Despite drawing a very small audience, New York City-based female rock band The Drive took students for a wild ride at the Vox Rocks! concert last Thursday at the Rathskeller.
The concert was a benefit for Voices for Planned Parenthood (VOX).
"We needed to raise funds for VOX (and) I actually found (the band) online," Nina Davidson, junior English and women's and gender studies major and VOX president, said.
The band did not let the small turn-out stop it from putting on a high-energy show. It started with "Could it Be," a hard-core, upbeat rock song about love gone wrong. "I enjoyed it (the performance) a lot," Jasper Dionisio, junior philosophy, major said. "It sucks that no one showed up."
As the night went on, a few more people did come in to see the show. This is perhaps the result of the energy of this group, which stopped at nothing to get the audience hyped.
Each time someone new entered the venue, the lead vocalist, simply known as "Rachel," yelled with excitement, "More people are coming in!" It seemed as though even the waiters and waitresses who were working couldn't help but listen to the edgy sounds of the rock band which permeated the caf?.
"They were very into the crowd," Maria Dasana, freshman biology major, said. "Very interesting."
Many who did attend the concert were actually non-students, like fan Tom Miller.
"Yeah, it was good. I liked it," he said.
The band ended the concert with a song called, "Warrior," a song that showcased its high energy and dark style. After the show, the band members stuck around and chatted with VOX members and other audience members. They also sold some of their CDs. According to Rachel, she and drummer Sarah Vasil, used to belong to another band called, 'Binge' before hooking up with Jea (also known by just her first name), who plays bass and Eva Chavela, the lead guitarist of the group. "We've been together for three years ... figuring out our next steps ... trying to get signed," Rachel explained.
Although the band is mainly on the local New York club scene, it has been gaining popularity due to exposure from touring with other bands, like Static-X.
In 2002, the band released a six-song EP that was in heavy rotation on college and indie radio stations and in 2003, it released a three-song EP.
The Drive also performed at the annual CMJ Music Festival.
- For more information, visit thedrive.info.
