Night Driving in Small Towns: Press

"One of the top 25 bands on Myspace"

We thought it was high time someone made the definitive list of MySpace bands. So we asked for your help: And you guys nominated over 1,700 bands. We nearly lost our minds listening to all the tunes, but today we’re proud to announce the top 25. Winners come from a variety of genres: You’ve got your German industrial metal (B.O.S.C.H.), your silly/cool European-style lounge music (Los Super Elegantes), your Brian Wilson-esque child prodigy (Ryan Marks Productions) and an array of pop, garage, hip-hop, dance-rock and singer-songwriter stuff. Here, in alphabetical order, are the results. Take a listen, and tell us what you think. Don’t be shy.

The Airborne Toxic Event - “Wishing Well” [listen]
An Pierlé & White Velvet - “How Does It Feel” [listen]
Astro Junkie - “Don’t Say Another Word” [listen]
Band Marino - “Every Time I Make A Girl Cry I Know I’ve Done My Job” [listen]
The Beauty - “Abbi” [listen]
Bedtime For Toys - “Mona Lisa Pt. 2″ [listen]
bill - “Watercolors” [listen]
BLACK AFFAIR - “Japanese Happening” [listen]
B.O.S.C.H. - “Mehr” [listen]
CosmoBrown - “Illusion” [listen]
Couple - “Now That I Can See” [listen]
The Fancy Claps - “Holly” [listen]
Ferns - “Disaster Strikes Again” [listen]
Kolja - “Let It Be - No Fears” [listen]
Locksley - “Don’t Make Me Wait” [listen]
Los Super Elegantes - “Je Suis Bien” [listen]
Miniature Tigers- “The Wolf” [listen]
Night Driving in Small Towns - “Close Encounters” [listen]
Ryan Marks Productions - “High Tide” [listen]
Shannon Hurley - “Sunrise” [listen]
State Of Ohio - “Wasted in a Vase” [listen]
Ultra Sonic Edukators - “Salle Green” [listen]
The Voom Blooms - “Thoughts of Rena” [listen]
White Shoes and the Couples Company - “Tentang Cita” [listen]
Y.O.U. - “Break” [listen]

"Night Driving in Small Towns... are self proclaimed 'sparkly, spontaneous, robust, gonzo' people; Andrea's description of the music as 'engaging fun' is spot on. The...jam session with heartfelt poppy vocals inspired whoops from the crowd."

"Did you get all of my inside jokes?" asks Andrea Rogers, lead singer of local act Night Driving in Small Towns, in the first line of their song "Red Rover." Weaving such intimate lyrics with a tight, heartfelt sound, you immediately wish you knew all of those jokes and were on your way to making more of them with this incredible band. With topics ranging from love to loneliness, "Night Driving," as they are sometimes referred to by their fans, wear classic influences on their sleeves... but with a contemporary voice that makes it all their own.

.............

As the chorus to "Red Rover" begins, Rogers sings "I don't know if I ever really loved you." Once you hear Night Driving in Small Towns, you'll feel totally the opposite; completely in love and knowing it for sure.

"Much like [Leigh] Nash and [Allison] Krauss, Rogers has a pitch-perfectly pretty voice. She adds sweetness to everything she sings, the same way syrup always makes pancakes taste better."

"They veer from twee and breathy country-rock constructions similar to Basement Tapes-era Band [to] minimal, atmospheric, post-modern laments."

"[F]ew have the songwriting, off-the-cuff swagger or the intrigue of Night Driving in Small Towns.... Lush harmonies, superlative musical support...and the adorable/emotive Andrea Rogers’ alt-pop tone, thwart any potential will to resist their music."

"Night Driving in Small Towns. We thought, with that name, the music might be hushed & muted, a bit like headlamps on a car vainly slashing away at the darkness of a country road. But, as it turns out, the top is down & the stars and moon are out & wind ruffles your hair."

Andrea Rogers’ lyrics are crisp, intelligent narratives that juxtapose themselves nicely against the band’s new found distorted richness provided by the electric guitar... My bond with the compositions grew deeper with each track as their heady melodies played tricks on my brain; the songs felt somber and moody yet it was almost as if they were haunted by inflections of warmth... If you’re a fan of the early works of The Sundays, Weezer, Belly or Mazzy Star and you enjoy rich, jangly Alt Rock that actually means something, then I suggest you check out Night Driving in Small Towns. They’re an act that is hard to forget once you’ve experienced them.