Pete Droge

Singer-songwriter/guitarist Pete Droge combined an appealing voice, engaging songs and a jangling rootsy sound into a AAA radio hit on his debut record Necktie Second in 1994. The tongue-in-cheek single "If You Don't Love Me I'll Kill Myself" combined a swaggering, Stonesy, acoustic guitar/cowbell-driven hook with a witty nonsequitur-filled plea for love. Subsequent albums, with their multi-textured songs and sharp production, have shown Droge's marked growth as an artist. The fact that they have largely fallen on deaf ears -- due to a combination of record company intrigue and poor timing -- is a bit of a shame.