On The Rise: Quietdrive

Today, I'm looking at the weather and I notice that Minnesota is suppose to get almost two feet of snow. Now I know that snowfall isn't completely unusual, but two feet is a lot of snow people. A lot of people have never seen two inches of snow, much less two feet. Now why am I telling you this? That's because in Minnesota in 2002, four boys braved the elements to become friends and eventually make a pop-punk band. During their freshman year of high school, Brandon Lanier started telling Droo Hastings that he was a great drummer and that they should start a band with him and his friend Justin Bonhiver. So a band got started with Hastings on vocals, Lanier on drums, and Bonhiver playing guitar. The core of the band put out auditions for singers, to which Kevin Truckenmiller responded and became the band's new vocalist, moving Hastings to bass. Truckenmiller then attended St. John's University with Matt Kirby, who eventually joined the band. The group was eventually named Sneaker 2 Bombs and the group was off to a fast start.

After building up a strong local following in Burnsville, Minnesota, the band who later changed their name to Quietdrive relocated and had much more success in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Just two years after all five members came together, the band played on the 2004 Warped Tour, which got them an audience with an Epic Records A&R man. Those meetings eventually led to the band getting signed by Epic Records, which was the record label that released the band's debut record, When All That's Left Is You. A collection of raw and melodic pop-punk songs, this album is a fine gem in the rough of average pop-punk albums. It's not very often that you get to listen to a band that so early in their lives are on the same page both lyrically and sonically, but these five friends accomplished that. The lyrics are so beautifully sincere that they demand attention with every word, the guitars are chord heavy yet melodic, and the drums are tightly played with well fitting beats.

Among that collection of songs comes a cover song originally done by Cyndi Lauper, the classic "Time After Time". The cover is so eloquently done, the guitars and drums both match the new tone, but the real gem on this cover is the vocals. They aren't Lauper's original nasally vocals, but a smoother and higher pitched singing. All it takes is one listen, and you'll put the pieces of the band together from there. After releasing the album, the band toured the U.S. vigorously for nearly ten months straight, playing nearly every state three times. After finally settling down back in Minnesota, Quietdrive decided to terminate their contract with Epic Records, citing the growing restrictions of the major label industry. To prove they weren't shaken by this ordeal, the group went to the studio to quickly to record their follow-up, 2008's Deliverance. Their new sound came with a more produced and more techno themed sound. With the addition of a keyboard on certain tracks and the occasional drum loop, Quietdrive went for a more mainstream album, but just ended up making a very ambient pop-punk album.

After releasing their second album the band toured just as extensively as they did on their first record, going across the United States to the U.K. and over to Japan to spread their sound. The boys started writing new tunes on that tour actually, and eventually played new songs as early as the fourth month of the tour. The record made its rounds on local circuits, but they could never match the success of When All That's Left Is You. Never to back down, the group kept playing shows and eventually went back to the studio to record their latest EP that is known as Close Your Eyes. This album is more of a return to their older sound like on their debut record and the band has said that this is only a small sample of what they have in store for their next album. Today, Quietdrive are working on that new album while playing a few local shows.

The drums aren't something that will stand out at you, even though I find myself air drumming along with the very fitting and well played fills. The bass lines aren't aggressively driven, but more steady and melodic. Just like the bass, the guitars are melodic, but also very driving at times. On certain songs the guitars are drawn back for a mellow mood, but on others it's a pure pop-punk attack. The vocals are a high pitched wail. Not like some other tenors out there, Truckenmiller's vocals are perfectly in their element without becoming annoying. Amazingly enough they match the melody of the guitars so well that they play off of each other from song to song. It's not very often that you see a band with as much promise as this one, especially so early in their careers. These guys will hopefully doing this for a long time, because we will gladly listen for as long as they're willing to play.

Recommended Listens:
"Rise From The Ashes"
"Maybe Misery"
"Time After Time"
"Motivation"
"Jessica"

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