Check out EV's web press release about Drive on Electro-Voice.com!Check out this video: Video Bio
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Drive was founded in 2004 by Gerard Kolodejcak and Jimmy Norris with aspirations of eventually introducing original music to their audience. Tony Palmari, manager for Wise Guys, a hotspot for San Antonio’s nightlife, hired Drive for their first performance on September 17, 2004. This was only 3 weeks after the members began rehearsing together. Over the next year, Drive restructured to improve its level of professionalism, production and then by introducing stronger members into the group. Gerard and Jimmy teamed up with Izzy Hernandez, formerly with Zomba Music Publishing, also having accomplishments being part of groups signed to Capitol EMI, and Sony Music. Along with playing Bass Guitar, Izzy added the professional business structure needed for the group to move forward on its journey to success with its original music. In order to strengthen its rhythmic foundation, Mike Gomez, a graduate of St. Mary’s University with a degree in Music Performance, joined the group.
With the reincarnation of Drive, the group immediately gelled into a “Rock Scene Monster†with a roster of bookings constantly spanning 3 months in advance and performing with such national groups as, Buck Cherry - Bikini bash 1 Sunken Gardens, Army of Anyone - Fiesta Oyster Bake 2007, The Burden Brothers - Alamo City Tattoo Fest 2005, Drowning Pool - River City Bike Fest 2006, Finger 11 - Bikini Bash 2 Sunken Gardens.
In establishing a solid fan base Drive has managed to break sales records for most of the venues performed at and still hold these numbers to date. Between the old MySpace page and new one, www.myspace.com/drivesmusic, Drive has a combined friends list of over 1800 people and over 100,000 hits. Utilizing MySpace has increased the bands popularity and ability to promote, inform it’s fans about upcoming shows and current news. In March of 2005, Jack Saenz, chief engineer at KHM Studios, multi-Grammy award winner and a close friend to Gerard and Izzy, offered some studio time to the band on short notice. The group had original music but not polished enough for the studio. Jimmy took the lead on the project and in a matter of 3 hours, they wrote and recorded the song “Why Don’t You†which has become a hit with their fans and is featured on their MySpace page.
Even with all of its positive momentum, Drive was still in need of a major aspect, Live Production. In October of 2006, Jack Saenz came onboard, not only with his studio experience but with over 15 years of road experience as a production manager and engineer for acts such as Rick Treviño, Garth Brooks, LeAnn Rimes, The Rolling Stones among others. As when Izzy first came in and structured the business side of the group, Jack re-structured the live performance side and fills the rolls of Sound Engineer and Production Manager. An elaborate stage show including 10 moving lights, trussing, LED lighting fixtures were purchased and new sound consoles along with some new audio processors were added. A state of the art speaker and amplification system will soon be added along with video screens and computerized show control. All of this comes from Jack’s experience with major concert production. This will elevate Drive even higher in their current market.
Drives dreams of becoming a success in the music industry are slowly becoming reality. With their solid foundation as musicians, management, and production, the obstacles ahead will be overcome with ease. Along with the release of their debut album, future plans include a line of merchandise and national touring. Log on to www.drivesmusic.com and see where Drive is performing and what the group is up to!
The Band's Self Titled Debut was released November 9th of 2007 @ Hooligan's Bar and Grill. Drive has plans to promote the album across the U.S. and have a separate website that will be available for band updates, the ability to purchase the CD and band Merchandise at www.drivesmusic.com.Come out to a show and purchase the following Drive Merchandise:
For those who missed Wiseguy's 1st annual San Antonio "Grammy" awards show here are the awards that Drive collectively accepted:Best San Antonio Band 2006Most Likely To Be Famous
Best Guitarist
Best Dressed Individual
Best Rockstar Appeal
Best San Antonio Band 2007Most Rockstar appeal - Gerard
Best Sound & Lights - Drive
Most Groupies - Drive
Best Cover Bassist - Izzy
Most Likely to become Famous - Drive
Best Original Song - Drive (Rohypnol)
Band w/ the most makeup - Drive
Most Likely to get roofied - Gerard
Best Original Bassist - Izzy
