PATRICK DRONEY
18 year old PATRICK DRONEY has become one of America’s phenomenal young guitar players and talented young songwriters. He made his national recording debut at the age of 16 with The Other Side (Reform/ADA), a 12 song album that showcased his ability to write rock songs with impressive guitar solos that are rhythmically and lyrically heartfelt, while exuding a sense of isolation that defies his age. Droney first came to national attention in 2006 after winning the Robert Johnson Star Award as one of the country’s most promising young musicians, but in actuality he has been turning heads since picking up the guitar at the age of 7.
One of 38 kids worldwide to be accepted in 2010 into the prestigious NYU Tisch School for the Arts:Clive Davis School of Recorded Music, critics have compared his talent to one that fuses elements of Stevie Raye Vaughan, Robert Johnson and John Mayer while adding his own original style. Patrick posses a textural smoothness and warm fluidity that connotes a visceral connection between his fingers and the fret board, belying his age. His songwriting and guitar style have allowed him the opportunity to play to a variety of audiences and cross generational lines- he has shared the stage and performed with Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Billy Cox (bass), the same Jimi Hendrix Experience rhythm section that played behind Hendrix at Woodstock as part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience Tour and yet has co-written tunes with more contemporary artists including Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin “Alive” and Chris Henderson of the multi platinum rock band 3 Doors Down, “Everything.”
His most recent single “Between the Lies” has already been showing up on various social network sites –thanks to an avid following. One fan in particular posted a photo montage to the music- which has already received a few thousand views in a few short weeks on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsOq20BEPqk
Patrick has graced the stages of The Montreal Jazz Festival, The Whiskey A-Go-Go, BB King’s Blues Clubs (LA and NYC), The Bamboozle Music Festival, and House of Blues, Big Spring Jam (AL) and The York Festival (PA) to name a few.
His band (in 2006) was even the youngest to play the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, according to Vintage Guitar Magazine. He has been the support band for such legends as BB King and the late great James Brown and recently did a string of dates with jazz guitarist / NY Yankee Bernie Williams.
Steve Johnson, grandson of the legendary guitarist Robert Johnson and COO of the Robert Johnson Foundation says of his playing, “Patrick blew us away. We were amazed that a musician that young could play with that much skill and dexterity and with that much soul.” Blues Matters Magazine dubbed him “The New Generation”, New Jersey Monthly Magazine put him in their “What’s Hot List” while local critics have called his playing “off the charts impressive” (Courier Post) and “Young in years but long on talent and experience.”(Hyannis News).
He is among the youngest endorsees of Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitars, Budda Amplifiers, Two-Rock Amplifiers, and Dean Markley Strings; and the youngest to be endorsed by DiMarzio guitar pickups and hardware.
Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Patrick and his parents moved to Linwood, New Jersey, (just outside Atlantic City ) when Patrick was 10 years old. He started playing guitar at the age of 7 after being told to avoid sports and other risky activities. (Patrick was born with vonWillebrands syndrome, a bleeding disorder) “I was told I couldn’t play football,” says Patrick, “so I took up the guitar instead.”
In addition to his guitar playing and original song writing, Patrick is also a caring and committed young man who strives to help make a difference in the world. Patrick’s combination of talent and philanthropy are far beyond his teen years with his noted charitable endeavors on both the local and national level. In 2005 he was awarded the Nestlé Very Best in Youth Award and initiated a fundraiser that raised over $500,000 in disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina victims and an additional $250,000 for the New Orleans Musicians Assistance Program. As a youth volunteer for the National Hemophilia Foundation (he, along with his sister, have helped raised thousands of dollars for various children’s charities including the Alcove for Grieving Children and the Shelby Richter Fund. People Magazine featured the Droney siblings as “Heroes Among Us”. And just last year he inspired local students to collect over 4000 lbs of assorted foods for the Food Bank of Southern New Jersey by offering local schools a free performance in return for food donations. In addition to serving on the board of the Nestlé Very Best in Youth Foundation, Patrick also shares a board seat with BB King on the Robert Johnson Foundation Heritage House, a foundation designed to give back to local communities through the Arts.
Patrick recently relocated to New York City to attend NYU.
For more information please contact Tracey Miller & Associates, 609-383-2323 or info@tmapublicity.com
myspace/patrickdroney
