NEWS - Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Xbox Live’s New Artist Of The Month Is QuietDrive
When it comes to keeping track of vocals and melodies, Quietdrive doesn't need high-priced equipment or fancy technology. Kevin Truckenmiller, the band's vocalist and chief songwriter, relied more on a $14 answering machine than on anything else when recording their debut album. "Lyrics and song ideas come to me whenever I'm running errands or driving around, so I carry a cell phone with me at all times. Whenever inspiration strikes, I just call home and sing to my machine." "It can be pretty embarrassing sometimes," laughs guitarist Matt Kirby. "We'll all be standing in line at a store and Kevin will whip out his phone and start singing at the top of his lungs. People just stare at him like he's crazy while we pretend that we don't know him. It's hysterical." Quietdrive used all of Kevin's home recordings to build a powerful debut album for Epic Records, When All That's Left Is You. Produced by Butch Walker (Avril Lavigne, The Donnas) and Matt Kirkwold, and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day), this sharply-penned album of volcanic, guitar-driven rock introduces Quietdrive as an electrifying pop-savvy band with musical smarts well beyond their years. Quietdrive, made up of Truckenmiller, Kirby, Justin Bonhiver on guitars, Droo Hastings on bass, and Brandon Lanier on drums, was founded in 2003 after Truckenmiller posted several mp3s on a local music site. Lanier, who had been playing with Hastings and Bonhiver since grade school, got in touch with Truckenmiller. The group was completed when Truckenmiller brought in former college classmate/poker buddy Kirby. As Kirby tells it, he and Kevin spent the majority of their school years writing songs and playing Texas Hold 'Em (and not always in that order). "We pretty much paid for all of our college expenses, as well as guitars and gear, with poker winnings," he laughs. The album already has lots of exciting buzz, much of it generated via the band's Myspace page. Quietdrive, with their constant touring and internet promotion, has taken a DIY approach to publicity, and it's been paying off. The big draws of the new album and the Myspace campaign were two mighty songs: "Rise From The Ashes" and "Take A Drink". The two songs have been downloaded a combined 400,000 times! "That's pretty amazing when you consider that it happened without the push of a label or any kind of advertising campaign," says Truckenmiller. "The fact that it was a completely organic process of fans and friends turning each other onto our music makes us really proud." Fans of Quietdrive from their live shows and their internet advertising were finally able experience a whole album of catchy pop hooks, raw rock thrills, and warm, open-hearted melodies with When All That's Left Is You was delivered this summer, and the album, in stores now, continues to draw new fans with the band's tuneful and moving songs.Source: http://www.xbox.com
