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Apathetic Drive
Tom Murphy
Apathetic Drive's name may cause some to scratch their heads or tempt them to come up with a clever and slanderous nickname, but these guys have beat the wags to the punch on that score. If nothing else, the "Drive" portion of the moniker captures the forward trajectory of the band's music. Yes, its members cite driftily ethereal bands like Slowdive as an influence, but the songs of Apathetic Drive seem to move with a goal in mind: Even in mellower moments, there is a quiet intensity burning just underneath their melodies. Those used to hearing less conventional voices in this type of neo-shoegaze muisc may be put off at first by vocalist Margo McKenney's straightforward singing, even though it ultimately fits well with the group's sound, which is more melodically ambitious than most experimental rock. Guitarist Matt Post refreshingly strays far from Jonny Greenwood freakouts and Kevin Shields distorted, gauzy layers, seeming to have struck upon his own, innovative style. With any luck, the band's name will become ironic. - Denver Westword
Along for some of the ride, albeit sober, was Margo McKenney, who is the singer of Longmonts (yeah, for real) Apathetic Drive.
Fridays music showcases dont start until after the general workday is done at 6, so I bounce over to the dayside panel discussions (A.K.A. free beer and mixed nuts) with Apathetic Drive Margo. The panels happen in a posh cabin in a rustic setting outside town. - The Boulder Dirt
Longmont's Apathetic Drive committed to lofty goals
By Valerie Singleton
The Daily Times-Call
LONGMONT – Guitarist Matt Post keeps a set of goals for his band on a board in his basement.
According to what's written there, the four-member band hopes to open for a national act by Oct. 31, 2007. Two years to the date later, the group would like to have gained international notoriety.
“Thats when we quit our jobs, regardless,” says Tim Terry, the drummer for the band, Apathetic Drive – a group that, in spite of its name, is not so disillusioned with life that it doesn't work to achieve fame.
The band – Post, Terry, vocalist Margo McKenney and bassist Nathan Gutshall – lives the irony of its name. It was Terry who first blurted the phrase “Apathetic Drive” during a brainstorming session to name the group. It was perfect, considering McKenney's drive and determination and her bandmates' general detachment.
Yet Apathetic Drive's music conveys none of that disinterest. The band has rewritten most of the songs it has drafted since forming in 2004. The musicians meet as often as possible after their day jobs to practice in Post's basement. They pride themselves on instrumental and vocal experimentation.
In fact, Gutshall says, Apathetic Drive bears little resemblance to the timid band that played its first show more than two years ago at Cricket on the Hill in Denver.
“We have stage presence, comfort, better songs, and a sense that we're actually having fun and not terrified,” McKenney says.
In their basement studio, Apathetic Drive performs a carefully selected set of songs written on a board next to a banner bearing the band's name.
“This is the very first song we ever wrote,” McKenney says, sitting at the keyboard with a microphone in her face.
They pace the music, with Gutshall slowly strumming his guitar strings before Terry breaks in with percussion. As Post joins, McKenney – though petite – loses herself in this song, matching her vocals to the changing instrumental tone.
The music fades.
“Cue,” Terry Says, an ode to The Cure's lead singer, Robert Smith, who utters the word after each song he performs.
Terry's humor brings the band back to reality and a room with as much farce – a hanging picture of Yoda From “Star Wars” -- as formality – hopes and dreams written on a white board with marker.
“This is pretty much the biggest commitment we've had for our entire lives,”McKenney says.
By May 2, the date that Apathetic Drive is scheduled to open for national touring band Vast at the Fox Theatre, the band will have accomplished at least one goal. It will be five months earlier then anticipated, a hopeful start for four friends who make music in a Longmont Basement.
March 2, 2007 - The Daily Times-Call
Apathetic Drive is one of the featured artists on the Indie Music Wave.
March 2007 - Indie Music Wave
Apathetic Drive was played on The Colorado Wave. Founded in 2000, The Wave has showcased some of the best in independent music from around the world.
March 2007 - The Colorado Wave
By May 2, the date that Apathetic Drive is scheduled to open for national touring band Vast at the Fox Theatre, the band will have accomplished at least one goal. It will be five months earlier then anticipated, a hopeful start for four friends who make music in a Longmont Basement.
March 2, 2007 - The Daily Times-Call
Discography
We are currently recording five songs to be released soon...
Our first EP - Anticlimax - was released in January 2007
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Bio
Apathetic Drive is an unsigned, four-piece, atmospheric rock band originating from Colorado's front range. Dark, anxious, and a bit melancholy at times, the members of Apathetic Drive share an interest in creating sonically potent music. Influenced by bands such as Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and The Cure, Apathetic Drive has sought to take the guitar stylings of the shoegaze genre and combine it with a more accessible song-writing structure and sound. With an attitude stemming from a generalized disinterest in life combined with an instinctive need to express something meaningful, the bands approach to music and life is captured in it's paradoxical name.
Apathetic Drive is truly driven by apathy.
The paradoxical theme consistent with the band's name is deep-seated and can be found in the title of their first recording, Anticlimax. Promotion of this four-song EP, which will be available in December 2006, is the primary goal for Apathetic Drive in the coming year. The band's main objective in 2007 is to launch a successful musical crusade by playing as many venues as possible while still having time to cultivate their sound.
A persistent state of flux and a deeprooted friendship have been the only constants in Apathetic Drives short life as a band. Yet, from the bands inception its members Matt, Tim, Nate, and Margo, have sought to find a sound that unifies and brings to life what each individual desires to communicate to an audience. Because the group is made up of four very different people, this task has not always been easy. Yet what sets them apart from many other groups is their willingness to work as a cohesive unit. Each song has been written collectively, with all members having an equal say in the development of every piece. In the end though, Apathetic Drive is just four good friends who love to play music. Brought together by something unexplainable, the members of Apathetic Drive have discovered a way of composing music that feels natural, while at the same time, attempting to push the boundaries of comfort in order to create their sonic and literal trademark. Accentuated by lofty effects and ethereal melodies, the music Apathetic Drive makes is riddled in a dichotomy of serenity and angst.
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