On the Drop is not your average Boston funk-reggae-party band. They bring enough diversity and heart to the songwriting to set themselves apart, and the production elements are top notch. Some tracks are mellow and sweet, others are more upbeat and there's nothing formulaic here. Each song has something unique about it, which makes for an interesting listen the first time through, and the hooks will make you want to listen again. The CD is a cohesive collection of music that absolutely showcases the depth of the lyrics and the individual abilities of the musicians without going overboard into jam-band territory. While I'm sure On the Drop could hold their own on any jam band bill, they are sophisticated enough in their songwriting to self-edit and do what the song calls for, which makes for a great CD.

Keeping its act together for more than eight years, On the Drop is reaping the benefits of longevity. The band's new album, "Lullabies and Dynamite," is a stunner, with On the Drop moving through 15 songs stamped with the group's signature funky reggae groove yet none seemingly formulaic.

"We've gotten to the point where we feel really good about what we're writing," said On the Drop's guitarist Mike Baez. "It was nice putting together this record."

Making it especially nice was the fact that the band experienced a writing frenzy that produced more songs than needed for this project, which even as it runs longer than the typical indie release is strong and cohesive throughout.

The band's 2004 album "Not Afraid" was a decent enough missive from a good live band making a name for itself along the Worcester and Boston club circuits. From its start, On the Drop skillfully stitched together a sound from numerous sources of '90s-spawned, feel-good-alt-rock. Everything from Dave Matthews Band-style jam grooves to energetic 311-type funk-rock blowouts to Sublime-evoking coastal funk 'n' punk became part of On the Drop's sonic wave. Perhaps more to its credit, On the Drop kept an identity of its own even when using familiar ingredients to cook up its original songs.

The quartet admits now how it had little expertise back then to turn its performance energy into a studio asset. No such problem this time.

"Lullabies and Dynamite" is a nicely balanced affair. Singer Jim Muro's lyrics breezily sway between snapshots of reality and snippets of poetry. Guitarist Baez, bassist Brian Taylor and drummer Tom Montilli likewise stretch out, creating both rich, rhythmic grooves and hard-edged melodies.

The band's pliant sound led to some interesting opportunities such as gigs last year opening for 311 and Sean Paul.

"It's great when fans of these other bands tell us that they enjoyed hearing us. They didn't come to a show to listen to us, but ended up liking us. Opening shows for 311 or Sean Paul helps if only to get you in front of people who may not otherwise see you," Taylor said.

On the Drop has cultivated a good following trough Central Mass. and will celebrate the release of "Lullabies and Dynamite" Saturday at Tammany Hall, 43 Pleasant St., Worcester. Sidecar Radio from Portland, Maine, will open the show.

On the Drop again worked with veteran recording engineer Bill Ryan at his RMI Studios in Sturbridge. The team brought some discipline and diversity to On the Drop's party-hardy sound. Much of the material is still rambunctious and wild, yet On the Drop found ways to bring a little contrast into the picture with a few pangs of heartache on songs such as "Not Ready."

"I let the music influence me," Muro said of penning lyrics for this project. "A lot of the stuff basically came from daily life."

Yet even when singing about something as simple as cruising up to Boston from Providence, Muro conjures a grand cinematic sweep for the songs. Of course, pitching his vocals to the cheap seats is rather necessary as the rest of On the Drop forges ahead at an aggressive pace, even with its laid-back nuances.

"Lullabies and Dynamite" came out in late December and is already gaining traction. The band has yet to pick a single to release and there isn't consensus within the group as to which song that should be. Muro and Montilli are lobbying for the anthemic "So Easy"; Baez likes "Stealing the Road," one of the album's quirkier pieces to deal with the recurring themes of temptations and travel; and Taylor voted for "Devil at Work," which not only sets off the record but also sets up the aforementioned recurring themes. Yet even without a signature tune to herald its release, "Lullabies and Dynamite" is already set to be a featured item next month at Newbury Comics stores and the band sold out the first CD-release show it staged last month in Boston.

"We've been to New York City and up to Maine, and all over other parts of New England and upstate New York," Taylor said. "I think this record will give us an opportunity to go to new places."

Scott McLennan can be reached at tgmusic1@yahoo.com.

"NOT AFRAID" - New England Music Scrapbook, 2005

Here at NEMS, we receive a few more really good records than we have time
to review. The stack of the latest arrivals periodically gets tall enough
that it literally threatens to fall over; and before it does, I hustle off
some of the discs to one of several backup piles. This doesn't necessarily
mean that those records will get lost in the shuffle, but it can happen.

Recently I re-previewed some of the albums in my Plan B stack, and out
jumped a definite Plan A record, Not Afraid by, On the Drop. This group
formed nearly five years ago in the Western Massachusetts Pioneer Valley
and is now based in the Boston area.

The thing that is immediately striking about Not Afraid is that On the Drop
makes few if any nods to the attention-grabbing styles of the 1990s -
major label alternative rock, grunge, new metal, rap. Instead, band members
are getting ahead by way of old-school virtues. They compose attractive
melodies, play real arrangements, work well together, and generally sing on
key. Such professionalism could be just the gimmick they need to make it in
the music business.

Several of the songs on the new disc sound as though they could fit right
into the playlist of Western New England powerhouse radio station WRSI-FM,
and one might wonder whether the On the Drop musicians are former
listeners. My own favorite cuts are the first two and the last two, and
I'll just add that the album also has a solid center. The music is
something like '80s post-new wave rock; and it shows some degree of
influence from pop-metal and particularly reggae, as well as maybe
'70s/'80s mainstream arena rock. Without actually sounding like Dragstrip
Courage, On the Drop nonetheless somehow brings to mind that
gone-but-not-forgotten '90s Boston band.

Reading the lyric sheet is an entirely different experience from hearing
these songs sung. For instance, in print, the lines

It looks like I just walked into somebody else's lie

It looks so much like mine

may seem a bit forced. But when listening to the lightly percussive "One
Day Left," with its late-night feel, those words form one of my favorite
moments.

Fans of focus are most likely to favor this album, while, for those who
crave variety, the melodies may not express a big emotional range. The
picture on the back of the CD's booklet also appears near the top of the On
the Drop home page. It shows band members positively beaming at the camera.
I found this spirit of good cheer to be scarce on Not Afraid, varying
shades of anguish getting the upper hand.

The arrangements are more diverse, ranging from a slide into a reggae beat
on the opening track, through the percolating riff that introduces "Mother
of Summer" and the insistent bass line of "Locked Up," to the
softly-strummed guitar on the singer-songwriter-ly closing cut, "Lead Us
Along." "Locked Up" actually starts from a world music angle, before it
gets kicked into more of a rocking gear.

Here and there, the bassist seems to be having his own party. It would be
interesting to know which players have influenced him most or which he most
admires. The late John Entwistle of the Who would be my first thought as to
one of his influences. Otherwise, I'd guess he may be most inspired by
six-string guitar pickers.

Now, I'm not saying that Not Afraid is the best album I think the members
of On the Drop have in them. But it's plenty good enough to open some doors
for these guys and to cause fans to bug them about progress toward a
followup. I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Review of  "Not Afraid" from The Noise Magazine, July 2004

Thesis: "Unique style of Reggae infused rock and? fun, energetic live shows, [with covers of] Marley? Hendrix? The Police."
Antithesis: Do these people have ANY IDEA? ANY IDEA AT ALL? how many bands could and would describe themselves with exactly the same words?
Synthesis: How are they superior to the dozens of bands who do the same
thing more or less indifferently well? Well, their principal advantage is
their mastery of compositional inflection. The opening track keeps going
through sheer ingenuity rather than falling back on repetition and rhythmic
gimmicks. The singing is very good. The Police influence is minimal. They
appear to be trying to formulate something original out of some rather commonplace
ingredients. Ballads like "Clandestinely" are generous-minded and genuine.
Rhythmic variety propels tunes like "Mother of Summer" and "Mr. Tubehead's
Reality." A surprisingly elegiac quality animates "Lead Us Along." And "Shitty
Grin" is an irresistible rock song which ought to be played by every radio
station with cojones.
Conclusion: These are actual songs, not mere rags to clothe bare bones riffage.
This is the best reggae album I've heard in a blue moon.
Bonus: All their tunes go along really well with the random pattern generator
on Windows media access.

- Francis DiMenno, The Noise

Review of  "Not Afraid" from The Valley Advocate, July 2004

"The Artists Formerly Known as Local"

Most songs about Summertime are refreshingly light, referring to the season when the livin´ is easy, the sun is shining and life is good. Mother of Summer a song by On the Drop , formerly a local band, now officially a Boston-based band, follows the trend with lyrics like Mother of summer come rescue me/ Let your sun beat down indefinitely. Let your sweet breath fill up my chest./ Be the inspiration for true happiness.
Mother of Summer, off the band´s recently released third album Not Afraid , has garnered the most air time of all the album´s songs on local radio stations, including Boston´s WBCN, whose Buzz Cut, a daily contest for the most voted-for song by a regional act, they´ve won four times. True to the nature of summer, the song keeps things simple -- a basic chord progression accented by plucky strumming topped with harmonization between guitarist and lead singer Jim Muro (pictured middle left) and backup singer and guitarist Mike Baez (pictured left) so tight you couldn´t pinch an inch if you tried.

Bassist Brian Taylor ( pictured right ) and drummer Tom Montilli ( pictured middle right ) are the other two members of this band that got its start in the Valley at the Hadley Pub and the ol´ Baystate Hotel (I even sat in on a few songs with the band myself back in the day). On the Drop´s sound is definitely rock Œn´ roll, but all of their tunes (even the borderline hard rock) have a distinctive reggae vibe, distinguishing them from the masses of rock bands that push the same tired music on us year after year after year.

Simple Song, track three off the album, induces head-bobbing and toe-tapping starting off with a guitar riff that gets backed up by lively drum hits on the downbeat. Then Muro´s voice comes in high and strong, invigorating with its insistence and singing words that mix a commentary on pop culture with psychedelic images of fluffy monsters handing out candy that´ll kill you: In the halls of a lonely home a song echoed but none would know/ It bounced across the street with a pickup line and a catchy beat/ It moved across the seas, it made believe it was a need/ They never questioned if it´s wrong, it´s just a simple song/ It was just a simple song/ One, two, it´s onto you when its spreading its notes busts down your door/ Get in on time, it´s been here for years, just a monster spreading friendly fears.

This album is tighter than the drums Montilli pounds on, offering a sampling of danceable tunes with calypso beats and some ballsy rock Œn´ roll songs that take audio twists and turns.

Not Afraid is available at all Newbury Comics locations. Log onto www.onthedrop.com for more info about the band and a complete show schedule. courtesy of ON the drop

- Kendra Thurlow, The Valley Advocate

Review of  "Cookies" from The Noise Magazine, February 2003

"This is the first local band that I've ever heard that does reggae without trying to sound like: 1. Tosh or Marley. 2. The Bosstones (yeah I Know they're ska - that never stopped anyone). 3. The Police. 4. The English Beat. 5. Some stoner jam band at a Gamelan night at The Middle East. Then there's their rock side, which has its "jam" elements to it, but without the wank.  Their jazzy side has all the Steely Dan sophistication, without the chardonnay.  On the Drop manages the almost impossible feat of combining reggae, funk, and rock without sounding like anybody.  All four songs on this disc are fun, energetic, and as catchy as the flu bug that kept me in bed for most of last month. On The Drop aren't waiting for the next big thing. They are.  If you're as tired as I am of the "same old," give this disc a spin!

- Joel Simches, The Noise