Atlanta, GA - The band [minus.driver] have A Message For You. They won't tell you what it is though... you have to figure that out yourself.
The 5 songs on the band's debut EP, A Message For You, on Republic/Universal Records are a just a taste of the band's expansive rock style. Clean, urgent vocals are paired with hard-charging guitars on "Inhuman." The band loosen their white-knuckle grip on "Light Years" with a tempered vocal standing out over lighter melodic guitar licks. "Lie To You," the last track recorded for the EP, has a refrain that shoots for the heart... its unnervingly pained vocal delivery making its mark upon the first listen.
Hailing from Atlanta, GA this young rock band present lyrical ubiquities peppered with a hopeful quality that is uncommon on today's rock scene. "Our songs are meant to empower the listener," says vocalist Jordan, "they can take what they need from the lyrics." Neither too specific nor too general lyrically, they strive to give their fans something to think about - thus putting the listener in the proverbial driver's seat. "Since we had to change our name for legal reasons, we thought that we would bring our songwriting philosophy full circle and have it reflected in the name-change. Music that doesn't beat you over the head with a specific message, music minus a driver," says bassist, Lee.
If [minus.driver] sound like a band who have played together all their lives, that is because they have. Lee and Jordan met in middle school when they formed a band with other schoolmates called FEVER RED. The lineup of what was to be [minus] then [minus.driver] started to take shape in high school when a mutual friend of theirs forgot to introduce Dustin to the duo. The friend told Jordan and Lee that he knew of a great guitar player for them (Dustin) with whom he had set up a jam - but didn't tell Dustin a thing about it. "I was watching TV with my girlfriend and all of a sudden these guys are at my door. They had gear with them and didn't introduce themselves - they just walked in, set up and we started jamming. I didn't know them but I figured, what the hell," says Dustin, "We sounded great playing together and had similar ideas about music. All we needed to complete the band was a good drummer." Jordan later reunited with a childhood friend, Matt, who had taken up the drums just 4 months earlier and put him to the test. "After the first minute or so we all stopped playing and looked at each other. It just clicked right away and we all knew it," adds Matt.
Playing the very competitive Atlanta club and party circuit brought a local variety of fame to the band. "All the kids showed up at our shows," says Matt "the jocks, the metal kids, the emo kids... a really diverse crowd." The internet took that fame even further. The band became a featured band on the notorious Napster site and won the opportunity to play on the ill-fated Farmclub TV show. "It was fun, but stressful, playing that show. We made friends with the Incubus guys there, but we had all sorts of gear problems and being on national TV... that was a bit overwhelming," adds Jordan. With all of this going on for them, the band always stayed true to who they were with their motto 'NO FANS, ONLY FRIENDS.' The band have appreciated the adulation on the road by staying at fans' homes at times and going out into the audience after their sets to talk to kids that "are just like us" according to Jordan.
Experience [minus.driver]'s 'Message for yourself. Rock aficionados everywhere are sure to become 'friends' upon the EP's July 1st release.
