The band, Berlin Drop, does not operate on the normal terms that most bands operate, as you will discover through reading the following history and biography of the band. Many drastic changes have taken place with Berlin Drop through the years, shaping its music and creating a musical unit that is original, creative, and powerful.
In the fall of 2002 Aaron and Nathan Rorabaugh, fueled by their love of their early musical influences: Misfits, Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Dead Kennedys, and The Ramones, began penning songs in the punk rock vein in hopes that one day they would form a band to play those songs live. Their hopes took shape in January 2003 when they played their first gig as the 4-piece band, Berlin Drop, in their hometown of Nevada, Missouri.
In October 2003 Berlin Drop recorded their first full-length album, Man of 1,000 Faces, in just under 8 hours! They promptly began playing steady gigs in their hometown and the surrounding area forging their sound, experimenting with new musical ideas, and discovering what would work and what would need to be discarded. Throughout these early tumultuous days band members came and went but the Rorabaugh brothers remained as the band’s constant, pressing on with writing new songs and finding new band members to play live shows.
Taking cues from their newer influences of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Type O Negative, and various modern pop and rock music the Rorabaugh brothers began writing more progressive hard rock songs, phasing out the punk sound that was so prominent in it’s early sound. On October 31, 2006, Berlin Drop released its sophomore album, Red Metal, which showed the early stages of this new progressive hard rock style that they were turning towards.
Up until this point in its history, Berlin Drop had always performed live as a 4-piece band: 2 guitars, bass guitar and drums. However, another crossroads had come for the band. Soon after the release of Red Metal the band was left without a bass guitar player for several months. Out of frustration with their situation the band decided to simplify into a more compact 3-piece unit: guitar, bass guitar, and drums. Satisfied with this setup, Berlin Drop still currently performs live in this format.
After a year of constant shows and promotion of their second album, Red Metal, Berlin Drop was looking for a fresh direction in their sound. In the fall of 2007 Aaron and Nathan entered the studio to record the band’s new EP, Black Sheep, without the assistance of a third band member in hopes that with the input of just two sources they could produce the more focused sound that they were looking for. The brothers split lead and backing vocal duties, Aaron handled all bass guitar and drum parts, and Nathan handled all guitar and piano parts. Their musical vision was realized in late January 2008 when they put the final touches on Black Sheep. They emerged from the studio with a tight, powerful musical offering that brought together their musical influences, new and old, and presented them in a new and original way.
This brings us up to present, in February 2008 the 5-song EP, Black Sheep, was released. Hundreds of people snatched it up, curious as to just what the Berlin Drop had to offer...perhaps just another fast punk song or a ham-fisted rocker...but what they found was something new and hard to categorize. They found a new progressive rock sound flanked with vocals and harmonies that matter, thought-provoking and story-telling lyrics lying in a tight, powerful musical bed of guitar, bass guitar, and drums.
As stated before, Berlin Drop does not operate on the normal terms that most bands operate; they break the mold with their music and their organization. They adapt to situations and overcome obstacles in order accomplish their goals and play their music to everybody that will listen.
