Project Description

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Interview with
ROSS and ROCKY LYNCH
from
THE DRIVER ERA

(15th September 2022)

Interview with Melanie Griffiths

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“The Driver Era has once again managed to transcend genres without losing key elements of their music that makes them so unique.” – FAULT MAGAZINE

“This band has slowly, but surely become experts in being unpredictable.” – Aquarian

“…groovy, atmospheric…” – Consequence

“[The Driver Era] have set their sights on Hollywood and chart domination.” – NME

“a relatively fresh face to the scene whose nostalgic hits capture end-of-summer melancholia” – tmrw Magazine

“eclectic” – Rolling Stone

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How did the band come together? Is there someone who is a “driving force”, or do you all make decisions together?
Rocky and I have been doing music now for most of our lives. We started a family band called R5 in 2009. I was about 13, he was 14. That lasted about 10 years. Released a few albums, did a bunch of touring.
As we were learning about the music industry and growing up we realised our favorite part was the creation of the music. We were spending every day in the studio. Willingly, having so much fun. Eventually, it became obvious that we should take the next step by starting a new project. THE DRIVER ERA.
We are both equally involved, and rely on each other’s strengths. Ultimately we make decisions as a team and agree on most things.

Rocky and Ross it’s been four years since you formed The Driver Era how has your music evolved since the release of The Preacher Man (2018)?
The music evolves as we do. We’re always looking for sounds and structures that we feel like we’ve never heard before. We steer clear of conventional choices and like to keep all possibilities open. All of our songs sound different. Not necessarily on purpose, we just like to discover. It’s fun and fresh that way.

Your new single Malibu is seriously a summer bop can you let us know how did the song come to fruition?
It had been awhile since we had collaborated with anyone and we really wanted to. So we met up with a new friend Griff Clawson, who is a talented songwriter/producer and had a session. It started with the realisation that all three of us had just had an exciting time at the beach and we wanted to commemorate our memories. We also decided that we wanted to do a chill trop house kind of vibe. The song started with me playing the guitar, Rocky playing the bass, and Griff manning the computer programming drums.

The place Malibu has featured in a number of songs by artists like Hole, COIN and Miley Cyrus what’s in the water there? Why do you think it’s such a place of inspiration?
It’s a classic destination in southern California. It has a rich history. People dream of one day living on a cliffside in Malibu. That’s also where our memories came from when we decided to write.
We had a fan come to one of our shows tell us of the time that she fell in love in the 60s in Malibu and how the song reminds her of that sweet memory. That was a pretty cool interaction.

Malibu is a right turn from your previous release Keep Moving Forward but it still sounds cohesive with your other music. You’re known for not chaining yourself to one genre but if you had to identify a stylistic thread that connects your songs what would that be?
ooof I dont even know…. umm… I guess the stylistic thread is pushing past our own boundaries. Searching for newness. Wanting to learn and expand.
Or maybe just more so raw expression. This is us. This is what we like.

You can hear older influences of INXS, Prince and Bruce Springsteen in your music. Given you’re brothers did your parents have a hand in that? Was music a big deal in your home?
Yes music was huge growing up. We were constantly surrounded by music and started performing at a very young age. Our oldest brother took a liking to Michael Jackson and Elvis and started organising performances in our basement with everyone involved. That led to our mom enrolling us in dance classes where we did every style you can imagine; tap, ballet, hip hop, etc. We were exposed to a wide variety of music because of it.

How does the dynamic of being brothers play out in the creative process?
It makes it easy to spend all day together. We get along very well. We have a lot of the same interests and have been the closest of friends for our whole life. Rocky and I, and the rest of our family too. We’ve been fortunate to have some really amazing experiences together. Touring the world 5 times over, playing hockey together all the time…
Our creative process is quite fluid. We trust each other’s preferences and have a “yes and” workflow.

You’ve got a new album coming out on the 16th of September called Summer Mixtape. What’s the story you wanted to tell with this album?
It’s our summer mixtape. These are the songs and experiences that we’ve cultivated over the summer. From us to you.

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How does Summer Mixtape differ from your previous releases X (2018) and Girlfriend (2020)?
This is our rawest release. Most of the things you hear on it were captured upon the inception of the idea. I think you can hear the spark in it. The excitement and joy we were experiencing while making it. To be honest, most of our songs are this way, but with this Summer Mixtape we went even further.
This is also the first time we did the mixing. We’ve wanted to do this for a while now.

You’ve collaborated with Nikka Costa for Keep Moving Forward, can we expect any other collaborations on this album? Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Nikka and Griff are the only collabs on this record. We’d love to do more collaborations in the future. Our new keyboardist on this tour Garrison Jones will most likely be a collaborator in the future, also our drummer Dave Briggs. Our good friend and old drummer Ellington Ratliff who wrote “A Kiss” with us is due for another session. I’d love to eventually release one of the many songs I’ve written with my lover whose artist name is Jasimi.
The dream collaboration is Pharrel.
We’re open to working with anyone.

How did COVID-19 affect the band? Did you continue writing music or did you explore other passions?
It was the first time I had a real reason to take a break from working since I was 15. I had been working on either acting or music for the ten years prior pretty consistently. Either filming a show or movie, or in the studio or touring. It was a really refreshing time for me to settle down. We’re almost always working on music because we love it, but in the beginning of covid we slowed down. Read a lot of books, cooked a lot, played a bunch of chess (prior to queen’s gambit lol). And then eventually as the world started to feel more inspired again, so did we.

What do you prefer and why? Recording or Touring?
We feel extremely fortunate to be able to tour like we do. There are not a lot of artists that can play international shows like we can. We know it’s a serious blessing. However, it is more strenuous. Recording is comfy. Wearing sweats and catching vibes all day. I don’t know if I can pick… I am so grateful to be able to travel and share our music. Not a lot of people get to experience this. So for the sake of that we’ll say touring.

You’re embarking on a hectic international tour soon, how are you feeling about getting the chance to perform to international audiences again?
It feels surreal. It’s all happening so fast. We’re all very excited. Touring internationally is the dream for any band. We can’t wait to reconnect with our fans. It’s been awhile but we will most likely see many familiar faces. This tour was originally supposed to take place in 2020 and then covid hit.

Your concerts are getting a reputation for having such a fun vibe. For Aussie fans what should they expect when you’re here later in the month?
Exactly that. We love to have as much fun as possible. Before, during, and after!

We’ve seen videos of Ross singing Drake, Michael Jackson and Olivia Newton-John at your concerts any chance for a few more surprise covers when you tour?
We’ll see! We love to keep things fresh and interesting for the fans and for the band. Anything is possible. We have a long list of covers that we’d love to play.

Ross is a bit of a sensation on TikTok, will he be gracing us with his Michael Jackson dance moves when he’s in Australia?
I’m always dancing! On and off stage. You can definitely expect a good boogie.

Finally, what are you listening to atm? What’s the last song you played on Spotify?
Bad Habits by Steve Lacy
Kiwi by Quarters of change
Crush by Jai Paul
Rooms by Silas Short
Son Shine by Sault
Intimidated by Kaytranada and Her
Comingback by Parcels
Only You by Theophilus London and Tame Impala
Woo! – Porches remix by Remi Wolf and Porches
Massive by Drake

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THE DRIVER ERA
TOUR DATES

SEP 19 – OSAKA, JP @ NAMBA HATCH
SEP 20 – TOKYO, JP @ ZeppDiverCity
SEP 23 – NEWSTEAD, AU @ The Triffid
SEP 24 – SYDNEY, AU @ Roundhouse
SEP 25 – MELBOURNE, AU @ 170 Russell
SEP 26 – MELBOURNE, AU @ 170 Russell
SEP 28 – AUCKLAND, NZ @ Powerstation
OCT 4 – LONDON, GB O2 @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire
OCT 5 – LONDON, GB O2 @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire
OCT 7 – BIRMINGHAM, GB @ O2 Institute
OCT 8 – NEWCASTLE, GB @ University
OCT 10 – GLASGOW, GB @ O2 Academy
OCT 11 DUBLIN, IE @ Vicar Street
OCT 12 – MANCHESTER, GB @ Academy
OCT 14 – UTRECHT, NL @ TivoliVredenburg – Ronda
OCT 15 – PARIS, FR @ Le Bataclan
OCT 17 – BARCELONA, ES @ Razzmatazz
OCT 18 – MADRID, ES @ La Riviera
OCT 21 – MUNICH, DE @ Muffathalle
OCT 23 – MILAN, IT @ Alcatraz
OCT 24 – VIENNA, IT @ Ottakringer Brauerei
OCT 25 – KRAKÓW, PL @ Kwadrat
OCT 26 – WARSAW, PL @ Progresja
OCT 28 – PRAGUE, CZ @ MeetFactory
OCT 31 – BERLIN, DE @ Metropol
NOV 1 – COPENHAGEN, DK @ DR Koncerthuset -Studie 2
NOV 2 – STOCKHOLM, SE @ Nalen
NOV 4 – HAMBURG, DE @ Stage Club
NOV 6 – TILBURG, NL @ O13
NOV 7 – KÖLN, DE @ Essigfabrik
NOV 8 – ANTWERP, BE @ Trix
NOV 9 – ZURICH, CH @ Dynamo
NOV 18 – SAN DIEGO @ San Diego Waterfront

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Follow THE DRIVER ERA
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter

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Press Release 5th August 2022 (below) HERE

The Music Project from ROSS and ROCKY LYNCH

THE DRIVER ERA
Announces Third Studio Album
‘Summer Mixtape’
Out September 16th

+ Releases
“Malibu”
Official Music Video

(Watch HERE)

ON TOUR NOW

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AMNPLIFY – DB