QUIETDRIVE: Journal

Droo Journal 4/30/07: Big Easy and Beyond

2007-04-30T14:59:00.000-05:00

I was sure what to expect when we traveled to New Orleans for a show at the House of Blues. It was our first time ever in The Big Easy. What I knew about the city was a scattered compilation of stories about the capital of jazz, and of course the tremendous tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina. A scattered array of desperate stories and vivid TV images. So we were a little apprehensive. A little nervous. What we found was a city with so much character that not even one of the worst natural disasters our nation has ever seen could keep it down and out. Granted there are down town windows that are still blown out. There are buildings that are in ruins, but so much of what we saw was vibrant culture and excited city life. New Orleans is definitely a place I would like to visit on my own time, and experience, and take it all in. All in all I was impressed by the resilience and ability to maintain one of America's most unique municipalities.

The several days after our visit to the land of the saints brought us to Florida for only the second time in band history. First show being a place called Captain Hiram's resort. Talk about having no idea what to expect. The people at the resort were incredible and treated us like royalty. The resort sat on a little marina pier next to an incredible river that fed into the ocean. We were so relaxed we could hardly get on stage and play.

The next two shows in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, respectively, were amazing. Great venues, amazing people, and some of the most incredible fans and friends. We really didn't expect such a warm welcome in a state that we've so badly neglected. Florida was a pleasant surprise.

Now we move into one of the most insane touring weeks of our lives. We have radio stations a plenty to visit as we campaign to take over the world. Now is the time where we put the pedal to the metal, and we couldn't have a better group of fans and friends behind us. Thank you for continuing to believe in us. All clichés beside, Quietdrive has the best fans in the world!

That's all I got! -Droo

Droo Journal 4/3/07: Viva Las Radio

2007-04-03T16:09:00.000-05:00

Being in Las Vegas means that I can't save money, but I can lose it all and drink really cheap margaritas. Such is the way of the world. It really is truly amazing how many different ways you can spend every penny that you have in this city, and the gambling is just the icing on the cake.

Having a song on the radio is one of those things that you dream about from a really early age. Anyone who has seen the movie "That Thing You Do," probably remembers the scene where the kids are running down the sidewalk when they first hear their single on the radio. That essentially sums up the last several weeks of our lives. This has been a truly surreal experience. Every time we get a call or an email that another radio station is playing "Time After Time" we feel like kids in a proverbial candy store.

You know what? We owe it all to you guys. Every band says this, so all cliche aside, we have the best fans in the world. All that we sacrifice to bring music to the ears of those willing to listen is made worthwhile every time we hear that the phones at these radio stations are ringing off the hook. So thank you! Please keep up the good work because to know you're doing it makes me love you babies!! That's all I got. -Droo
P.S. Gotta give a shout out to our good buddy Chris Hawkey for letting me live another dream and gab on his show on KFAN. Please listen to him every weekday morning on the Powertrip morning show on 1130 AM! check out www.kfan.com for more info.

Droo Journal 1/16/07

2007-01-16T15:50:00.000-06:00

I've always been behind the times for someone my age technologically. I struggle with computers, I know how to do this, and the Internet, and email but that's about it. My very first video game system was a Sega Genesis that my mom got me for my birthday. I've never been a big gigabytes kind of guy. That being said, my lovely girlfriend and my wonderful mother bought me a Sony PSP for my 22nd birthday a few weeks ago. I can't put the damn thing down.

Along with the PSP, I got a couple the games Madden 2007 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. I've probably put in 20 hours on each. It's really bizarre how easy it is to get sucked in. Granted, you have to have something to do to pass the down time when on tour. I used to read. I think I may have forgotten how now. I'm just going to have to buckle down or have my PSP removed forcefully from my icy death grip. They should start a support group for this affliction.

In other news, we're extremely excited to be playing Denver tonight, at the Gothic Theater. It’s a stunning venue that we played years ago when we toured with The Donna's (anyone remember that?). We're feeling useless and complacent, so getting our heads back in the game should light a fire under our butts.

Make sure you check out Podcast #6 if you haven't already. We've started #7 now, and we're going to be calling some of you. So keep your eye on our myspace page and we’ll tell you when to send us numbers. That's all I got. -Droo

Droo Journal 1/7/07

2007-01-07T20:10:00.000-06:00

May auld acquaintance be forgot, a Happy New Year to all in internet blog land from yours truly and my gang of rag-tag scallywags. I hope that everyone is as optimistic about 2007 as I am.

As per usual, so little time and so much to say. So I'll give you the holiday highlights and a little 2007 preview in 4 paragraphs or less. Ready? Go!

We mad the long drive home from Chicago on Christmas Eve, with each of us happily going our separate ways to join our loved ones for a little birth of Christ honoring (even lowly sinners like ourselves don some gay apparel and get our Christmas on). After stuffing our mouths and stomachs with cookies, ham, cranberries, and washing it down with plenty of eggnog we laid siege to one of this great nations historically significant venues. We played a sold out show to our hometown friends at First Avenue. Check your local You-Tube listings for a little taste of that sweetness. We had the night of our lives, and even busted out our own take on a Britney Spears classic (you-tube again, wink, wink).

After the smoke cleared from First Ave, we finally got a little chance to kick back and relax, and reflect on what was an incredible 2006. With several monster tours on the books already for 2007, we knew a little r and r was much needed. We rang in the New Year with foggy memories and a little birthday celebration for the Doc (I'm 22 now, and feeling older than ever).

Amidst joyful holiday celebrating we've been working on a couple of new songs, which we will be debuting at select tour dates when we're out with Bowling for Soup, Cartel, and on a short headlining run in between. So get your butt over to ticketmaster.com, get your tickets, and come give us a happy new year hug. That's all I got!!!

Droo Journal 12/9/06

2006-12-09T05:43:00.000-06:00

Well, well, well look who it is. The Quietdrive faithful (that's you), and everyone's favorite Scottish man of incredible stature (that would be me if I was really tall, which I'm not), at the same place, at the same time, and we're going to have a little tour journal session if you will. I know you will.
We left our warm and toasty homes in the great city of Minneapolis just over a week ago to venture out into the cold and snowy North/northeast. Why? Well we figured why not save the coldest parts of the country for the coldest time of year, then we can all have constantly runny noses and wet feet. Sounds like fun, right? Well maybe the uncontrollable shivering and excessive mucus isn't so great, but I've gotta hand it to a lot of you for driving in blizzard-like conditions at times to come bring the rock. Quietdrive fans are troopers, I love that about you. It inspires us.
Now we find ourselves in New England, home of that mangy Patriots team who put the hurt on my Minnesnowta Vikqueens earlier this year, ready to play 3 shows in 2 days, and then get our butts back home in time to stuff our faces with cookies and wrap presents.
This morning we did a taping for Boston's Fox 25 WFXT morning shindig. Those types of things are always weird because we feel at home and comfortable in grungy rock clubs, so any place we play that doesn't carry an essence of stale Miller Light and Marlboros is a little out of our league, shall we say? A great opportunity none the less, and it couldn't have been with a friendlier group. I know a lot of Bostonians think we hate them, but the oppostie is true, and I can speak for the whole band when I say we really can't wait to do Boston right one of these days.
So tip your egg nog glasses, and lets reminisce about 2006. When we're done, we will wipe the slate clean for another year of grinding, and we know you'll be there with us. Wrap your arms around yourself and squeeze tight, and consider it a hug from me to you... -Droo
and PS, if you're a fan of candlelit evening, slow dancing, romance, or really good Italian food, do me a favor and listen to the new John Mayer record entitled: Continuum. I've been listening and listening, and its subtle, but brilliant. It really takes me places, so hopefully it'll give you a case of the mind adventures too. YEA!

Droo Journal 11/25/06: Long Overdue

2006-11-25T14:45:00.000-06:00

Happy belated Thankgiving to each and every one of you. Hopefully you all gorged yourselves as much as I did. The last several weeks of tour have been strenous in some ways and refreshing in others. Most recently we toured with a band from Arizona called A Change of Pace. Unfortunately the tour was barely over a week long and we didn't get much of a chance to get to know those guys. The little bit that we did discover was awesome, and we managed to have one of the most rapid bonding experiences that we've ever experienced. Three cheers to A Change of Pace, please check them out because their new record entitled "Prepare the Masses," is nothing short of phenominal. The collective Quietdrive hat is off to them and their crew who are some of the finest we've ever worked with.

Our camp has been very busy with sever things. The first of those was an unexpected trip to the City of Angels to perform for an MTV show called Wrestling Society X. I'll be the first to admit that I've never been a huge pro wrestling fan. I did try my hand at wrestling for a brief moment in Jr. High before coming to the conclusion that I should stick to something that I'm good at. The show was a blast to do, however, and I'm glad that we had the opportunity. After perfoming our song "Rise from the Ashes," Kirby and I were invited to do guest commentary for the rest of the show. Doing commentary for a sporting event has always been a dream of mine, and one that very well could have never been realized. The show debuts on MTV in January, and our episode will air in February. Stay tuned for more on that.

The other thing that we're really gearing up for is our homecoming in Minneapolis on December 28th. I truly wish we could bring the excitment and detail that orbit around the event of a hometown show to every city we play. Eventually we will be able to do that. For now, we always put a ton of energy into making hometown shows as unique and special as possible. Its our small way of thanking the city the we grew up in, the place that supported us first, and the sort of paternal nest that launched into our musical adulthood. December 28th will surely be a night to remember. If you can join us please do. If you're not from Minnesota, what better place to take a little holiday vacation.

Thanks to everyone who came out to a show on the A Change of Pace tour, everyone that took time to listen. As always, we appreciate every little ounce of support that we are blessed with. Thanks to Quietdrive manager extroidinaire Dennis for standing in on the last journal. Happy Holdiays to all, I promise to write again sooner. -Droo

Droo Journal 11/03/06: Sugarcult

2006-11-03T09:15:00.000-06:00

I swear I would post more pictures on this thing if I could figure out how to do it. Kevin tried to show me once but he's not very patient. I would say that it wouldn't be unfair to call me "computer challenged." I know how to use the internet, my email, Tiger Woods 2k5, and that's about it. I could use a tech course for computer illiterate musicians. Let me know if you know anyone who could help.

Washington knows how to party. I can say that now that I've experienced it. Yesterday we finally finished off a 22 hour drive which was split into 2 days, and pulled into Pullman, WA to play a show at Washington State University, a good healthy sized Pac 10 school. The show was actually in the student rec center, which was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It looked like one of those severly overpriced health clubs, but way bigger, and with a rock show in one of the gyms.

I had been looking forward to the show for awhile. I like Sugarcult and have for a while. It's always a fulfilling experience to share the stage with artists who you look up to. One of the many perks I guess.

The Washington State crowd was amazing, the people that put the show on were amazing, the fire department that made everyone stand outside in the freezing cold because of a little fog machine mishap: not so amazing.

We also played with some new buddies who we keep running into, first in Dallas, then Bamboozle, and now Washington. They're a band from Baltimore called All Time Low. Great band, great dudes, please check them out if you're not already familiar with their music.

Last, but most definately not least, the following people pooled their money and came up with a check for us in light of our Detroit debacle (if you didn't hear, we got everything we own pretty much stolen in Detroit over the summer. Insurance covered a lot of the band's stuff, but no personal losses). We are forever in debt to you, you and many others who gathered around us when we were down and out, really helped get us back on our feet in a hurry. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. (Please note: last names were removed for privacy purposes)

Christopher T, Wendy A, Kathrine F, Kari J, Neisha D,

Alexis F, Ashlee M, Justin H, Francisco G, Tracy B, Winston H, Justin E, Ashley T, Lisa P, Alyssa G, Timothy L, Jason M, Brittany G, Cindy and Bruce T, Lauren R, Debbie R, Mark R, William M, Alicia T

Droo Journal: Back to California

2006-10-26T05:15:00.000-05:00

Droo Journal 10/26/06: Back to California
What the good word is kids? As I write this we're driving through the Cascade and Trinity Mountain ranges respectively. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. The pressure in my ears is going nuts. I've always had a hard time getting my ears to pop when going through the mountains and especially on airplanes. I've tried chewing gum, drinking water, making myself yawn, etc. The only thing I've found that works for me at all is Afrin nasal spray. As strange as that sounds, it is true, and it's also true that I don't have any Afrin nasal spray with me, so I guess I'll just bite the bullet so to speak.

Sexual J is playing football with himself sitting next to me.

We started a tour Saturday night with our boys Self Against City. Also featured on the bill are The Transit War from San Diego and The Fold from Chicago. We're looking forward to getting to know those guys, and looking forward even more to all of you west coasterners to come out and see these shows. Just consult your local Quietdrive Myspace page for dates and times. Stop by and give some love to the Doctor while you're at it.

As always, stay tuned for more craziness from yours truly. Don't be afraid to ask questions or give suggestions on things you want to hear about. Droojournal@gmail.com is the way to do that. Seeya at the show. -Doc

Droo Journal 10/22/06: Quietdrive meets Incubus

2006-10-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

Friday night was easily one of the funnest nights we've ever had. I'm sure you all know the band Incubus. I bought Make Yourself at the Sam Goody in Rosedale Mall when I was in 9th grade, and I've been in love with the band ever since. When we were in high school, Brandon, Justin, and I would joke about how cool it would be if we signed to the same record label as Incubus, not knowing that just before my 20th birthday we would sign to that very record label. So when we were at Epic's offices in Santa Monica, CA the other day and someone mentioned that Incubus was playing a private show at a small club in San Francisco, and we realized we had to drive right by to get to Washington, we started begging and pleading for tickets to the show. Guess what? We got tickets!

Friday night we left San Luis Obispo after spending the night at our agent's house, and headed into San Francisco (one of my personal favorite cities) to a little club called Bimbo's. The show was a private event sponsered by Verizon Wireless and most of the people there were radio program directors and industry people. Our record label hooked us up with some tickets as soon as we arrived (that's right you get free tickets when you sign your life away and eat ramen noodles for 2 years, guess its a pretty cool job perk), and we made our way inside.

Granted, we knew the show was going to be awesome. We all love Incubus, and seeing them play to 300 people in a small club doesn't happen very often, but we were absolutley floored by the performance. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was the best live performance I've ever seen in my life (and that accounts for a lot of shows). Ben Kenny is my new rock and roll idol. I can't even put into words how impressed I was. Please do yourself a favor and check out Incubus' new single off their upcoming record. The song is called "Anna-Molly" and I believe you can here it on their myspace.

Now we get to the really good part. After Incubus' set was over we got invited up to their dressing room to hang out. As soon as I saw the band standing right there, I was 14 again at my first show. We were all pretty star struck; giddy as a group of school girls. Originally we were going to go to the show and leave to make a 14 hour drive to Washington, but then our label informed us that we didn't have an option, we had to go to the afterparty. So we caught a couple of cabs (which is no easy task in San Fran on a Friday night we learned) and were driven to this fancy pants bar on a very unassuming block in downtown San Fran.

We were at the bar for 15 minutes or so hanging out before Incubus arrived. As you know if you read my last journal, it was Justin's birthday, so we were buying him drinks left and right. We were all feeling pretty surreal, just a bunch of Minnesota boys hanging out with our favorite band. The Incubus dudes showed up and of course we weren't going to waste an opportunity to chat with them. They were extremely down to earth, and willing to chat with everyone who was hanging out. Brandon was like a kid in a candy store haning out with Jose. We had a blast, and Justin had a sufficiently memorable birthday. This will be a night that we all remember for the rest of our lives.

It's funny because anyone who plays mucis for a living starts out as a fan. All of us, all of the bands that we're friends with are just people who love music so much that it hurts sometimes. It's the passion for music that drives us, and it's the feeling that someone else loves the music that you make so much that they know every word to every song that makes this job worthwhile. Spread the love children. That's all I got! -Droo

Droo Journal 10/20/06

2006-10-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

Droo Journal 10/20/06
Current mood: excited

It's been far too long my friends. Did anybody miss me? I've been seriously disconnected from technology lately; feeling a little primitive really. I've got so much to say and so little time before my brain shuts down completley….

The night we showed up in Los Angeles it starting raining. We were feeling a little hung up on our lousy weather karma, but things got better quickly. When our convoy showed up at the University of Southern Cal (USC), our record label had a little surprise waiting. The crew from the MTV show, "The Hills," were coming down to hang out at our show. That was enough good news to turn our day around, but more was in store when tons of kids lined up to see us play the campus with our boys in Daphne Loves Derby. It was great to see those dudes again. They're headed into the studio very soon, so put your ears out there for some new Daphne tracks. A big thanks to MTV for being flexible and working with us, and to everyone from the Hills for coming down and showing their support. Keep checking back to find out when that episode will air on MTV!

Next on our list was Bamboozle left. This was the inaugural year for the west coast counterpart to this staple of the east. We had no idea what to expect, but we were all pretty stoked to play with Big Japan and our good friends in Sherwood. We couldn't believe how many kids showed up to watch us play (thanks so much to everyone who came out). As a bonus, we got to meet and chat with Adam Brody from Big Japan who is also, of course, "Seth Cohen" on Fox's The OC. How many of you girls are jealous?

The second day of Bamboozle we showed up to be fans for the day. Our buddies in the band Inept from Chicago borrowed our gear and once the last guitar was back in the trailer it was fun time for Quietdrive. I honestly was a little disappointed by most of the performances but we did see a good set from our friends in The Audition, and everyone was pretty stoked on seeing Brand New.

Monday was a day spent in the studio, first at Napster in LA. We did some exclusive acoustic tracks and made a Quietdrive playlist, both of which will be available for download in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned for that. Thanks to Tyler and everyone at Napster for being so cool to us. Afterwards we hit the sonyconnect.com studios to do some more exclusive material. This time we got a little crazy from being cooped up inside all day. All I can say is that there is a Sublime cover involved and the Doc did a little of his original recipe style beat boxing. Thanks to Robert and everyone at Sony connect for making us feel comfortable, and to Tim Heslin for providing some inspiration. That stuff will be available for download soon as well, check www.sonyconnect.com for more on that.

(Time to take a breath………)

Finally, we did our first TV performance EVER yesterday. DirecTV had us in studio to do CD USA. We were a little nervous but thanks to all of our fans that came out to show their support, we got comfortable pretty quick. Lloyd Banks from G-Unit was also performing (we thought about getting a little Minneapolis vs. Detroit feud going with those dudes, then we saw them in person and we remember we're scrawny white boys and quickly realized that was an awful idea). Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone did a little hip-hop performance in support of their new record, and then gave us the stage. I just hope I don't look like a total dork on TV. For those of you who have DirecTV, the show begins airing on the 21st of October, and runs several times a day on channel 101. If you don't have DirecTV, there's something seriously wrong with you, so go get it.

Tonight we're going to see Incubus play a private event in San Francisco. We're all wetting our pants a little bit (not really though cause that's gross). We've all been Incubus fans since high school (especially Brandon), so the thought of seeing them play for 300 people is pretty crazy. Want to hear about how it went? Want to see if Sexual J gets us kicked out of the show before Incubus plays? Well then you better read my next journal. You're beautiful America.

Be sure to wish Justin (JB) a very happy 23rd birthday today! He now graduates to the class of old man in Quietdrive, at least until I turn 22. Happy b-day man!

A special thanks to Tim, Denise, Chris, Samantha (for hooking up CD USA), Mike, April, and everyone at Epic in Santa Monica. To Bamboozle, to Audrina and the "Hills" girls for being rad, to Sexual J for having hair that goes in my mouth when I'm anywhere near him, and most importantly, to our Southern California friends and fans who make us feel like this is a second home. Holla at the Doc!

Droo Journal 10/20/06

2006-10-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Droo Journal 10/11/06

2006-10-11T03:48:00.000-05:00

I was not debating the better Warcraft race in Brandon's ignorant photo blog. I'm pretty sure Kevin and I were recording something, and besides Night Elves are obviously better. Nerdom asisde, the Quietdrive circus is now officially going west starting with a show in Dallas, and then a 26 hour drive to LA. Anyone care to join? Seriously not looking forward to that!

On the bright side, California awaits and I don't care who you are or where you're from; Cali is beautiful and warm. We've got a laundry list of things to do right now and it's a little overwhelming, but we've gotten so many encouraging words for all of you that have helped us through an uphill battle royal. The last two years have been crazy, but extremely fun, and we wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe I wouldn't have to share a bed with Kirby tonight because he will attack me at 4AM in his sleep.

Thanks to Springfield, VA, and Little Rock for making us feel welcome. We can't wait to get back. Speaking of Little Rock, if you're ever there and hungry eat at Juanita's. The food was so good that we all became gluttonous and nearly vomited on stage. With that pleasant thought I bid you ado. -Doc

Droo Journal 10/7/06

2006-10-07T04:03:00.000-05:00

Brrr! The east coast is cold, and I'm truly ready to go west and enjoy a little sunshine. Don't get me wrong, I grew up in a state that has 4 very distinct season. Minnesota is severly cold in the winter. I just think the older I get, the less tolerant of the cold I become. Give me 3 weeks of winter around Christmas and New Years, and then I'll take 65 and sunny the rest of the year.

We did have a great time out east. We finally got a show at the Knitting Factory in NYC under our belts. Not only did a whole bunch of Epic people come down to show their support, but an amazing group of fans we didn't even know we had came out and truly got their Quietdrive on. This had to be one of the most hectic days of our collective lives, but you have to expect that in the Big Apple. Personally I enjoy having 10 things going on at once. It makes you feel accomplished when you pull it off.

Another highlight from our run of the east was Rochester, NY. We've made a ton of friends in Rochester including the band Out of Line, and designer extroidinaire Chris Hingel (www.chingel.com), who did the artwork for our album. The crowd was amazing at Steele, and even though we couldn't stay, we did get to party a little with our Rochester crew. Thanks so much to all the fans in New York and the rest of the coast who have been so generous to spend their money on a Quietdrive ticket, t-shirt, CD, or just being there to listen and connect to the music that means so much to us.

I gotta give a shout out to my boys on the Powertrip morning show on the only MN sports talk station that matters, KFAN 1130AM. Those guys have been sweet to us, and especially me. Please check them out if you're in MN or online at www.kfan.com

Next on the list: Conquer the Left Coast. Lots of crazy exciting things coming up.. That's all I got! -Droo

Droo Journal 10/4/06 with PICS!

2006-10-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

Today is a sad day for the Doc. I think I need a pat on the back or a hug. You see the Minnesota Twins baseball team made the playoffs on a miracle division win literally determined the last game of the season. Unfortunately, yesterday my Twins lost to the Oakland A's and right now they are down 2-0. What does this mean? It means that our manager, Dennis, who is the world's biggest Oakland A's fan is going to rub this in my face to add insult to injury.

So I could really use some moral support right now, even if you don't care about baseball. Speaking of support, we're making a little run through new england and we haven't been here too many times before, so we're calling on everyone in the area to come hang out with us and be our friends. Tomorrow we're playing our first show ever in Boston!! Check out www.firstactguitarstudio.com for show info.

Now for the grand finale... We had an amazing show in Rochester, NY the other night at Steel Music hall. Big ups to all of our Rochester fans who have made us feel so welcome over the last couple of years. Rock and roll venues are known for being a little odd. Check out what we found. Until next time guys! -Droo

Droo Journal 9/30/06

2006-09-30T04:58:00.000-05:00

Droo Journal 9/30/06

Tonight we bid Boys Like Girls farewell for now. Which makes me think about how much I hate saying goodbye. I guess there's a part of me that wonders if that will be the last time. As I've gotten older and my life has taken its course, I've found that so many people come and go. People who used to be best friends fade, and new friends take their place. If you're old like me, then you start remenicing about days past. You find yourself starting sentences with "Dude, do you remember when..."

I guess I'm feeling sentimental for some reason. It could be a lot of reasons actually. Like most people, transitions take adjusting to for me, and we're really at a point as a band where we're turning a corner and moving into a new phase. To everyone who has supported us in the last phase, or last several phases: Cheers to you, we hope you stay with us. To anyone just joining us new, welcome.

Thanks to everyone who made it out to see us and BLG. If you haven't already, check them out they're awesome. Check our tour schedule and come talk to me at a show! Respect. -Droo

Droo Journal 9/23/06

2006-09-23T11:53:00.000-05:00

Droo Journal 9/23/06
Don't call it a comeback.

Yeah, I'm back to doing this. It's been a little while, but we had some time off recently, and it was rejuvenating. Now we're back on the road kicking off the Quietdrive/Boys Like Girls tour 2006. Last night we got things going in Fraser, MI. Thanks to everyone who came out, and all of the bands who played. We're really looking forward to this tour. Boys Like Girls are a great band, hailing from the land of Red Sox. Check em out at www.myspace.com/boyslikegirls

This morning my brain is numb and my head feels like its floating 3 feet above my body. I just can't get going. I'm drinking coffee and everything. I think somedays you wake up and you just have to go back to bed if for no other reason, just to try waking up again. I developed a lot of bad habbits in attempts to counteract this problem in highschool and then later when I was working in the "real world" (meaning a regular job not being a musician). I'm an admitted caffeine junky, which is probably part of the reason I'm only 5'7". A few years of cigarettes and Mountain Dew or Coffee for breakfast probably didn't help. It's really crazy how dependant we are as a culture on caffeine. It's the reason that Starbucks thrives. So many of us need our morning pick me up just to function.

Check the tour schedule on our myspace main page. Come hang out with us at one of these shows. Check out our boys in Boys Like Girls, and holla at yer boy the Doc, droojournal@gmail.com. Give me some ideas for our next podcast, which is in the works as we speak. -Droo

Droo Journal 9/8/06

2006-09-08T00:45:00.000-05:00

9/8/06
Alright, starting today life became amazing for the Doctor. I'm not going to tell you why, I'm going to show you. Right now you're sitting in a chair in front of a computer. Close your eyes. Are they closed? No they're not or you couldn't still be reading you liar! Okay I'll let you keep your eyes open. Take a deep breath. Ready...inhale.....exhale. What do you smell? No, I don't mean your stank breath (aww snap). It's the sweetest scent know to man and woman kind. The smell of FOOTBALL!

Now, I'll have you know that I don't discriminate when it comes to football. I like high school, college, and especially NFL football. I've even been know to watch arena league (only in the offseason, and only because Jon Bon Jovi is an arena league owner). The true love of my life...football.

Granted, I'm a Minnesota kid, which means I bleed purple for my Vikings. It doesn't matter if they have a good season, or a bad season (usually the case). I just like watching, talking, dreaming about football. Am I freak? Absolutley, and damn proud of it. So just a heads up, I will be talking about football on Sundays, probably Mondays, and some Thursdays until the end of January. If you find yourself excited whil reading this, then send me an email at droojournal@gmail.com, and I will talk football with you because there are few things I would rather do.

Just a quick update: We are back home and desperately loving our time off. We really needed a break after the turmoil of the last tour. We're going to be in the studio in a couple of weeks recording our new song "Pretend" which you may have heard on our last tour with Houston Calls. Be sure to check the tour schedule as we are going to be back on the road at the end of September. Quietdirve friends, good night and good luck. -Doc

Droo Journal 8/31/06

2006-08-31T15:33:00.000-05:00

Well, fancy seeing all of you again back here in my sick, sad, little world or electronic psychobabble. I've been getting a lot of people asking me to talk a little more about one of my favorite people, myself (haha kidding, but really my mother tells me I'm special). So as much as it pains me, I've agreed to fill out a myspace survey, right here right now, with a few added questions that came right out of your mouths (and by that I mean emails). Here goes nothing, and all my friends will call me a loser (I guess that's the price you pay)!

WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Winfield (crazy right?). It was my grandfather’s name.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Boys Like Girls, a band we’re touring with from Boston.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? An asiago cheese bagel at Panera Bread

LAST PERSON YOU HUGGED? Someone in Escape from Earth or The Dog and Everything

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My dad

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? Hmm.. probably eyes. Eyes can tell you a lot about a person.

FAVORITE TYPE OF FOOD? Either Thai or Italian, it’s really a toss up.

FAVORITE HOLIDAY? Christmas

FAVORITE SEASON? Fall

WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Working my way through John Sandford’s Prey series

PIERCINGS? Used to have 8, now I just have my eyebrow.

FAVORITE MOVIE? Fight Club!

FAVORITE COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM? Minnesota Golden Gophers

DO YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL BY PLANE? I’m scared of flying and I can never get my ears to pop.

IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE? Scotland!

DO YOU HAVE A TATOO? A trinity on my left forearm, but I’m working on more. Donations anyone?

DO YOU STILL WATCH CARTOONS ON SATURDAY MORNINGS? I used to watch might mouse and later X Mean, but I never watch TV anymore with the exception of ESPN

WHAT IS THE WALLPAPER ON YOUR CELLPHONE? My Chingel bot. www.chingel.com It’s on my myspace as well.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE HANDY AT YOUR BEDSIDE? Always my phone, kinda like my safety blanket.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? No, I was when I was a kid, and I read those books, remember those?

3 THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT? Cigarettes, a good book, music (hopefully cigs will be gone from that list soon)

ALL TIME FAVORITE RECORD Maybe 3rd Eye Blind’s self titled

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?? Flying and drowning. I’m terrified of drowning.

WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES? The Doctor, Dr.OO, Big Dilla Vanilla the Aligata Killa, D. Razzle Dazzle

WHAT IS STUCK ON A DESERTED ISLAND & COULD TAKE ONE THING? A laptop with an eternal battery.

FIRST THING YOU'LL SAVE IN A FIRE? People, and after that maybe pictures?

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Red

WHAT DID YOU WANNA BE WHEN YOU WERE A KID?? A musician (that’s funny huh), and now I want to be an author.

So there it is. Don't forget to listen for "Rise from the Ashes on the VMAs tonight! Show starts @ 6:30pm eastern. As always, if you have a question, send it to me droojournal@gmail.com. No sleep 'till Minneapolis -Droo

Droo Journal 8/28/06

2006-08-28T02:55:00.000-05:00

SO.... I was going to continue the Detroit story, but I think enough has been said there and it's really time to move on. As it is we were able to finish our incredible tour with our great friends in Houston Calls, Self Against City, and Let Go, and thanks to those bands we didn't have to cancel any shows! Thanks to each and every person in those bands, all of the crew, the venues, promoters, anyone else involved, and most importantly ALL OF YOU for being there with us!

Touching on the Motor City tragedy, our van has been found now according to the Detroit police. The driver-side door is trashed, the steering column and center console is gone, and the tires are no longer on the van. We’re going to see what’s left this week and cross our fingers that we might get a few things back. Thank you everyone who has shown support for us during this trying time. We are doing really well, all things considered, and really feel loved by each person who has let us borrow a guitar, left a comment, given us a pair of sox, etc. We truly have the greatest fans and friends any band could ever ask for, and I really mean that we take that straight to the heart.

Right now we’re hanging out with our amazingly awesome friends The Underwater (www.myspace.com/theunderwater), who are borrowing us their gear for our show at Fletcher’s in Baltimore. A big thank you to them as well.

In other news, Rise from the Ashes is going to be featured on MTV’s Video Music Awards which airs 8/31/06 on MTV at 6:30 eastern. Set your TiVos we’re really excited! As if that weren’t enough Rise is also going to be featured on NHL 2007 by EA Sports for Playstation and Xbox systems. NHL 2007 hits shelves on Sept. 14th!

Keep your heads high. Until next time… -Droo

Droo Journal 8/23/06

2006-08-23T14:17:00.000-05:00

Thursday, August 17th: We played a show that went off much better than I thought. A great crowd of modest size easily made up for in enthusiasm. A solid night on tour for us, and we met a lot of interesting people (thanks to the folks who made us the bracelets). As the show comes to an end, we’re packed a little early, and we get in the van after one last picture so we can get rolling. Once we’re all inside, we discuss our plans for the night and what our alternatives might be. In the end, we decide that we hate to pass up the opportunity to stay with friends and set our GPS for Detroit. We get in late and hang out, catching up on episodes of the HBO show Entourage. I fall asleep on the living room couch, but I never fell asleep too deeply.

Friday, August 18th, 2006: At aprox. 12:45pm, our merchandise handler, Sexual J, walks through the apartment parking lot, right by the security guard, past our van and trailer, and into Wendy’s for lunch. He orders, sits, and eats. When he leaves Wendy’s, he immediately notices that our van and trailer are no longer across the street. J rushes inside to see if someone in the band had taken the van for any reason. When he found out everyone was still at the apartment, he panicked and started waking people up.

I woke up after all of the above happened to Kirby screaming at me that our van and trailer were gone and he needed my phone right that instant. Groggy, confused, I woke up and went outside and started trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

First, we thought the van might have been towed, so we called every single towing service in Detroit, and no one knew anything about our van. We had to assume the worst. We had to assume that our van and trailer with all of our gear, personal belongings, and everything we tour with had been stolen.

Justin, Kirby, and Brandon left with our friend who was playing chauffer, to go to the police station to file a police report. Meanwhile, our friend made some phone calls to family members who happened to have a connection with the FBI and the Michigan State Police. The State cops put helicopters up in the air and began the hunt for our van and trailer.

While Justin, Kirby, and Brandon were out hunting down our gear, looking at all of the area pawn shops, Kevin, J, and myself were hanging around at our friend’s apartment, waiting to hear anything, and getting very little information. We had no idea what to do with ourselves besides sit and wait to hear something. That something came a couple of hours later when Justin called us telling us to grab everyone’s luggage, and leave immediately because the people who stole our van knew that we were there and might come after us. So the five of us at the apartment grabbed 8 people’s luggage, and stuffed what remained of our belongings and packed them into our friend’s Saturn, and went to a friend of a friend’s house to get away from the apartment.

In the next few hours we found out that the police had found some of our gear. Evidently a group of Detroit’s friendliest criminals had unloaded our trailer and started putting our gear in vans and selling thousands of dollars worth of our stuff for hundreds. Unfortunately for them, the police showed up in the middle of this and broke up the party.

On our end of things, we were still waiting. We were handling phone call after phone call, trying to tell as much of the story as we could. The next news item came down the line letting us know that the police had an entire street blockaded off, had gotten search warrants, and were trying to get into a house in Detroit where more of our stuff might be being held hostage.

During all of this, our entire team, managers, lawyers, etc. were getting phone calls from a guy who said he knew where our van was, and how much money was it worth to us to get it back. He was also claiming that the people he was working with would kill him if they found out he was giving us information.

By the end of the night, one man was in custody, and possible three. The police had a list of 9 names of people who had been involved…Justin and Kirby, who had spent the day on the phone and running around Detroit, were at the police station when the Detroit cops offered to let Kirby interrogate the man that he had arrested. Kirby, under police suggestion, went into a room with one of the guys who had just stolen almost everything we have to our names, and lied straight to his face saying that we would give him $20,000 if he could get our van back.

The rest of us at this point, had driven 40 miles outside of Detroit to spend the night with Justine’s family. We needed to get out of Detroit. We had a show the next day, and we had no idea what we were going to do. Kirby and Justin were spending the night at the police station watching our equipment which the police had recovered, about 65% of our gear. Everyone in the band had lost personal belongings. Kirby lost his golf clubs, I lost half of my clothes, and we all lost a lot.

To Be Continued….

Droo Journal 8/15/06

2006-08-16T07:47:00.000-05:00

Droo Journal 8/15/06

On the road again, I just can’t wait… That’s right kids, Quietdrive is back in the saddle, ready to take on every city north of the Mason Dixon line, and east of the mighty Mississippi. First stop: Chicago (aka: evil White Sox territory, sorry to the south side, and to the north: I like the Cubs as long as they stay in the NL). Something very special happened the other night when we rocked the Arlington Heights KOC. Two friends of Quietdrive’s decided to eternally unite in a promise of matrimony. We had our first middle-of-the-set marriage proposal!! A big congrats to Kevin and Hillary on their most special of engagements, and what better way to decide to tie the knot then taking the stage at a Quietdrive rock show. Awwww….

Moving along, lo siento to all of you who came out to show your support in Madtown, WI, for a set cut short. That is something that we like doing about as much as we like drilling holes in our teeth with rusty screwdrivers. Unfortunately, we depend on a lot of gear to work the way its supposed to every night to not make us look like ass clowns. Sometimes the moons align and Kirby’s lips get electrocuted, and when that happens, we have to put a band member’s safety before bringing the rock. Again, we’re very sorry, and we promise to make it up to ya’ll. In fact… tomorrow we play the Miramar Theater in Milwaukee, and rumor has it there might just be a few tickets left. If you have the evening free, pack yourself a little brown bag, a car full of friends, and come see us play some mo’ songs.

More special announcements? No way! Yes way! A huge pat on the back and thank you to Joanna, Casey, Holly, Sam, and Garrett for their help promoting the Midwest dates (and also to anyone not mentioned). A little bird told me that Garrett just celebrated a birthday at The Varsity Theater on Friday, so a happy getting-another-year-older is also in store!

Whew…gotta catch my breath, but I’m still not done running my mouth. Thanks to all of our friends in LaCrosse for being a home away from home. Steve: I apologize for not shaking your hand after the show, but really, really, thank you so much for being an avid supporter. You go above and beyond every day, and you are doing something amazing with the Warehouse. You can hold me to my offer to chip in for an elevator when this career takes off. Steve is the man, please visit www.thewarehouserocks.com and please check out their Ebay sale (there might even be some Quietdrive craziness in there, who knows?).

Last but not least, I’m going to get personal with you guys next time around. Some folks have been asking me to fill out one of those ridiculous surveys. I guess sometimes the Doctor has to take orders too. Got a question? Send it to me at droojournal@gmail.com Until then, I’ll seeya around. -Droo

Droo Journal 8/12/06

2006-08-14T20:26:00.000-05:00

There really is no place like home is there? After several clicks of our collective ruby slippers, we found ourselves on August 11, at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis’ Dinkytown neighborhood. There are lots of cities across these United States that have shown us love, but there’s just nothing quite like the love that we get in Minneapolis. As a band we are proud of our home community. We’re proud of Prince, and Motion City Soundtrack, and Atmosphere, and Bob Dylan. We love our Minnesota Vikings, and Twins, and the North Woods. We love the “Ya sure ya betchas,” and the “don’t ya knows,” the farm land, and the city. We love the Cherry and the Spoon, and the Hennipen Avenue Bridge, the Grain Belt bottle cap, the IDS Center, and the Metrodome. I just can’t help but get excited about being home. Like I said there really is no place like home.

That being said, it was a truly incredible feeling returning to the stage where we celebrated the release of our record just two months and some change earlier. It truly was euphoria. When we played “Rise from the Ashes,” the crowd was singing so loud I couldn’t even hear Kevin. So thank you Minneapolis for showing your support, and for being as proud of five Twin Cities kids, as we are of you.

A special thanks to Chris Hawkey along with Mike Morris, Sludge, and Lisa from KFAN, for all the support and for relentlessly playing our music. Chris and Lisa, it was an honor to have you at the show. Also a big thank you to Chase, Wayne D, and everyone at KCLD for continuing to play our music and supporting not only Minnesota music, but Armstrong Alums!

What an awesome time we had, and we can’t wait to bring the show on the road headed out east. Seeya at the rock show. -Droo

Droo Journal 8/8/06

2006-08-08T06:04:00.000-05:00

Quietdrive is getting ready for a homecoming. In a mere 2 days, we’ll be on stage in our hometown of Minneapolis, MN, playing in the midst of the familiar streets and alleyways that we grew up on. We’ll be exchanging smiles and stories with the people who have seen us at our best and our worst. Hugging our mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers, girlfriends, friends, and depending on the level of intoxication, probably several people we don’t know from Adam (or Eve, in the interest of being politically correct). We will have a grand ball celebrating our genesis, and our return to the the land that birthed us.

The best part is: I don’t even have to rent a tux. That was always my least favorite part about formal dances. It seemed like no matter how many times the swarthy little man with the beady eyes who wore too much musk cologne ran the yellow measuring tape over each part of my body, the damn thing still never fit correctly. I always ended up looking like penguin boy, and the fact that I’m short and squarish to begin with, only served to further augment the tuxedo’s comical appearance. Don’t even get me started on the bow-tie. What a preposterous accessory that was.

The truth of the matter is, I hated High School passionately (please don’t tell your parents, and for the record, Droo says, “Stay in school kids”). There wasn’t a day where I dragged my sorry, half awake self into that monstrosity of mortar and linoleum that I didn’t count down the seconds until my release. Once my scholastic debt to society was paid in full, I was finally able to exude my mantra, and start constructing my soap box (still a work in progress).

The moral of the story kids, is for one, bow-ties and tuxedos are not sweet. More importantly: don’t limit your potential based on the determinations of a system that functions to ill prepare American youth for the real world. You will be moderately conditioned based on statistical attributes of a non-existent “average” person for a right of passage deemed and impressed on most of you as the only viable option. The very fact that you are here reading this, written by me, is a testament to the fallibility of that assumption. In English: don’t be afraid to follow your dreams no matter how far fetched they may seem. People have been telling me all my life that being a musician is not an attainable goal. Think about it. -Droo

Droo Journal 8/3/06

2006-08-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

Sadly, tonight is the last night in CA, and that makes me sad. The weather is beautiful, the ocean is beautiful, and I got to see a ball game at AT&T Park yesterday with Brandon, merch master Sexual J, and our manager Dennis. You may not know this about the Doc, but I'm a raging sports nut which proves that rock and roll is not for sissys and you can enjoy both sports and music.

A big thanks to KWOD in Sacramento, and Dimples for being way rad. California, we'll see you again soon, until then go get yourself a copy of our CD and we'll sing to you in our abscence. Peace and love ya'll -Droo

Droo Journal 8/2/06

2006-08-02T04:04:00.000-05:00

Happy August friends! A new month, a new opportunity to continue taking over the world...or at least a little bit of it. Maybe I should start with smaller goals. Then again, people have told me my whole life that being a musician is not a career. Ha! I'm showing them. I'm even making enough money to eat Easy Mac 6 days a week if I want to!
On a more serious note, my girlfriend is flying home in the morning, which makes me sad (sympathy anyone?), but I do get to spend tomorrow in lovely San Francisco, a personal favorite of yours truly. Least I forget, a we had a tremendously fun show in San Jose last night at a roller skating rink. It put me right back in 5th grade when girls had cooties and my mix tape feautured La Buche, Coolio, and Mariah Carey (yeah laugh it up jerks).
I think August should be official tell your friends about Quietdrive month. Lets put it this way. If each one of you tells 3 friends about Quietdrive starting tomorrow, and they tell 3 friends and so on, pretty soon I could have my Easy Mac and eat it too 7 days a week. Peace! -Droo