Driveblind 'self-titled' album

It never pays to be narrow-minded — especially when it comes to making music. While plenty of acts find themselves wrestling in a myopic musical haze, settling for a kitschy been-there, done-that pose and posture, Driveblind has managed to tastefully (and respectfully) reference the past forty years of the rock timeline through a succinctly satisfying twelve-track, self-titled offering. Fusing the passion and energy of ‘60s greats The Who, the gleaming melodies of mid-‘80s Crowded House, and the present-day relevance of artists like Coldplay, Driveblind’s compositions have the ability to appeal to generations of rock fans — all without the empty “retro” tags attached to so many current bands. The act began as the stripped-down, acoustic duo of vocalist Terry McDermott and guitarist Nick Tyler in its hometown of Aberdeen, Scotland. Friends for well over a decade, McDermott and Tyler started the band in 2000, while still in college, performing around town at local venues.

“We handpicked people from other bands that we respected in the area that had dissolved, and it worked out really well timing-wise, since we managed to get the drummer [Dave McKay] and the bass player [Jack Morrice] we wanted,” says Tyler.

Seemingly large by current rock band standards, Driveblind (which took its name from a Ride song) solidified its six-man lineup in 2001 with the recruitment of an acoustic guitarist, Cameron Taylor, and Dave Nicholson on keys. Tyler notes that he didn’t really take inventory of the band swelling in ranks during its formative period.

“Next thing you know, there’s like six people in the band, and you’re like, ‘Wow, how did that happen?’” he says. “But it’s good, because with so many people, you’ve got your entourage with you all the time.”

With the self-proclaimed entourage in place, Driveblind began performing throughout the UK, including Glasgow and London.
“We carefully selected the gigs we wanted to play,” says Tyler. “Other bands played so often that you’d get bored with them, so we thought we’d put a lot of effort into each show and make each show count.”

Fans soon realized they were getting quite the punch for their pound and Driveblind became one of the area’s musical highlights. The band also played the festival scene, performing at Glasgow’s Gig on the Green in front of a crowd of 30,000 in 2002. But conquering Great Britain wasn’t enough for the still-unsigned act, who were now looking towards the bigger goal of tackling America.

Initially aiming to perform just a couple shows in New York in 2003, Driveblind managed to score a gig at Los Angeles’ Viper Room. Heading out west for the extra gig was one of the most important decisions in the band’s career.

“I don’t think anyone expected anything from it, certainly not the people at the Viper Room,” says Tyler. But after gracing the stage with its dynamic energy and dazzling musicianship, Viper Room management was instantly convinced, and arranged for the band to return for an encore performance the next night, arranging for a handful of industry contacts to come witness the extraordinary live show. Representatives from major labels attended and suddenly the band was on A&R radars.

Ron Fair of A&M Records (now President of Geffen Records) wasn’t in the crowd that night, but managed to track down a live recording of the show. Upon hearing it, Fair was immediately impressed and signed the band to the label, sight unseen. With fresh ink on the record deal, Driveblind rushed back home to Scotland, quit their jobs, got rid of all the belongings they couldn’t take with them and moved to California to begin writing what would become their debut album. Once settled in Los Angeles, Driveblind began penning scores of potential songs for its forthcoming debut.

“Quite often, the urge to write will come at two or three in the morning,” McDermott says. “I’ll just have to get out of bed and write because it’s something I’ve been sleeping on. ‘Clearer Now’ was a track that I sat with a verse for like two weeks. I got up at half past one in the morning and stayed up writing it until 5:00 a.m. I just played the music over and over again, and by the time I went to bed at 6:00 a.m., the whole thing was complete. And except for two or three words, the whole thing is as it was then.”

After a solid year of composing, the band was ready to enter the studio — or studios, that is, with three different production teams, each handling a segment of the band’s spectrum of material. Driveblind opted to capture one of the album’s facets in London, recording at Westside Studio with producer Mike Hedges (The Cure, Travis).

Back in Los Angeles, the band entered Bay 7 studios with producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Hoobastank). And while in their newly adopted hometown, the band also self-produced several songs that made the album’s roster. With tracking complete, the entire disc was mixed into final form by Brian Malouf (Everclear, Lit).

The band’s debut launches with “Silhouette,” a song McDermott says revolves around his observation of a friend struggling to find love. The track, one of the last written for the album, was actually crafted across three continents — Tyler composed the music in Scotland, McDermott penned the lyrics while on vacation in Malaysia, with final assembly taking place in Los Angeles. “We’ll write in Timbuktu if we have to,” says McDermott.

“Leave Home,” the debut’s second track, is actually the second song the band ever wrote. Referencing the concept of detachment and learning how to face it, the song’s comfortable chorus has withstood the lengthy career of Driveblind and made for a seamless addition amongst the newer material.

The album ends with “Autumn Red,” an incredibly personal song about McDermott’s late mother, who was terminally ill. “I actually played it for my mother,” he says, “so she got to hear it and she loved it.”

But, Driveblind’s success isn’t just in its recorded efforts — the band’s much lauded stage show and flexible set list has found them sharing bills with artists from a host of genres, including Wolfmother and Nikka Costa. “One night we’re out with a Black Sabbath equivalent and then we’re out with a funk band,” says Tyler of the two acts, “so we enjoy the diversity.”

“One of the main objectives was to always have a good record, but when we play live, we always want to turn it up one more notch, because we’ve seen too many bands that play well live, but sound just like the record, so you could’ve technically just listened to the record,” adds Tyler. “We’ve always felt to give it a little more than what is on the record. Something that you don’t have on the CD.”

Terry McDermott – Vocals
Nick Tyler - Lead Guitar/Vocals
Cameron Taylor - Acoustic Guitar/Vocals
Jack Morrice - Bass Guitar
Dave Nicholson - Keyboards
Dave McKay - Drums

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Driveblind - self-titled