, and one song exclusive (at the time) to the disc.
The band's final release on Elektra, 1993's
hi-fi sci-fi
, was a favorite among both critics and fans, and remains a cult staple.
Clem Burke, who had joined the band for the
Vinyl
tour, appears on this album. The subsequent tours wound down and the group broke up shortly thereafter.
Mid-1990s-2005
Following two relatively quiet years after the 1994 breakup, John Easdale began performing live music again in 1996, doing shows in both New Jersey and the L.A. area. He assembled a band that he has on occasion called "The John Easdale Group," and has also casually named "The Newcomers," but which in reality featured Dramarama's Mark Englert, as well as Peter Wood for east coast appearances. Other Newcomers have included fellow eggBERT alum
Nick Celeste (of former Bongo
Richard Barone's band and once the frontman for In Color; has also worked with
Aimee Mann and
Jules Shear) on guitar, Muddy Shews on bass, Danny Roselle on keys and guitar, and Chris O'Hara on drums. However, eventually Easdale was able to find steady players in the personae of Mike Davis, Tony Snow, and Craig Ballam, who connected with Easdale circa 1996 and, along with Easdale, Englert and Wood, form the core of Dramarama as it exists today.
In 1998, John Easdale released a "solo" CD on the eggBERT label called
Bright Side
, on which many of the tracks featured musicians with ties to both Dramarama and the Newcomers, including Mark Englert and Clem Burke, as well as Mike Davis, Tony Snow, and Craig Ballam, who also contributed production and engineering skills. Prior to
Bright Side
, Easdale issued a homegrown, fan-only, no-label version of the Bright Side CD in 1996 that contained versions of songs that made the final cut, as well as some that did not. Easdale refers to it as his "blueprint" for the final collection, and fans call it the "prerelease"
Bright Side
.
Following the considerable
Bands Reunited
and Inland Invasion publicity, including an article in
Rolling Stone
magazine lauding their retooling of the
Dead Kennedys' politically-charged "
California Über Alles" in response to
Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2003 run for governor of California, Easdale decided in late 2003 the band name "Dramarama" should go on. To cement this point, the next CD (an EP) would be billed to Dramarama, and was yet another unlabeled home-brewed affair entitled
Absolutely, 100% Made in N.J.
, which was recorded on a whim while John and the band were on a brief tour of New Jersey in 2003. The EP's liner notes indicated that most of the seven tracks were "from the forthcoming Dramarama album,
everybody dies
."
After yet another distribution setback, the album was released on October 25, 2005, on , a California-based label that is now or has been home to notable artists including
Peter Frampton,
Eagles, and
Gregg Rolie of
Journey and
Santana fame. 33rd Street is now a boutique label funded by major label
Tower Records. They appeared on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as
Ellen's 50th birthday present from her
DJ Ted Stryker
Current activity
Original bass player/producer and Dramarama cofounder Chris Carter is currently a
disc jockey in Los Angeles who's primarily known for hosting America's longest-running Beatle show, , in which he plays nothing but Beatles material and comments upon the history of the Beatles for as long as 4 hours every week. Carter also went on to produce and write the film
Mayor of the Sunset Strip
, which in 2003 was nominated for Best Documentary by the Independent Spirit Film Awards, and which featured members of Dramarama. After Dramarama split in 1994, Carter formed QM Management, for which he manages LA's pop group
The Wondermints, currently touring as
Beach Boy Brian Wilson's backing band.
Former keyboard player and guitarist Tommy "Secret Weapon" Mullaney has appeared onstage with the band on more than a few occasions, most recently earlier this year at a New Jersey show.
Hi-Fi Sci-Fi
-era drummer Clem Burke has returned to his original band Blondie. Original drummer Jesse Farbman, now known as
Anant Jesse, lives in Montreal, Quebec, where he teaches spiritual therapeutics, maintains a private practice and continues to record and perform internationally.
The band has been pretty active lately, in which they played for the Troy High School Battle of the Bands. This event took place on February 3, 2009 at Plummer Auditorium located in Fullerton, California. Over 1,000 people attended this event. They finished the event with an encore, playing the 1985 hit single Anything, Anything.
Lineup changes
In 1982, Dramarama formed in and around Wayne, New Jersey, where founding member
Chris Carter owned a record store called Looney Tunez Records. The initial line-up consisted of singer/songwriter
John Easdale, "Mr. E Boy" (
Mark Englert) and Carter, later joined by Peter Wood on guitars,
Ron Machuga on drums. Jesse would leave the group after the third album, and was eventually replaced by drummer
Clem Burke, whose prior band was
Blondie. Other early bandmates included keyboardists
Theothorous Athanasious "Teddy" Ellenis and "Secret Weapon"
Tommy Mullaney.
The current lineup consists of frontman John Easdale and several players from Dramarama's former incarnation, including lead guitarist Mark Englert and rhythm guitar player Peter Wood (the only band member who moved back to New Jersey and still maintains a residence there). Rounding out the band are Los Angeles-based musicians Tony Snow on drums, and
Craig Ballam (guitar) and Mike Davis (bass), the two of whom also maintain a side project called . In addition, Mike Davis is the official bass player for
Judas Priest frontman
Rob Halford's eponymous solo band, and appears on Halford's upcoming CD,
Halford IV
.
A number of prominent musicians has joined the band for studio sessions on specific tracks over the years, perhaps most notably pianist
Benmont Tench of
Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and guitarist
Mick Taylor, late of the
Rolling Stones, on
Vinyl
. Legendary British session pianist
Nicky Hopkins can be heard on the album
Hi-Fi Sci-Fi. In addition, fellow power pop artist
Dwight Twilley lent vocals to several songs on
Hi-Fi Sci-Fi, on which
The New York Dolls'
Sylvain Sylvain also made a vocal appearance.
In addition, other artists often join Dramarama onstage or in the studio, including bassist Steve "
Muddy Shews" Shewchuk from seminal Jersey shore band
Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes; keyboardist
Morley Bartnoff from
Cosmo Topper (formerly of the 1980s band
Burning Sensations), and harmonica player "Trashcan"
Ray Barwick, former No Soap Radio members Danny Roselle on keys and guitar, and drummer Chris O'Hara, and former Whirling Dervishes keyboard player Billy Siegel, now with NJ-based lounge pop band .
Discography
Studio albums
Name
| Released
| Record Label
|
Cinéma Vérité
| 1985
| New Rose
|
Box Office Bomb
| 1987
| ? Records
|
Stuck In Wonderamaland
| 1989
| Chameleon
|
Bent Backed Tulips "Looking Through..."
| 1989
| New Rose Records
|
Vinyl
| 1991
| Chameleon
|
Hi-Fi Sci-Fi
| 1993
| Chameleon
|
Bent Backed Tulips "Looking Through..." Extended
| 1998
| Eggbert Records
|
"everybody dies"
| 2005
| 33rd Street
|
Live, compilations, and EPs
Name
| Type
| Released
| Record Label
|
Comedy
| EP
| 1984
| ? Records
|
Play New Rose for Me
| Compilation
| 1986
| New Rose
|
Days Of Wayne & Roses
| Compilation
| 1992
|
Best of Rodney on The Roq
| Compilation
| 1989
| Posh Boy Records
|
Rock'n'Rose
| Compilation
| 1990
| New Rose
|
Days Of Wayne & Roses
| Compilation
| 1992
|
Live at the China Club
| Live
| 1990
| Chameleon
|
Days Of Wayne & Roses
| Compilation
| 1992
|
KBCO Studio C Vol. 2
| Compilation
| 1992
|
Welcome to Our Nightmare: A Tribute to Alice Cooper
| Compilation
| 1993
| Triple X
|
Amongst Friends - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| Compilation
| 1993
| Atlantic
|
10 from 5
| Compilation
| 1993
| Rhino
|
Melody Fair
| Compilation
| 1994
| EGGBERT
|
Sing the Hollies in Reverse
| Compilation
| 1995
| EGGBERT
|
The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones
| Compilation
| 1996
| Rhino
|
Blockbuster: A 70's Glitter Glam Rock Experience
| Compilation
| 2000
| Robison Records
|
One Step Beyond: The Best of New Wave
| Compilation
| 2002
| Rhino
|
Mayor of the Sunset Strip
| Compilation
| 2003
| Shout Factory
|
Singles
Year
| Title
| Chart positions
| Album
|
US Hot 100
| US Modern Rock
| US Mainstream Rock
| UK
|
1983
| "You Drive Me" b/w "A Fine Example", "Femme Fatale"
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
1985
| "Anything, Anything (I’ll Give You)"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Cinéma Vérité
|
1987
| "It's Still Warm" b/w "Private World"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Box Office Bomb
|
1989
| "Last Cigarette"
| -
| 13
| -
| -
| Stuck in Wonderamaland
|
1989
| "Wonderamaland" B/W "70's TV"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Stuck in Wonderamaland
|
1989
| "Anythying, Anything (I'll Give You)" b/w "I Wish I Was Your Mother"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Nightmare on Elm Street 4
|
1991
| "Haven't Got a Clue"
| -
| 6
| -
| -
| Vinyl
|
1991
| "What Are We Gonna Do?"
| -
| 10
| -
| -
| Vinyl
|
1993
| "Work For Food"
| -
| 10
| -
| -
| Hi-Fi Sci-Fi
|
1998
| "Tie Me Down" B/W "Last of the Famous International Playboys"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Bent Backed Tulips "Looking Through..." EGGBERT
|
2003
| "California Über Alles"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| single
|
2005
| "Physical Poetry (A-B-C-D-1-2-3)"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| "everybody dies"
|
Videos/DVD
- Slipping Through the Cracks (An Uprising of Young Pacifics)
(video); IceWorld Video
- Anyting, Anything (I'll Give You)
(video) 1987
- Last Cigarette
(video) 1989
- Wonderamaland
(video) 1989
- Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)
(video) 1990
- Haven't Got a Clue
(video) 1991
- Work 4 Food
(video) 1993
TV/Film
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
(1988)
- Three Fugitives
(1989)
- The Pat Sajak Show
(1990)
- Pet Sematary II
(1992)
- Dennis Miller Show
(1992)
- 120 Minutes
(1993)
- In the Army Now
(1994)
- Higher Learning
(1995)
- Bio Dome
(1996)
- "Roswell"
(1 episode, 2000)
- Mayor of the Sunset Strip
(2003)
- VH-1 Bands Reunited
(2003)
- The Ellen Degeneres Show
(2008)