Drobakid has had a busy two years. Since forming their band in the summer of 2017, they’ve played countless sets — on campus and at other colleges and venues across the east coast. Some stops include Wesleyan University, Trans Pecos in New York City, Comet in Cincinnati, and The Laughing Dog in Amherst, Massachusetts. Drobakid has easily become a staple of the music scene here on campus, gracing us with music to sway to, dance to, and hum on the way to class. They released their first EP, Feeding Time, in fall of 2017, followed by another, Syrup, in March of 2018. On April 12, the group held a project release event and show at the Schick Gallery to release their first album, Two Moons.
Drobakid was founded by Ryan Accardi ’20, guitarist and vocalist, and Greg Litt ’20, guitarist, who recorded and released Feeding Time as a duo. Shortly after, Chloe Eisen ’20, bassist, and Jason Block ’18, drummer, joined the team, performing their first shows on campus towards the end of fall semester 2017.
Their album release event— lively and well-attended — was held among the gallery’s current exhibit, Hiroko Ote and Stef Kreymborg: Fiber Art from Japan and the Netherlands. When the band members took their places to begin the set, a reverent lull fell over the room and a crowd formed before them. Quips, smiles, and applause were playfully exchanged between the artists and audience members throughout. Familiar songs were received with communal cheers, and quieter pieces were met with respectful hushing and whispers. By the time their set ended, the whole crowd seemed to be swaying together, with arms intertwined and heads resting on shoulders.
The band’s name started out as a joke between friends. Accardi said “It’s a lovely little word we came across through our lovely friend and former housemate David Robakidze ‘20, whose Skidmore email address begins with ‘drobakid.’ Greg and I always joked [that] if we actually did ever start a bad we would name it Drobakid, so we did.”
Accardi also attempted to describe the groups sound, explain it as “some sort of folky psychedelic math rock type of thing. I think the thing we do most is really focus on the rhythm section, the drums, the bass and the non-lead guitar.” Accardi spoke to the collaborative thought process and the value of working towards a common emphasis and sound seems to be the force uniting the group. By just listening to one song, it is clear that Drobakid optimize the rhythm section in order to make their cohesive, unique music.
Two Moons capitalizes on the group’s overall comfort and ease when creating. The songs are polished and professional to the ear, but Accardi attributes their product to the value of process rather than concept.
“Two Moons is definitely not a ‘concept album’ in the traditional sense of the word where there’s like some sort of narrative arch that the whole thing follows.” Accardi continues to have a lasting impression from creating the project, saying “I recorded it in a bunch of random rooms around Zankel [Music Center] when I didn’t have studio access. I will always think about us playing those songs in those rooms. Those songs mean so much to us. We could finally say ‘Oh, that’s what Drobakid sounds like.’”
These sentiments of solidifying sound and group identity over time on campus echo the value and excitement of the music scene at Skidmore. Alexa Sisitzky ’19, a supporter of Drobakid since their formation, explains why “End It on the Thing,” the last track on Two Moons, is, in their words, “the greatest song of all time.”
“It’s everything I like about music in one song: it’s powerful, unpredictable, and overall just a fun sing-along.” Drobakid embodies the spirit of creativity in college, grounded in experimentation with an eager support system in their corner. We’ve all watched Drobakid grow and come to life.
Two Moons is now available to stream on Spotify.