An Interview With Driver Side Impact [04/2007]

Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Driver Side Impact recently released their eclectic debut album via the legendary indie label, Victory Records. The six-man band melds an eclectic blend of hardcore, electronic, and even hints of ambient music into pure original perfection.

It’s not often that a band manages to try and do something different, that’s a little less “by the rules” — and it works as well as it does for Driver Side Impact.

Their debut full-length album, The Very Air We Breathe, hit stores last week. The band, who already has over 300,000 plays on their MySpace page, is currently touring the US in support of their new album. However, the band’s guitarist Mikey Arnold took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about where there band’s been, where they are now, and where they’re heading. Oh, and about his underpants. Because underpants are important, damnit.

pixie: First, a really basic question: What was the inspiration for your name?

Mikey: We were gonna name the band “Brace For Impact”, and teddy was like, “no, no, no… Driver Side Impact, and it just stuck.

pixie: On MySpace, you describe yourself as “experimental/emo/ambient” - you don’t usually see that kind of combination — how did your sound come about?

Mikey: Each band member comes from different bands. I came from noisecore and metal bands, Jack and Teddy came from a pop punk band, Austin had his own punk band, and Zach has been in a lot of indie bands. Brandens voice is unique and he really just found that on his own.

pixie: Considering your unique sound, who would you consider your biggest influences?

Mikey: We have influences from many genres, 80’s pop, metal, pop punk, even the most obscure indie music that no one has even heard. It’s hard to name a certain band off and say we take influence from them, We like to say we take it from types of music.

pixie: You’re about to head out on a month-plus tour, tomorrow. What are your expectations/hopes/fears at this point?

Mikey: We hope to get our music heard by everyone possible, so this a really good first tour for us, we are so lucky to be touring with such nice kids
[Editor’s note: the band is touring with Bedlight For Blue Eyes and Mayday Parade]. It is definitely helping us to meet solid friends and fans.

pixie: What was it like in the early days of the bands, trying to make it in Cleveland? What’s the scene like there?

Mikey: Cleveland has a big nu-metal scene, not a lot of bands come out of Cleveland unless you are Mushroom head or Chimaira. We have a small scene of really good indie bands; emo and punk and hardcore is starting to get pretty big, too. The best bands out of Cleveland right now are Lovedrug, Brandston, Nsdwhoa, The Promise Hero – good friends, got to mention - Harbors End.

pixie: Who are your favorite bands to play with?

Mikey: Mayday Parade, Faulter, Crash Romeo, Dear Whoever, Bedlight for Blue Eyes, Sick City….

pixie: What are you listening to, in general, right now?

Mikey: The band likes to rock out to blink-182 a lot [laughs] and Mars Volta. We Love Circa Survive and Thursday… all good jams.

pixie: What bands do you see as up and coming?

Mikey: …Not real sure… Oh I know! Driver Side Impact.

pixie: In retrospect, that question was pretty obvious…. On Victory’s press release about signing the band, Tony Brummel said of you guys, “When I listen to their music I feel something fresh and vibrant happening. I think of it as ‘kinetically radiant rock’.” Those are some really strong words - how did that make you feel?

Mikey: We were honored. Seriously, Tony Brummel saying that he loved us and wanted us to come to Chicago from just listening to our MySpace was a jaw dropper.

pixie: He also noted that you’re doing something different and not “posturing for the mainstream” to achieve short-term success. Obviously, he - and the label - believes in you. Did you find this sort of support elsewhere? Or was Victory the first place to really “get it”?

Mikey: I really think Tony is a really smart man, he understood our vision and hooked us up with Sal Villeneuava – together, we captured it just right. We knew we wanted Victory when we started, just makin’ jokes and stuff, and it became a reality over night.

pixie: What was it like to see The Very Air We Breathe in stores last week? How did it feel to finally be releasing it?

Mikey: I am a big dork, I got my pic taken in Hot Topic holding it… my friends and family all telling me how proud they are, it was just an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

pixie: I’d like to note there is nothing dorky about that whatsoever. So, what’s the best part of being in Driver Side Impact?

Mikey: For me, its playing in front of 1,000 kids at home screaming your songs back to you, having fun and knowing that I have accomplished this myself with my band, I have worked long and hard, years and years, and the hard work paid off.

pixie: By the way, are there any bands you’d like to start a feud with right here and now? We’d love to help you, if that’s the case….

Mikey: Oh, no need for that, we are just a six piece from Cleveland that love everyone!

pixie:This is starting to feel like a job application, so I will ask you the single hardest question anyone is ever asked [in my opinion]: Where do you see yourselves in five years?

Mikey: I hope to be headling our own tour, hoping that our dedicated fans will multiply times 100,000,000, and just being a inspiration to kids – just like how Thursday and Taking Back Sunday and AFI were to me.

pixie: Are there any questions you REALLY wish someone would ask you guys, but nobody ever does? If so, what is it? And answer it, pretending I asked it.

Mikey: I wish people would ask us like who do we think killed JFK? – Answer: “a banana” or like what’s our favorite dish? Answer: spaghetti. What’s your favorite hobbies? Answers: Jerk the Magirk.

pixie: I almost asked all of those, especially the JFK one, then decided to ask about the tour instead.

Okay, finally, Mikey: I love that you thanked onlyundiesclub.com before your parents [on the CD liner notes]. What’s the attachment to the site? And what kind of underpants are you wearing right now?

Mikey: Well it just so happens the girl Kathy, who I thank and say is my love is my girlfriend of 3 years, and she is the owner of onlyundiesclub.com. We love to party in our underwear all over the place, we have special events at bars and stuff.

Right now I’m wearing a read pair of boxer briefs from American Apparel. Their new boxer briefs are heaven.

pixie: Thanks so much for your time, and good luck on the tour! Congratulations on the album, as well - it kicks a lot of ass.

Mikey: No thank you, this was fun. And to all reading this! Go pick up The Very Air We Breathe in your local Best buy, Hot Topic, and FYE. Or even your ma pop cd shop!!! We love everyone and hit us up anytime online at either AIM:DSIoutmay29 or at MySpace.

And with that, here’s another song by Driver Side Impact:

Now go buy the album! I’ve had it on at least once, if not twice a day, since I got it, and I have to tell you, it’s one of my favorites in a while. It’s hardcore, without being overwhelming; it has keyboards, but they fit perfectly into the songs; it has its quiet moments without ever approaching boring. It really is original and different — and it will appeal to people who like a lot of different music.

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