I recently had the opportunity to interview up-and-coming band The Driving Rain’s charismatic frontman Brenton Giesey via email. Keep reading to find out about him and his band.
What is the meaning of the name The Driving Rain?
The name, “The Driving Rain,” comes from the U2 song, “Running To Stand Still.” That song inspired me to write music, and spawned one of the first songs I ever wrote.
I have heard that you are a young band and you’re just starting out, could you tell us a bit about the history of the band and how you got started?
The band started as a result of the music I started writing in high school. I wanted to start performing the music I wrote, but needed a backing band, and I had grown up going to the same church with Andrew (our drummer) and became good friends with Drew (our bassist) in high school. We started playing for local church events and at talent shows and such. Now we are working on building a fan base around the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.
Could you tell the readers about your record Storm?
The song “Storm” was one of the first songs I ever wrote, and has been one of our ‘staples’ (if we can call it that), and that song inspired the themes and emotions on this record. We recorded it at Iron Wing Studios in Covington, KY with our good friend Brandon Weaver, who was the former bass player for Seabird and produces great records.
We were trying for some different styles with the songs on this record; a goal of ours was to try and avoid repetition. We wanted to draw from our influences as much as possible while still giving the songs our personal, unique touch.
A lot of the songs have direct references to Scripture; the rich young ruler in Luke 18, Isaiah 40, Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4, etc. And the songs that don’t have direct Scripture references are songs that come from experiences or are inspired by seasons in my life. We really try to be as relatable as possible in our music; we’re just 3 ordinary guys who make music that is an outpouring of our lives and faith.
What are some of your favorite tracks from the album and why?
Some of our favorite tracks are “You Are Saved” and “The Bottom.” These are two songs that we really tried to take chances with; both musically and lyrically. “The Bottom” is a song that is very honest, while “You Are Saved” is a very direct and ‘hard-hitting’ song.
Are there any plans in the works for a full length album from you guys?
We would like to make a full length, but we’re not too sure what our next releases will be. We may try and release a new single and B-side in early 2012.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
Some of our main musical influences are U2, MuteMath, Seabird, Switchfoot, Coldplay, and Remedy Drive. We listen to a lot of different music.
Do you have any touring plans right now and where can fans find out about them?
We don’t have any touring plans as of now, but we hope to play at some Christian festivals this summer and do some small-scale touring with bands that we are friends with.
Who are some bands you would enjoy touring with?
We would enjoy touring with smaller, but established bands like Mike Mains & The Branches or Seabird; bands like that. We would also love to tour with unsigned bands that we are good friends with as well.
What are some of your favorite activities when you’re not playing shows or making music?
I’m a full time student going to school in Tennessee, but whenever I’m not making music I do a lot of reading (from people like C.S. Lewis or Tim Keller) and regularly am involved with playing worship at my church. We all love going to shows and doing outdoors-y stuff as well. I do a lot of networking in the Christian Music Industry as well.
Thank you, Brenton, for taking the time to answer these questions for our readers. We wish you all the best with your album. Readers, click here to read my review of Storm by The Driving Rain.