Dropping Julia is a pop-rock 4-piece hailing from Charlottesville, Virginia. Front-woman and singer/songwriter, Emily Kresky, is originally from Nothern NJ and combines forces with bassist Niko Cvetanovich, drummer Sean Bracken and lead guitarist Alex Bragg to create Dropping Julia. With the lively sentiments of rock and a catchy pop sensibility, Dropping Julia has an individually rich sound. Dropping Julia sparkles with Jersey sass and Virginia charm. The group's energy on stage is full to the brim with enough infectious chemistry to get audiences involved. In only one year together the band has recorded and released their debut full-length album, “Wake Up”, and have now released their latest single “Another Fool”.
“Another Fool” is a smooth, almost R&B-inspired, new single from Dropping Julia. Beginning with a light melancholic intro, “Another Fool” slowly intensifies with each verse and chorus, allowing listeners to fully experience Dropping Julia’s flawless instrumentation and soulful delivery. Writing from the heart on the topic of the ups and downs of being overwhelmed in the world, Emily introduces herself as an honest and passionate singer and songwriter. There’s a depth to her vocal presentation that seems quite rare lately. During that rising melodic moment that is the pre-chorus, you’re given a totally vintage instance of reflection and variation pushing that creative edge even further.
I highly recommend you listen to “Another Fool” here and stay tuned for more with Dropping Julia below!
Welcome to BuzzMusic Dropping Julia! We always love finding about more about how a band came together! Emily, how did you find your three bandmates? Where did the name Dropping Julia come from?
The story of how I found the bassist, Niko Cvetanovich, is the most entertaining and serendipitous, and really was the beginning of Dropping Julia. It was April 2018 and I was just starting to perform live more seriously with my songs. I was looking for bandmates and had been playing with various people. My friend Darryl booked me with a backing band to perform two late-night sets during the 2018 Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. I had just tried Niko out on bass a week leading up to Jazz Fest with one practice but had another bassist lined up for the shows already. Three days before I was to depart, that bassist had to drop out of the trip. I asked Niko if he wanted to come on the trip down to New Orleans and perform with me and my friends, and being the musically eager and adventurous dude he is, he jumped at the opportunity. Darryl flew him down to the beautiful city and we picked up him at 5:00 am at a pizza shop. He played those 2 shows with me after only 1 practice, and he's been playing with me ever since. Drummer Sean Bracken and guitarist Alex Bragg both joined the band shortly after, originally as fill-ins that quickly turned into full-time members when Niko and I realized how much they fit with the sound and how much we all got along!
The name Dropping Julia started out as kind of a joke. My name is Emily Julia Kresky and for the first 3-4 months of playing as the trio with bassist Niko and drummer Sean, we went by the Emily Julia Kresky Trio. One evening after band rehearsal we were eating at a diner (where we have made many important band decisions, haha). We were discussing possible band names and someone said "why don't we drop the 'Julia' and be Emily Kresky and the _______ (insert band name there)" and in that moment the three of us were stuck on Dropping Julia.
Who has had the biggest influence on your life musically thus far? Can you describe the impact this particular individual has had in terms of your new song “Another Fool”?
I have had so many musical influences from so many genres spanning from old soul and blues from the 50's and 60's to rock and pop from the 90's. I feel like all of my songs have been influenced by different artists. I'd say "Another Fool" has some influence from both Bill Withers and Billie Eilish - two artists from very different times but both with so much soul and creativity and clarity in their execution. I really tried to be clear in my lyrics, vocals, and guitar playing in the writing of this song, which translated to the rest of the band writing parts that truly matched that vibe and illuminated it.
We also checked out your amazing album “Wake Up”! How does this new single differ from the songs on that album? Has your sound changed or evolved with time?
Thanks so much for checking out our album! "Wake Up" is actually very different from our newer work. We recorded "Wake Up" during the transition from "Emily Julia Kresky Trio" to "Dropping Julia". "Wake Up" is a collection of some of my earlier songwriting from 2014-2017 that the Dropping Julia boys and I revamped to morph into our sound. In the process of morphing Dropping Julia's sound and playing with Niko, Sean and Alex and all the genres, technique and creativity that they bring to the table, I have noticed my own songwriting style being influenced by all of that. New songs like "Another Fool" and ones that we have not released yet showcase those newer styles and, I believe, the focusing of our sound. I'd say "Wake Up" has some remnants of folk and country, while our newer material touches upon R&B and soul, all of it wrapped up in rock and roll.
We love that your new single is personal yet still vague enough to be relatable. What predominant message was integrated within "Another Fool"?
"Another Fool" is about a feeling more so than a specific event or experience. I am from New Jersey, only a 20-30 minute drive from the George Washington Bridge that goes into NYC, so I have spent a lot of time as a teenager and as an adult taking the train into the city and roaming the streets with friends at all hours of the day and night. I started writing the song from a memory of leaving a friend's apartment early in the morning one day as a teenager to catch the train back to NJ. I remember feeling the need to get home quickly, perhaps in an attempt to run from my problems, perhaps in anticipation for being back on the train that leads me home, knowing I will feel still and calm once I am off of the busy streets and watching the scene out of the train window that will lead me back home. I always felt an overwhelming mix of emotions being in the city including sadness, stress, excitement, hurriedness, introspectiveness and more. The song really is growing up in that area as a young woman and finding my place in the world and experiencing those feelings.
Thank you so much for chatting with us! What’s next for you artistically? Are you working on a longer project to accompany your new single!?
We have SO many new songs to record its both exciting and overwhelming. We have been spending more and more hours in Sean's basement (our rehearsal space) working up new songs and new ideas. We are releasing one more video/song from the same session where we recorded "Another Fool" in a few weeks. That song is called "In My Sleep". We are excited for that release! Beyond that, we have plans to create more live videos and in the next 6 months record our next full-length album. Stay tuned! Thank you so much for featuring us and for all the cool questions!
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