Ropeadope

This Jersey/Philly five piece takes the stage with the confidence and swagger of seasoned professionals, and bring forth a thunderous sound that has become known by their fans as "power soul music!" The band thrives in the world of good song writing, big riffs, and blazing horns. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Michael Patriarca and saxophone extraordinaire Tom Long, they have been bringing their high energy live show to legions of fans across the country for over five years. During that span, the band has had the opportunity to share the stage with such amazing acts as Soulive, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, John Legend, Chick Corea, The Disco Biscuits, The Benevento Russo Duo and Amos Lee to name a few. They have also garnered such accolades as winning the 2005 Relix JamOff and being named “Best New Artist” by The Home Grown Music Network in 2005.

The band is made up of five amazing musicians with an even more amazing history. Their story can be defined by two words; perseverance and determination. The band was formed in 2001 by founding members Michael Patriarca (guitar) and Tom Long (saxophone). Both were left picking up the pieces from the sudden
and tragic death of their long time friend and former lead singer, Sean Gatson. With one album and a slew of gigs under their belt, the two men began to assemble the cast of musicians for their new musical venture, "The Blue Method". They were introduced to singer Brian Williams through a mutual friend. Brian was a larger than life man with the voice to match. His singing and lyrics are a throwback to a time when soul singers sang like men, and had a clear and concise message to
deliver. Together with their new rhythm section, this quintet began writing immediately and building a legion of friends and followers throughout the region. In 2003 The Blue Method entered the studio to begin recording their debut album "Kill the Music, Vol.1"

At the time, things were running smoothly for the band, but midway through the recording of their first record, the rhythm section decided it was time to call it quits. This left the three original members with a decision to make: press on with the album and regroup or fold. The three decided that they had invested far too much to turn back now, so they opted to replace the rhythm section and continue on. Long time friend Theron Shelton was the called to handle the drumming duties. From the first beats he laid down everyone knew that Theron was the perfect fit. The lineup was filled out in 2007 with the addition of Rah Sungee on bass whose energy and passion on stage perfectly complements the rest of the band.

Having made the right decision to press on, the band is as passionate about their music as ever, playing well over 100 shows a year and independently selling over 7,000 copies of their debut album, Kill The Music: Volume 1 and feel that their recently released album Kill The Music: Volume 2 will be even more successful.