Rock music can get old. How many times can you hear the same arpeggios played forward and backward six different ways in various sectors of a song? Sometimes not enough, but if you have a well-attuned ear you could be looking for something more…invigorating.
This is where I would advise anyone who's remotely interested in rock music to check out stop.drop.rewind. Indiana’s premier prog-punk juggernauts who ladle their music with all kinds of funky and innovative noises. What’s more, you wouldn’t believe it’s just THREE dudes!
Their website’s epk describes them as such: “The Midwest power trio combines the energy and spirit of pop-punk with the colors and improvisational elements of jazz and soaring intricacies of progressive rock to bring forth a sound that is as unique as it is listenable, and as likely to produce a thoughtful discussion as it is a raucous sing-along.”
The atmosphere of creativity and thought-provoking musicianship that these dudes impart is oft unheard of in regional circles. I’ve tried to catch fumbles in their music and have been a listener for the better part of 8 years. Circa summer 2016 is when I first encountered these cool cats; during one of the most daunting periods of my life. It was at a show of theirs in Muncie, Indiana. Held at a Muncie-renowned venue and bar by the name of Be Here Now. An alt dive that is known for hosting many rap, rock, punk, metal, and you guessed it…alternative acts.
My memory is fuzzy on how exactly I got to this show, but I know that I saw a good number of friends and contemporaries there and was totally enraptured by the music. Resonating from the BHN stage located in the back of the venue, I heard flurries of riffs from DJ (guitarist) and saw Kris Lohn (singer/bassist) performing insane feats of string flingin’ that I swear I'd yet to see on a bass (unless you're Davie504). This was during their Polarity era and I cannot stress enough how far they’ve come.
While I don’t personally know these gentlefolk, I’ve listened to their PROGress over the years from songs like “Guts,” to “Casino Song,” “Main & Lincoln,” “Floating Stone,” “Open Water,” “Drown Me in Lake Michigan,” “Air Quotes,” “Hold it Over Me,” to their latest tracks, “Sleep” and “Compulsion” and every other one in between…to put it simply, these guys are the ritz of modern prog-punk and then some. They bend the rules of sonicism and inject their soundscapes with a meditative nature and Midwestern sense of cynicism that is as playful as it is serious.
If you are looking for some fresh tunes that absolutely rock, then I daresay stop.drop.rewind is right up your alley! Check out their tunes practically anywhere you can find music and definitely keep up with their socials. They are as fun-loving as they are talented.
Until next time, y’all! Play on!
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