Driving East is an American pop punk band from Fairfax, Virginia.

History

Driving East formed in 2002 after numerous line-up changes. Jon Jester, the original drummer, had moved to Los Angeles to work with his friends in the South African band

Just Jinger Just Jinjer (formerly known as Just Jinger) is a contemporary rock group hailing from South Africa. Just Jinjer is one of the top-selling rock bands in South African history, with over 250,000 units sold. Over the last decade, the band has perf ...

shortly after they signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. However, the lure of playing drums brought him back to the East Coast and back to Driving East. Before leaving the West Coast, Jester recruited Aaron Hubbard, who earned a Master's degree in music, to become the band's bassist, and New Jersey guitarist Dustin Largin. The union of Jester, Aaron Hubbard, Nate Taylor, and Barrett Mullins made up Driving East at the height of their popularity in the mid-to-late 2000s. Producer Matt Squire, who worked with the band on ''

A Black Eye or a Broken Heart A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name ...

'', said of the band, "Many people try to write songs to get them on the radio but with Driving East what you’re hearing is what comes naturally to them." Following the 2005 release of their debut EP, ''

'', on

Brand Name Records A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

and performances with national headliners such as

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

Acceptance Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it or protest it. The concept is close in meaning to ...

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

and Cartel, as well as two years on the East Coast legs of the Warped Tour, the then-five-piece was signed by The Militia Group, who released their self-titled digital EP in late 2006. The EP was recorded prior to their signing by the production team of Kenneth Mount and Zach Odom. The band was on the East Coast legs of 2005 and 2006 Warped Tour. In 2007, Driving East has continued to tour in support of their EP, which Steve Henderson of

AbsolutePunk.net ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...

commended for its "unparalleled, monstrous hooks." In the summer of 2007, the band returned to the studio to record a new album, '' The Future of the Free World is Riding on This One'', their long-awaited full-length debut album which was released digitally on January 15, 2008. Tony Pascarella of

has called it "an insanely poppy, catchy album" that "evokes the raw fiery passion of Cartel's The Ransom EP." The band was also recently listed as one of the "Next Big Thing(s) of 2008" by the website's founder and CEO, Jason Tate.Jason Tate - AbsolutePunk.net
/ref> In early 2009, drummer Jon Jester joined notable D.C. pop rock group

The Dance Party The Dance Party is an American pop rock band from Washington, DC. History Formation, EP, ''Friction! Friction Friction!'' The Dance Party was formed in 2005 in College Park, Maryland by vocalist Mick Coogan, guitarist Kevin Bayly, drummer Jeff Da ...

and recorded the band's debut record for HellYa! Records/

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

in Los Angeles, California. Trevor Melton became the new drummer for the band c. 2010. The band has not released an album since 2008. As of December 2017 the band choose not to continue to renew their music via online streaming sites.

Members

*Barrett Mullins – vocals *Nate Taylor – guitar, backing vocals *Dustin Largin – guitar *Steve Zapp –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

*Trevor Melton –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Discography

EPs

*''

'' (2005) *''Driving East'' (2006)

Albums

*'' The Future of the Free World is Riding on This One'' (2008)

Non-album tracks

*"Family Reunion/Online Songs" ( blink-182 cover) – released on ''A Tribute to Blink 182: Pacific Ridge Records Heroes of Pop Punk, Vol. 2'' (2005)

References

Absolutepunk.net ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...

{{Authority control Musical groups from Virginia American pop punk groups Musical groups established in 2002