Metroland Online - Local Music

This summer, while much of the region was busy celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, a cadre of area rock stalwarts had occasion to reminisce about a different show, played only three nights later, before a crowd of 2,000, by a band that declined an invitation to Woodstock because they’d “have just been another band on the bill.” According to fan comments on the band’s official Web site, the show was legendary and featured everything that the era would become known for: a PA system overloaded with blues rock, a tight-slacked singer yelling into the women’s bathroom to see if anyone wanted to “ball,” and a Pepsi machine ransacked by a Les Paul-abusing guitarist with a fondness for Jack Daniel’s. The band was Led Zeppelin and the venue was Schenectady’s now-defunct Aerodrome Night Club.

Tony Popolizio was a bit young to have made the show that night, but he says he’s heard plenty of stories. His brother, Frank, owned the converted bowling alley on State Street, where the Aldi supermarket now stands, and Tony used to help clean the place out after busy nights. The venue lasted only a couple years into the ’70s, but, as Popolizio says, “It was perfect timing for that whole Woodstock era.” Just as the Aerodrome helped launch up-and-coming acts like Janis Joplin, Rod Stewart, and the Velvet Underground, the legacy of those figures has helped turn Popolizio’s music-equipment shop Drome Sound into an area institution.

In 1968, Frank Popolizio and his partner Pat Ragozzino decided to open a gear shop due to demand from the touring musicians they booked at their club. In 2004, Tony acquired the store from his brother and moved a few doors down State Street across from the Fuccillo auto complex. This year Drome Sound celebrates 40 years of family-run business.

“I’ve been working with Drome Sound for 30 years,” says Popolizio, “and a lot of things have changed.” During his tenure, he’s seen the rise and fall of countless musical trends, and the shop’s ceiling is lined with autographed photos of those musicians who have paved the way. “I’ve got three boxes full and I haven’t even hung them all up yet.” Most are fading shoots from the ’70s: B.B. King, ZZ Top, Keith Richards, CSNY, Ace Frehley. But the ’80s are also well- represented in all their teased-out glory: Garth Brooks, Eddie Van Halen, U2. Most come from in-store clinics, but a few were received in return for having rented gear to touring acts. Popolizio points to a photo of James Brown, sweaty under a hot spotlight at SPAC. In the background, you can just make out the words “DROME SOUND” stenciled onto the front of a bass amp.

As a whole, though, Popolizio doesn’t make a big deal about the famous folks who have passed through the shop. “People are people,” he says, “famous or not.” Instead, he’s interested in serving a local clientele that spans multiple decades and generations. “I know a lot of the musicians in the area and try to stay on a friendly basis with them. It’s funny now because—not that I’m too old, but—a lot of the musicians are bringing their kids in who are teenagers now, so it’s cool to see that transition.”

To stay competitive with corporate retailers like Guitar Center and Sam Ash, as well as growing Internet sales, Popolizio says he has to offer high-end gear like Gibson and Martin guitars, Fender amps, drums, keyboards and home-recording equipment at low prices, as well as instrument instruction and annual “shred-fest” guitar competitions. More important, though, is hiring sales staff who gig around the area, know the gear they’re selling, are well-versed in parts and repair, and can maintain the long-running relationships the store has established.

Keyboard-department manager Jim Matrazzo has been working with Popolizio for more than 20 years, and many of the 10 Drome employees have logged upwards of 15 years. “As much as I hate to admit this,” Matrazzo says, kidding Popolizio, “work here is very much like a family environment. It’s definitely what distinguishes us from other stores.”

If anything, the store has cultivated an overly welcoming presence. Popolizio reflects on one of his dearest mementos, a board that Janis Joplin had signed in the shop after having played two separate sets in Schenectady, one at the Aerodrome and one at the Crosses. Someone later swiped it in broad daylight. “We’re a family-owned business. We’re hands-on, and we like to help people right away,” he says, but as for the photos that keep the place’s legacy alive: “That’s why we keep them up high now.”

>> Back to 2009 Local Music Guide

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