In an age dominated by angry, loud rock and tales of woe and abuse, it is refreshing to see a band break from the doldrums that bind their peers and revel in the pure redemptive power of rock n' roll. DoubleDrive's music is not based on false attitude and ego-driven bluster, rather it is substance unto itself — possessing a sense of both edginess and melody. Their debut for Roadrunner Records "Blue In The Face" is a bold statement to that effect. "We've been holding our breath so long waiting for this to happen," says DoubleDrive guitarist Troy McLawhorn. You see, prior to signing to their current label the band were already locked in a stalemate with their former label.

"Being on our new label has been a very pleasurable experience for us" begins McLawhorn. "The first record deal that we had, the label really didn’t give us any attention so we were kind of trapped into the deal. And we were at home for like two years, and there wasn’t any touring happening. Just writing songs and rehearsing and waiting for our contract to expire, just because they wouldn’t let us go".

So playing the waiting game with their label, they entered the studio in 2001 which saw them record 14 songs with producer John Kurzweg (Creed and Puddle of Mud) while at the same time piquing the interest of Roadrunner in the process. Soon after, a contract was signed, and the group returned to the studio in mid-2002 for a blitzkrieg 10-day session. This time though, DoubleDrive teamed with famed producer/mixer Michael Barbiero, whose resume reads like a history of contemporary rock. With Barbiero, the band recorded four new tracks, along with revised renditions of two songs from the Kurzweg sessions Barbiero then remixed five additional tracks that the group originally recorded with Kurzweg.

As McLawhorn explains: "Some of the songs on this album are the ones we recorded while we still had out first record deal. But when we left that label we took those songs with us. So Michael did the second half of the album and mixed the whole album that also included John Kurswick songs that we did on original version of the album while we were still on our previous label".

Another important ingredient to that rip rousing DoubleDrive sound is McLawhorn’s gear set-up."I play Gibson Les Pauls" reveals McLawhorn. "And a Paul Reed Single Single-cut, which is kind of a duplicate of a Les Paul body style wise. I also have a double-neck Ibanez — 6 and 12- string guitar. A friend of mine found that particular guitar in an attic when he moved into this house and he decided to just give it to me. It’s a great guitar and it is a copy of a double neck SG. I actually used that guitar on the track "Inprint". As far as amps go, I have a Bogner, which is the basis of my main sound and with what I record with. I also have a Marshall 30th Anniversary amp which I use totally for my clean sound. My effects set up is pretty basic, like I have a TC Electronics Chorus, a Boss Digital Delay, a Boss Compressor and Sustainer, an Octave pedal and a MXR Phase 90 — a pedal I love so much that I use it all the time!"

The band are also no stranger to controversy as the aforementioned "Imprint" proved. Doubledrive vocalist/guitarist Donnie Hamby co-wrote "Inprint" with a longtime friend of the band who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It sparked off a series of debates in the States regarding the song’s ala Evanescence lyrics, and raising questions on whether the band were another in a long line of Christian outfits distancing themselves from being labelled as such. "Are we a Christian band per se? No" affirms McLawhorn. "That particular line that people are talking about came from a conversation our singer had with one of our good friends before he passed away. It’s a positive song about the things you leave behind on this earth and that hopefully you go to a better place after you’ve passed on from this world."

Since the release of the record, DoubleDrive have been on a gruelling tour of the States that since March has seen them play with bands such as Seether, Trapt and Finger Eleven. As is anybody’s guess, life on the road and success does have its particular assortment of recreational hazards from the drugs to the groupies. But for McLawhorn this is nothing new. "I think I saw all of that seedy stuff way before I ever signed a record deal" admits McLawhorn. "I grew up playing clubs for a living. Right out of high school I joined a band that was playing cover songs and touring up and down the East Coast of the United States. I saw and it was all there and that was that. It gets old eventually you know."

Article by Joe Matera