Quietdrive records new album

By Danielle Larson
Editor in Chief

The Minneapolis band Quietdrive celebrated its album release party for its second album, Deliverance, on Oct. 9.
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After its contract was up with Epic Records, which released the bands first album, When All That’s Left Is You, the band decided it would be best to record its second album on its own. The band recorded Deliverance in Minneapolis. An independent level called The Militia Group (TMG) is releasing it and gave band members the freedom to do what they wanted with their album.

The best part about being able to record without a contract, according to Droo Hastings, bass player for Quietdrive, was the fact that they had the freedom to do whatever they felt like doing.

“We got to write on our terms. We got to record on our terms and we had nobody breathing down our neck. … It was liberating to know that the only people we had to satisfy with this record were the other four guys in the band,” Hastings said.

Their reason for recording Deliverance on their own was that, as a band, they knew they could accomplish the kind of record they wanted. After witnessing major layoffs at their first label and seeing the recording industry in disarray, they opted to record themselves with a little help from TMG.

“In a perfect world we’ll be back with a major (producer) when the time is right,” said Matt Kirby, guitar player and vocalist for Quietdrive.

As for now, the plan for the band is simple. “The plan is to go the blue collar way. We are going to go tour everywhere we can. We have been doing it for two and a half years, pretty much, non-stop. We took our first break as a band this year to go and write and record the new record,” said Kirby.

The new CD was derived mostly from past experiences. After touring, the band members were finally able to stop and look back at the situations they encountered.

“We have gone through so many dangerous situations (and) so many amazing situations. … It all came to a head when we stopped touring. We could actually reflect on all the things we learned. We live our lives a million miles an hour and when it stopped, we could figure out the important things. So, a lot of our songs are kind of an autobiography of that,” said Kevin Truckenmiller, lead singer of Quietdrive.

Quietdrive is trying to connect with fans by touring Minnesota high schools and colleges. The band recently performed at Winona State University. The members visit music classes and give acoustic performances to students. The idea behind this tour is to be able to give students a chance to talk with them and learn about their experiences and their challenges of trying to succeed as a band.

Deliverance will be available everywhere on Oct. 14.

To learn more about Quietdrive, go to their website at www.quietdrivemusic.com.