The brilliant men of Quietdrive attained tangible success with a rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s 80’s hit “Time After Time” and reached millions of new fans through radio airwaves and on MySpace. After three years of touring, Justin Bonhiver (lead guitar/backup vocals), Droo Hastings (bass), Matt Kirby (guitar/backup vocals), Brandon Lanier (drums), and front man Kevin Truckenmiller (lead vocals/guitar/violin) won the attention of a large variety of fans nationwide. Quietdrive’s profound authenticity allowed them to draw a strong following, especially in the Midwest. Unexpectedly, the band left Epic Records earlier this year while recording their sophomore album.
The Minneapolis-grown quintet is a fusion of two very different bands. In high school when Lanier, Bonhiver, and Hastings started Quietdrive, they lacked a vocalist. A few years later, the threesome adopted Truckenmiller into the band in an effort to target the grunge-hard rock audience in local venues. According to Droo Hastings, 23, Quietdrive received offers from independent labels early on. However, it was not until Truckenmiller and Kirby’s pop-punk side project, Sneaker2Bombs, blended with Quietdrive’s distinctive sound that they began to attract large record companies such as Interscope and Geffen. Hastings elaborated on the band’s initial decision, “We kinda decided that we wanted to sign with a major label because we felt that the record had a lot of strength and a lot of potential at radio.”
The band was signed to Epic Records in 2004, releasing their debut album When All That’s Left Is You in May 2006. Matt Kirkwold and Butch Walker (Avril Lavigne/The Donnas) produced the album. Although Quietdrive had the help of big name icons in the music world in launching a strong debut, Hastings replied, “There wasn’t really a clear plan on how they wanted to market us or how we were going to go about doing this. Basically, they wanted us to get in and make a record right away and then we were going to figure it out from there.”
When the moment came to choose a single for radio, Quietdrive’s original plan was to choose the track “Rise From the Ashes.” However, Epic wanted to launch “Time After Time” as the debut, despite the band’s preference. In the end, Quietdrive decided to utilize the label’s expertise. Within a few months, the cover song reached #24 on Billboards Top 100, gaining nationwide buzz on the airwaves and on tour with major artists like Cartel, Boys Like Girls and Paramore.
By 2008, Quietdrive was ready to create another album. With support from Epic, the band took a break from touring Minneapolis and recorded several tracks. As Quietdrive reached the completion of their initial demo album, the label had a sudden change of heart. Hastings explained, “It came down to a point where they would not give us the budget, they weren’t giving us a time frame, and we said that we were ready to do this and we’re not going to wait around any longer… It wasn’t that we didn’t like working with Epic… The problem is that the decision makers had other priorities and Epic started to move towards the more urban roster.” In July, the band formally announced their decision of leaving the company to their fans via a YouTube video blog, citing disagreements with Epic, and describing plans for the future.
Despite their conflicts, Hastings does not express any harsh feelings towards the label. He emphasized, “What Epic did for us was that they kinda thrust us in a much bigger spotlight than we were in before. Now, we have a nationwide following and we have bigger fans all over the country and even in the world. We didn’t have that before we signed with Epic; we were basically unknown to the world outside of Minnesota and maybe even the Midwest.”
Quietdrive recently signed with California-based independent record label, The Militia Group (TMG). TMG has promoted the band’s second album through internet-based marketing, underground promotion campaigns with fans, and the use of their former success, to fuel upcoming nationwide tours. In August, Quietdrive launched their new site (www.quietdrivemusic.com) that features a nationwide street team with meet-and-greets and free concert tickets for all participants.
Hastings added, “It’s a smaller label, but the people there are more dedicated to working with Quietdrive and that’s the major difference between them and Epic – that we are the top priority on that label versus being number eighty two…They really believe in our mission and what we want to accomplish and they are willing to do the things they want to do to support on what we are trying to do with this record.”
TMG unleashed Quietdrive’s sophomore album, Deliverance, on Oct. 14, 2008, produced by Truckenmiller and James Harley. The album is an elaborate tapestry of power ballads, pop tunes, and rock hits. The diversification illustrates maturity. Tracks such as “Daddy’s Little Girl” and “Hollywood” draw the listener in with a racy beat, sultry guitar riffs, and seductive rhythms. On the other hand, “Deliverance” and “Starbright” appeal to younger fans, due to the bubbly, bright, and vivacious tempo of Truckenmiller’s voice. “Secret” and “Promise Me” define Quietdrive’s versatility, incorporating an enigmatic and intricate talent web of Hastings, Kirby, and Bonhiver in a raw rock-like fashion.
On Oct. 29, Quietdrive will open for Chicago-based Mest, Rookie of the Year, and The Ability, at the Chicago House of Blues. Tickets are $17 at hob.com.