Chances are if you’ve wandered into the Cleveland music scene over the last few years you’ve heard the name Tropidelic thrown around. They’ve sold out the House Of Blues in Cleveland toured with 311, Bad Fish and other huge names in the reggae rock scene and managed to release an album a year on top of a rigorous touring schedule. Mixing a blend of reggae, rock, funk, punk and soul Tropidelic is quickly becoming one of the biggest bands to emerge out of the Cleveland music scene. But how did they get here? Here are a few reasons that I believe have made them so successful.
Develop a niche – The band started off as a small group from Kent State University that played local shows around the campus. They managed to garner a small but dedicated following of students hooked by the fun and upbeat music. Featuring engaging performances and raucous stage antics, Tropidelic quickly established themselves as the premier party band in Kent and while the band has matured and evolved both musically and professionally, they never lost track of their roots and fanbase. Instead they grew that niche slowly overtime inviting more and more people to join their community and spread the Tropidelic message of good times and eerie vibes. They never tried to please everybody choosing instead to remain true to themselves and their fans and let their fans grow the Tropidelic community.
Hard Work – This probably won’t surprise anyone, but hard work is a critical component of success in anything and Tropidelic is no exception. They’ve spent countless hours on the road touring relentlessly and writing new material and that’s just the obvious stuff. Behind the scenes the work is even harder, and they’ve had to get out of their comfort zones in order to create and pursue the opportunities that propelled them to where they are. Hard work is inescapable if you want to have success.
Smart Work – A popular definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. Tropidelic on the other hand learns from their mistakes and failures and works to prevent those same outcomes from happening in the future. Through trial and error, they have learned how to get better by analyzing their failures and making corrections as they go. Because of their willingness to do that they’ve been able to enjoy some tremendous successes.
Attitude – One of the things I admire most about Tropidelic is their attitudes towards themselves and their fans. They are extremely appreciative of their fans and want to be the best they can be to show that appreciation. The genuine love and affection they show to everyone around them makes them irresistible. You just want to hang out with them because they’re so down to earth and relatable. They know how to have a good time and give everyone around them permission to have fun as well. They are not primadonna rock stars that feel they’re entitled to everything while living up in their white secluded towers but instead share their love and passion with a humble and appreciative spirit.
I’m sure there are many other aspects that contributed to the success of Tropidelic, but these are certainly some of the biggest. I truly look forward to seeing how far they can go and I believe in them and their message wholeheartedly. I highly encourage you to check out their music and if you have a chance to see them live, their live shows are truly spectacular and incredibly fun.
Check out the video at top of the page to get a behind the scenes view of them recording their latest album, Here in the Heights.
Cary Crichlow, Senior Producer and Engineer
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