On Wednesday, March 26th, I had the pleasure of being the invited guest of the Name Droppers for their opening act performance for Walter Trout at the Sacred Heart Community Theater in Fairfield Connecticut. It is a charming 100 year old theatre sitting on the main drag through town that has recently been renovated. Replete with a balcony seating area, good acoustics, and comfortable row seats (that actually allow someone to get by without you standing up!!), it made for a great listening experience.
Before the show I met with the band backstage. The Name Droppers were for years the backup band for a Connecticut music legend, Charlie Karp. After Charlie passed away in 2019, they decided to stay together both out of respect for their mutual mentor and, as they told me, “we just felt we had more to do as a musical unit”. And that they have done, releasing a pair of albums in the last two years that feature songs that regularly make my playlists.
Rafe Klein is a vocalist, the guitar player, and primary songwriter for the group. He has an engaging personality and is one of those people that immediately sets you at ease. And he just looks like the modern day contemporary bluesman! Scott Spray is the bassist and has that strong persona that I have always associated with powerful bass rhythms. Ron Rifkin, who sings and plays the keyboards, looks like he could have stepped right out of a 1980’s music session with Stevie Ray Vaughan or the Allman Brothers. And the drummer and one of the vocalists is Bobby “T” Torello who has toured with Black Oak Arkansas and Grace Slick over his long storied career that has earned him a spot in the New England Music Hall of Fame. Both Scott and Bobby also were long time members of the Johnny Winter Band and we discussed that a bit.
Blues Music Fan also came up during our discussions. Scott asked me where Blues Music Fan was based. When I stated that it was a 12 year old northeastern United States based non profit with 40 DJs and listeners spread across the planet but concentrated in North America and Europe, they were all impressed. Scott said that most of the major internet blues stations that he knew of were based in Europe and he was glad to know that was also a major one in the United States. He promised to pass on the word to others in the blues music business!
We talked a great deal about their music and about one song in particular off their 2024 album Starshine. The recording includes a track entitled I Want To Hold Your Hand. It is an absolutely powerful and engaging reworking of the Lennon/McCartney tune as a blues song! When I asked about it, they all lit up with a grin and almost in unison stated “that was all Charlie Karp.” Rafe went on to say that “Charlie had this great ear for music and songs. He loved the blues and had this imaginative and creative mind. That is all him at his very best.”
Their live show was a great mix of blues and blues rock spread over a dozen songs or so. And I have to say that the star of the performance was Bobby “T”. Center stage and surrounded by his kit, Bobby looks and performs the part of a Hall of Fame drummer. He has a unique raspy talk/sing vocal style that the audience just loved. One of the highlights of their show was the first performance of their new single, That’s the Way Love Is. And they also announced that their new album, Cool Blues Shoes, will be out in August on the Horizon Music Group label.
Walter Trout did a great job of picking a strong opening act with a solid blues cred and local appeal. The Name Droppers strike me as the type of band that would be just as comfortable playing in a cozy small blues bar as on the big stage. When I mentioned that, they all laughed and invited me to catch one of their local performances. That I intend to do. Opportunities to have a beer, a shot of tequila and listen to The Name Droppers are not to be missed whatever stage they are on!
Ben Vee has been a radio host on Blues Music Fan Radio for over 7 years and has been writing about the contemporary blues on his blog at http://www.benveeblues.com since 2014. He also now writes for BMFR. Originally from New Orleans, he now lives in Connecticut.
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