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Local Band Working And Playing Hard for a Break in the Business
By: JON GLASS THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT - The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA
September 20th 2002 2:57am
THEY MAKE MUSIC in a converted garage at Nikki Roberts' house, a
rented bungalow in Chesapeake's southern fringes where deer bound on
unmarked blacktop and the lights of St. Bride's Correctional Center
shimmer in the distance. The solitude is perfect sanctuary for the four band members,
barely in their 20s, as they crank 110 decibels of moody, throbbing
songs about broken relationships, self discovery and inner
fantasies. They call themselves Driven. This is no Top 40 cover band. They write their own songs, and
work hard to create a unique sound - a high-energy beat they call
"melodic rock" but sometimes is amped up a head bang away from
metal. Roberts, 20, sings and writes most of the lyrics, possessing a
haunting, throaty voice. On his custom PRS guitar, Jon Hawk, 20,
picks out lyrical leads and rhythms that range from dirty to clean
and smooth, often in the same song. Christian Pharo, 21, fills in
the gaps with a steady bass groove. Drummer Danny Cholewa, 21, plays
hard and loud and is skilled at sudden time shifts. Last year, Driven was one of 10 local bands featured on a
"Virginia Beach Rocks" CD, a compilation disc touted by Beach studio
Mellow Rocker Records as "original hits by the area's hottest
bands." They dream of making it in the business while facing the tough
reality of playing small clubs for little pay. But things are looking up. They're in talks about signing with a
new record label to cut their first CD. Earlier this month they got
an ego boost after learning one of their songs bagged an honorable
mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. "I didn't care that we didn't get any money or prizes. I was
like, `I just can't believe they noticed our song!' " said Roberts,
who wrote the words to "Unconscious." "It just freaked me out." The international contest received about 25,000 entries in 12
music categories; only about 2 percent received recognition, said
JoAnn Geffen, a Los Angeles-based publicist for the contest. Driven entered the rock category. One other Hampton Roads
resident, Julie Clark of Chesapeake, won an honorable mention. Clark
entered the song "Whatever It Takes" in the folk category. "It's a real honor, definitely," Geffen said. "They're selected
by people who are knowledgeable and in the business, and they heard
the talent and the ability those people have to move forward." "Unconscious," Roberts said, is about the dangers of excess, and
giving in to unhealthy desires. The chorus makes the point: "Taken
without a fight/ Drugs, money and greed/ Given what you want/ Don't
leave behind what you need." "It's basically about giving your life away, and about all the
bad stuff we see every day," she said. Roberts' vocals bring to mind the emotional rawness of Patti
Smith, or Grace Slick. She describes herself as a female version of
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, and resembles him while singing, hands
gripping the microphone in tight concentration, eyes closed. Many people know her as the "door girl" at The Guitar Center in
Virginia Beach, but she prefers "receptionist," which is what she
is. Hawk and Cholewa, both of Norfolk, attend Tidewater Community
College and work, respectively, as a drafter and a brake mechanic.
Pharo, of Chesapeake, is a stock clerk at a furniture warehouse. The band has been together about two years, although Hawk and
Cholewa have been jamming since both were students at Granby High
School. Trying to make it in the music business can be frustrating.
Finding an audience for bands that play original music is hard in
the Hampton Roads market, they said. "We've played in front of like three people and gotten no money,"
Hawk said. "They want to come out and hear Top 40." "And dance," added Roberts, even though many of Driven's flowing
songs have a danceable - at least moshable - beat. Their biggest gig, so far, was at the Abyss, where they opened
for the national act Custom, which helped build a fan base. If you must compare, the band they probably most sound like,
members said, is Tool. When a studio tech asked Driven members to
characterize their sound, "We said `bipolar,' " Roberts said. "We
write short, to-the-point rock songs as well as jam." Interjected Cholewa: "We sound like us." For now, they'll continue playing local clubs and keep writing
songs. Maybe another door will open as a result of the songwriting
contest. "It just happened," Cholewa said, "so we're hoping so."
(C) 2002 The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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