Hi, DRIVE BY WIRE. Greetings from Germany! What are you up to these days?
Hi, we have been watching the football games. Besides that, we are looking forward to our show on June 28 at Patronaat, Haarlem. Also looking forward to performing at Desert fest in Antwerp.
Would you please introduce your band to our readers who are not aware of your music?
Certainly; we have been around since 2006, toured around Europe several times, and had the privilege to play with our heroes from Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and Mudhoney, and now we just have released our 5th album "Time Horizon"...
Could you give us a little insight into the formation of the band? When and how did it happen?
We (Simone and Alwin) started writing songs in 2006 in our basement... yes, we are married :-), the first couple of years we didn't have a bass player, so Alwin had a really heavy guitar sound to make up for that... you can still hear it back in our newer songs. With Mr. Zerb we finally found our bass player... after a couple of drummers we got Ingmar Regeling to join the band, and that is the foursome we are today.
At what age did you guys start playing instruments, and since when have you been into metal music?
Alwin: since I was 14... and into metal music since 12... Simone started singing in the church choir since the age of 8, and guitar playing since the age of 15... and into metal since the age of 15...
DRIVE BY WIRE recently released Time Horizon. Could you tell us something about it and walk us through all the track's lyrics and meanings?
We released 2 singles and videos. Those are kind of special songs for us.
"Northern Lights" is a heavy rocking dancing song, that starts off with a killer bassline. Simone writes the lyrics, in this song she writes about the beauty and the magic in life and also in a positive way to look ahead of you.
"Slowrider" is a riff-driven guitar song.
How has the response been so far from listeners? Have you started working on new songs?
The response is overwhelming, with such great reviews.... we will tour first and who knows when we come up with new material, we haven't planned that yet, first enjoy to play the songs from "Time Horizon" live.
When and where did you play your first gig? How was the experience of going live for the first time?
Alwin; Metropool Hengelo; I was so anxious about getting a blackout on stage... but it turned out great and couldn't wait to play my next gig.
According to you, what is the secret behind the band's success?
We absolutely follow our own path....it is not easy; heavy desert rock with female vocals... but we persevered and people respect us for that... we found a totally unique sound.
Have you ever had an epic fail moment during a gig?
Alwin; I had several times the problem that I kicked one of my cables out of my pedalboard.... resulting on no guitar sound for half a song.... sometimes I jump/walk around too wild on stage :-) Simone: I once had a blackout in the middle of a piece of a guitar solo. I was completely blank ... and kinda ruined the song.
Also, I was tuned once in D in a song, but forgot to switch to E for the next song and messed up the song.
If asked to differentiate DRIVE BY WIRE from other bands in The Netherlands, how would you respond?
There is a great rock and metal scene in Holland, also a lot of young local bands like The Velvets and Wildman are very interesting to follow.
How compatible are the band members with each other?
We are a great team each with their own qualities. We are very different as people, but somehow we are a really good match and always try to keep each other focused and push until the next level. Get the best out of you.
Which bands/artists do you draw your influences from, and which are your favorite local bands?
Queens of the Stoneage, Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Sound Garden, Alice In Chains, PJ Harvey...
How do you guys manage your jobs and gigs, and how often do you gather altogether just for fun?
It's tough... but somehow we manage ... Hmmm, just for fun? When there is a cool band playing we sometimes go together to see the gig. We love to see bands play live.
DRIVE BY WIRE is a very promising formation. Looking at your future, where do you see yourselves in 3 years?
Well, in 2026 we will celebrate our 20 years of existence with a big tour, maybe we will still be doing that tour in 2027.. who knows?
Well, that’s it. Thanks a lot for your time. Could you speak out to all your fans and supporters?
yes! Thank you all for sticking around with us for all this time; buying our music, attending our shows, and drinking beers with us... you guys and gals rock!!! We love you!