Gary Dranow is a man with an interesting life story. A former top professional skier from Park City, Utah, who spent thirty-three years competing, Dranow has also has entrepreneurial interests in apparel and tech, has been a successful Motocross competitor, been a journalist, and spent his youth participating in equestrian competitions.
With his band, the Manic Emotions, Dranow has released one record, "Destiny Road" – originally recorded in the 1990s – and has another, "Never Give Up," on the way. “Golden Child” is the lead single of this forthcoming record, and it would sound just as home on radio rotation in the late ‘90s to early ‘00s as his earlier work.
“Golden Child,” featuring vocalist Caspar Aesthetic, is a well-performed, well-produced single, drawing clear influences from the 60s revival aesthetic of the era in which Dranow recorded his first album. Guitarist/bassist Chris Zoupa and drummer/producer Jason Jones round out the current lineup of the Manic Emotions, doing clean, professional work in the instrumental arrangement and supporting Aesthetic’s voice as it brings Dranow’s writing to life.
It's unclear to me how the many facets of Dranow’s life weave together – his music doesn’t necessarily represent his eclectic interests and multiple talents beyond music. But maybe that’s not the point. Maybe by inhabiting the persona of a turn-of-the-millennium songwriter and bandleader, Dranow isn’t trying to reflect himself; instead, he’s adding another interesting achievement to his storied life.
The Manic Emotions are, their website suggests, a live band – so one hopes that it won’t be long before we see a live video, or at least a music video, for “Golden Child.” In the meantime, the track itself is an enjoyable listen for fans of just about any ‘90s-‘00s soft rock group.
Listen to "Golden Child" on Spotify here -
You can check out Gary Dranow’s (band) website here: