Driveaway

March 29, 2023

Interview By: Renae Garza

Driveaway: Photo by Jade Pike

A new band from Gainesville, Florida, called Driveaway, released their new single “Lifesized” back in March, following the release of their EP “Feel Better Soon” back in May of 2022. A few days after the single was released, we had the opportunity to interview the band about the process that went into making “Lifesize” and “Feel Better Soon”, as well as how the band is preparing for their tour. Here’s our review of the song if you want to check it out!

Your new single “Lifesize” that came out last month tell me, what was the creative process, what inspired it, were there certain songs or artist that you pulled inspiration from, was there a certain story you wanted to tell

Trenton: I was alone in my parents house watching their dog. I wanted to write something about the good things in my life. I didn’t have any gear at the time so I recorded the first verse and chorus into a Wii RockBand microphone. We were trying to capture the vibes of Dayglow’s first album, something that feels nostalgic like you’re inside a roller rink. 

Tanner: I think the whole song was done, except the chorus when I added bass. 

Kyle: I thought it was perfect and done from the first demo Trenton sent me.

From what I found you guys knew each other in college and from there created the band, can you tell us a bit about that?

Kyle: Tanner and Trenton have known each other since birth (they’re brothers). We actually went to high school with each other, but we never really did music together until college. I had done a little one-off project with Tanner and Trenton sold me a guitar pedal one time. After that, they asked if I wanted to be in a band with them. 

Tanner: We met Po at a show a few years later. We weren’t playing with a drummer at the time and the next week, he posted a cover of himself playing one of our songs. We asked him to join the band soon after!

You guys have been doing shows for a while now, what are your pre-show rituals?

Tanner: We look for a quiet space to decompress before we go onstage. 

Kyle: Trenton and I say “I love you” to each other. 

What are everyone’s favorite songs to perform?

Kyle: They’re all good, but probably “Opening Credits” and “Lifesize”. 

Tanner: “Happy Birthday.”

Trenton: “Lifesize.” 

Po: “Opening Credits.” 

You guys recently performed at the rock boat, that is super exciting, not everyone gets to perform on a boat tell me a little bit about that.

Tanner: First impressions, extremely overwhelming, but it very quickly became apparent what a supportive community they had there. I would do it again any day!

Kyle: It was great to meet so many awesome musicians and be around a group of people that just wanted to experience live music for 5 days straight. 

You guys released your EP “Feel Better Soon” almost a year ago now, what was your experience creating that project?

Tanner: We actually wrote the opening song for this EP at the start of 2018 with the idea that it would be the opening song on an album or EP. In that respect, it was a long time coming but I don’t think we really understood the full statement of it until the last few songs. It was really interesting to see the common threads between the songs that we didn’t necessarily intend originally. Seeing that progression was a validation of our growth as people and artists. 

Kyle: Well said Tanner.