Drop Nineteens is an American,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
-based
shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...
band active from 1991 to 1995. They were one of the few U.S.-based bands who styled themselves on England's distinctive
shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...
sound, taking their inspiration from bands such as
My Bloody Valentine,
Slowdive
Slowdive is a British rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Rachel Goswell on vocals and guitar, Neil Halstead on vocals and guitar, Christian Savill on guitar, Nick Chaplin on bass and Simon Scott on drum ...
,
Th' Faith Healers
Th' Faith Healers were an English indie rock band who were originally active between 1990 and 1994. The members of the group were Roxanne Stephen (vocals), Tom Cullinan (guitar and vocals), Ben Hopkin (bass), and Joe Dilworth (drums). They rec ...
, and
Bleach
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...
.
The band received its name from a childhood memory of Greg Ackell who would drop things off the terrace of his apartment, where he lived on the 19th floor.
The band was formed by former classmates Greg Ackell (vocals, guitar) and Chris Roof (drums), who recruited
Paula Kelley (vocals, guitar), Steve Zimmerman (bass), and Motohiro Yasue (guitar).
[Strong, Martin C. : "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, ]
Overview
Much like Boston's
Pixies
A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...
before them, Drop Nineteens were better known in the UK, where, as an unsigned band, they first gained attention from the British music press with two 8-track demos. The band ultimately reached the UK's Indie Album and Indie Singles charts with formal releases after signing a record deal.
Signing to
Caroline Records
Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...
(
Hut Records
VC Recordings trading as Hut Records was a British record label brand which was started in 1990 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Records. Despite being wholly owned by a major label, it was classed as an Independent record label, independe ...
in the UK), Drop Nineteens immediately garnered college radio airplay with their 1992 debut album, ''Delaware''.
Because of artistic differences, several member changes occurred between the first and second full-length releases. Kelley, Roof and Yasue went on to pursue other interests, and Megan Gilbert (vocals, guitar), Pete Koeplin (drums) and Justin Crosby (guitar) were added to the lineup in 1993.
Shortly thereafter, Drop Nineteens released their second full-length album, ''National Coma''. Its original cover design was a photograph of a reclining nude woman, painted entirely white, wearing a white ski mask, in front of a white background. Most CD copies had a jumbled (censored) version of this photo, while LPs had the original cover. (The Japanese version of the album had two bonus tracks: "Tempest" and "Sea Rock.")
The band made three music videos, and toured on the success of their first album; they headlined/co-headlined/opened tours in England, Europe, and North America, and recorded
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. They also played several music festivals including England's
. Further artistic differences ensued, however, and the band broke up for good in 1995.
In the late 1990s, Ackell and Koeplin recorded an album under the band name Fidel, which was never formally released. Kelley went on to front the bands Hot Rod and Boy Wonder, and is currently a solo artist with the Paula Kelley Orchestra.
In January 2022, Ackell announced that the Drop Nineteens had reunited and would release a new album later that year.
The band's reunited lineup features Ackell, Pete Koeplin, Motohiro Yasue, and Paula Kelley.
The music of Drop Nineteens featured prominently in the American comedy television series ''
''. British songwriter
included a song about Ackell and Drop Nineteens, entitled "Greg", on his 2013 EP ''For Haden''.
*"Winona" single (1992, Hut)
*''Your Aquarium'' CD/10"/12" EP (1992, Caroline/Hut)
*"Limp" 7"/12" EP (1993, Hut/Virgin; 1994, Caroline)