Line-up

Venue

Stage Red

8463 Sierra Avenue, 92335, Fontana, CA, US

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Additional details

Doors open: 20:00

Concert in your area for Rock and Indie & Alt.

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Dramarama biography

Dramarama (formed in 1982) is an cult American indie and alternative rock band who rose to prominence in the late 1980s following the release of the single “Anything Anything”, hailing from Wayne, New Jersey, U.S.

Originally formed by frontman John Easdale, rhythm guitarist Peter Wood and lead guitarist Mark Englert, the Dramarama lineup has hosted a revolving cast of live and session musicians over its years. Dramarama made their debut in 1982 with the song “You Drive Me”, followed by the five-track EP “Comedy” in 1984, which earned a surprise cult status in France. After signing with the French label New Rose Records, the band issued their debut full-length “Cinéma Vérité” in 1985. The record received widespread critical acclaim, subsequently earned a U.S. release on Question Mark Records, and spawned the radio-friendly single “Anything Anything”.

Following the album Dramarama moved to California to record and release their sophomore LP “Box Office Bomb”. The 1987 album was greeted by a string of rave reviews however acclaim for the album didn’t equate to sales and the record was considered a commercial disappointment. Having produced enough material for three albums, the full-length “Stuck in Wonderamaland” appeared in 1989, followed by the European CD “Looking Through…”. With their label Chameleon on the verge of bankruptcy, Dramarama signed with Elektra Records who issued the group’s major-label debut in 1991. Once again earning rave reviews, the record was led by the single “Haven’t Got a Clue” and received significant airplay on national radio.

Marking their final album on Elektra Records, Dramarama issued the full-length “Hi-fi Sci-fi” in 1993, an album that would come to epitomise the group’s cult status. Following the band’s worldwide supporting tours, Dramarama disbanded and John Easdale started performing as The John Easdale Group. Dramarama returned however in 2005 to release the full-length album “Everybody Dies”. Issued by 33rd Street Records, the album earned strong reviews and spawned the single “Physical Poetry (A-B-C-D-1-2-3)”.

Live reviews

The closest you can get to the original band. NOT a tribute band! OBDP is essentially Oingo Boingo without the original lead singer Danny Elfman. Though the lineup can fluctuate depending on band members schedules I have seen the band perform several times with as many as five original members of Oingo Boingo including lead guitarist Steve Bartek and drummer Johnny Vatos. But no Danny Elfman you may say? It's a sad fact that Danny will most likely never perform with OB again. But you will not be disappointed with OBDP singer Brendan McCreary who does an excellent job filling in some enormous shoes. The songs sound just the same as you remember with but with Brenden bringing his own style of stage performance without trying to imitate the looks and moves of Danny. I've recommended OBDP to several old school OB fans and not a single one was disappointed and has returned to see multiple shows.

Report

Grimm

I caught Dramarama at the Wonder Bar in Ashbury Park, New Jersey, and the small, intimate venue was perfect as it felt like the band was just there to hang out with us and have a good time. The audience seemed to skew a bit on the old side as I think that Dramarama were a big alt-rock band in the 1980s that broke up in the 1990s before reuniting in the early 2000s, but that was great too as it makes for a great change in scenery from annoying teeny-boppers. This mature crowd knew how to party too, and the crowd was singing along with the band the whole night. When the band played “Anything Anything,” you would have sworn that the crowd was three or four times as big as it was going by how loud the place got. I was entranced practically the whole set by the rhythmic melodies and the intense vocals. It was a wonderful change of pace for me to see this band, and I’m really glad that I did. They have a new album coming out in 2014 so they should be touring again soon, and everybody needs to experience this group in person!

Anonymous