Johnny is often a stand-in name for the ubiquitous everyman. John Doe or Little Johnny is used in various expressions or aphorisms.

Jason Rhodes, a Soundside resident, is the lead singer of the band “Johnny Got Dropped.”

“The way that the name originally came is that I planned on doing all Johnny Cash covers. But I wanted to do it with a little more rock. In order to do that you would have to drop D tune your guitar,” said Rhodes.

Cashs’ influence runs through the band’s approach to its music. The members of “Johnny Got Dropped” tend to focus on songs about life experiences, both good and bad.

The name Johnny will then show up in their songs.

“We just wrote a new song called “Johnny Don’t Let Them Steal Your Dreams”. It is about not giving up or letting anybody take anything from you,” said Rhodes.

Rhodes references a “Kings of Leon” mixed with “The Killers” musical sound when asked to describe his band.

This comparison is characterized by Rhodes as Southern Rock with the emphasis being on life experiences and events.

“We have a song called “Breakdown”, it is about a guy going to war and losing a friend,” said Rhodes.

The Kings of Leon and The Killers reference conflict and larger problems regularly in their music as well.

Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the Killers, released a solo album with a song called “On the Floor”.
One section of lyrics for the song goes:

“On the floor/Facing the things I’ve done here on the floor/Where the years have gathered and run that’s where I’ll be/ And I find myself on my knees/Begging please.”

The Kings of Leon have a song called “Cold Desert” described as a song about “about a man at the end of his rope who picks himself back up.”

One section of lyrics for the song goes:
“I’m on the corner, waiting for a light to come on/That’s when I know that you’re alone/It’s cold in the desert, water never sees the ground.
So then “dropped” has more than just a technical musical connotation.

“Being an all original band, everybody gets dropped from time to time. You have a breakup, have a downhill slump, or you lose your job,” said Rhodes.

The band has three other members besides Rhodes. Kirk Fox as drummer, Cameron Harrell as lead guitarist and Brad Brickhouse on bass. Rhodes also plays on Rhythm Guitar

The group has played at local venues such as the Good Times Tavern and Riverfest in Columbia. They have also appeared at the Seafood Festival in Engelhard. The band has also appeared near Ahoskie and Merry Hill.

Rhodes mentioned that the band was trying to eventually play in the Raleigh area.
“For an original band we have had good success for the area. Venues up there are all interested in original music. We would like to get up there and create a bigger fan base from all over,” said Rhodes.

The band is utilizing the online audio distribution platform Soundcloud for promotion of their music catalog.

Rhodes estimates that the group has 30 original songs and 10 to 15 cover songs.