Right Time, Right Pace : Singer-Songwriter Pete Droge, Who Avoids Playing Rock That’s Too Fast, Is Comfortable With the Sinners

All the pieces seemed to be falling in place for singer-songwriter Pete Droge.

The modern-rock scene was flourishing in the mid-80s in the Pacific Northwest, he was singing and playing guitar in a local punk band, and a hot new bassist--Ben Shepherd, who would later join Soundgarden--had just entered the fold.

But something was amiss. Still attending high school on Bainbridge Island, a ferry ride from Seattle, he left that noisy band, called March of Crimes, after learning to play only three songs.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that March of Crimes’ kind of loud, fast, intense music wasn’t part of the natural flow for me,” Droge said by phone from outside of Medford, Ore., during a stop on a tour that brings him and his current band, the Sinners, to the Coach House tonight.

Without the band, Droge holed up in his room for a while, looking inward--and backward--for direction.

“I spent some time at home playing along to B.B. King, [Bob] Dylan and other old blues music and folk-rock from the 1960s. It really ignited a passion in me because it was music I really felt close to emotionally.”

“When I was a kid, there would be a lot of music played in the house, like Donovan, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Elton John,” he said. “When I listen to that music now, I see how much that sound really influenced me. So even with the Sinners, when things get [played] a little too fast, I feel like a fish out of water.”

The dexterous Sinners became Droge’s permanent backing band after touring in support of his 1994 debut album, “Necktie Second.” The quartet--guitarist Peter Stroud, bassist Dave Hull, drummer Dan McCarroll and singer-percussionist-rhythm guitarist Elaine Summers--frequently improvises on stage, Droge said, and brings both personality and depth to his post-psychedelic, rootsy, folk-tinged rock.

“I feel so much more comfortable working with the Sinners than as a solo act,” said Droge, now 27 and living in Seattle after having moved briefly to Portland, Ore. “They bring so much intensity and energy to the band. And, frankly, it relieves me of a lot of work.

“Now, when I’m writing a song, I don’t have to think, ‘Can my guitar licks carry a song all by itself?’ And on the performing end, I can just sing the song and kind of play quarterback . . . handing off a riff or solo to Peter, who can elevate it and take it somewhere else.”

That chemistry is evident in Droge’s latest album, “Find a Door.” It’s more upbeat and spirited than its introspective predecessor, simultaneously modern-sounding and tradition-minded.

Droge uses his ‘60s influences as a springboard for his highly melodic, still-evolving style. New songs range from breezy pop (“Wolfgang”) and up-tempo rock ‘n’ roll (“Mr. Jade”) to twisted country (“Lord Is Busy”) and plaintive ballads (“Sooner Than Later”).

*

Of the 11 tracks on “Find a Door,” one drew inspiration from a not-so-relaxing vacation in Europe.

The slow-building, organ-spiced “You Should Be Running” finds an anxious Droge wanting to be faithful to his creative calling without being a slave to it. Finding that delicate balance in real life has proved elusive for the restless, often obsessive musician.

“That song’s about feeling tied into that drive to stay creative and keep moving forward . . . to constantly be doing something without letting it weigh you down too much,” Droge said. “After touring last summer in Europe, I took 10 days off--I didn’t write, I didn’t play. . . . I didn’t even have my guitar. It drove me totally nuts. I’m kind of crazily focused on my music.

“I was guilt-ridden because I wasn’t making myself available to my muse. I was too disconnected from my work, and I realized that my time with my music is sacred, and I need to be constantly tapped into it.”

Droge recently has been opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow and others and said he worked hard to make the most of it.

“We’ve learned a lot about the kind of stage presence it takes to deliver music in a big room,” said Droge, who once worked in a pizza parlor with Mike McCready, now of Pearl Jam. “Using broader strokes and focusing our energy further out really works well in that environment. It was a challenge trying to connect with an audience that’s predominantly listening with new ears.”

That’s not the only thing Droge has learned from tour headliners.

“I had an interesting chat with Mike Campbell [Tom Petty’s guitarist] one night while we were hanging out. He told me, ‘Ya know, I’ve noticed things you guys have picked up from us that we learned when were opening for the J. Geils Band.’ ”

* Pete Droge & the Sinners and the Low and Sweet Orchestra play tonight at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 8 p.m. $12.50-$14.50. (714) 496-8930. The group opens for Sheryl Crow on Sunday at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. 8 p.m. $24-$41. (805) 449-2787.