NEWS 2001 and EARLIER
UPDATE - December 23, 2001 - Happy Festivus Everyone! Wishing a safe and happy holiday season to one and all.
UPDATE - December 2, 2001 - We're baaaaaack! Yes, the computer crashed. No, we didn't have every last bit of information backed up. Yes, we are kicking ourselves and each other. No, we don't need you to come over and kick us even more. Yes, we would love it if you could send along any photos or reviews or interviews that you may have saved from this website. No, we have nothing to offer you in return besides a very big thank you and possibly some extra DS swag we've got lying around. Yes, we plan on piecing together and reposting the last 2 years of DriveSHAFT's career. No, it will not be nearly as detailed as it originally was. Yes, we realize that this yes/no thing has become tiresome. No, being aware of that fact is not going to stop us. Okay, yes, maybe it is.
We're so sorry that it's taken us such a long time to get STOF back online. But the hard drive was beyond fried. You might even say it was completely baked (much like a chicken pot pie, sitting amongst peas and carrots in an oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees). We hope to get all the links and galleries back up and running over the next couple of weeks. Please let us know if you see anything that needs attending to. Thanks for your patience and have a nice day.
And now, watch as we do our best to recap the first few years of DriveSHAFT's career. Warning: sentence fragments ahead.
July 2001 - The band heads back into the studio, eager to refocus the energy and creative force that came as a result of the success of the DriveSHAFT album and tour.
May 2001 - Liam shows the world what a rock star is as he parties across the UK, dragging rumors (and groupies) in his wake.
April 2001 - The band finally wraps up the DriveSHAFT tour and heads home to decompress and enjoy some time off.
January 2001 - The fourth single from DriveSHAFT, "Last One Standing", is released, which cracks the top ten in both US and UK but goes to #1 in Australia. This is largely due to the tremendous success of the Big Day Out Festival, which DS headlines this month.
December 2000 - The band takes a few weeks off to spend time with their families over the holidays.
November 2000 - Is this a pattern? Echoing last month's romp onstage withBetter Than Ezra in New Orleans, Charlie bum-rushed the stage yet again, this time during opening band World Without Sundays' final song of their set, a cover of "Supersonic" by, well, you know who. At least he seemed to know the lyrics to this one better than...ezra. OH NO YOU DI-UNH! That one's up on the Bootleg Page as well.
October 2000 - The DriveSHAFT tour hits the Big Easy and local faves Better Than Ezra are the support act. Charlie joins them onstage for their final song before DS takes the stage, a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash". From a photo that a fan snapped from the audience, looks like Charlie needed a little help with the lyrics, so he jotted them down on his hand! Download that performance on the Bootleg Page.
October 2000 - The band hits the US again for a tour of slightly larger venues.
August - September 2000 - DriveSHAFT returns to perform a string of sold-out dates across Europe.
July 12, 2000 - The single "Going to Ground" - written and sung by Charlie and described as soulful and dark - is released and quickly heads up the charts, this time stopping at No. 2 in the US and No. 5 in the UK. From Rolling Stone's "Hot List" on the charts page: "'Going to Ground' by DriveSHAFT: Brooding Bassist Charlie Pace sings lead vocals on the band's follow-up to their smash hit single '(You All) Everybody'. So you might expect the bass line to be the most prominent feature of this track, but you'd be wrong. In fact, it's Pace's lyrics that stick with you long after you've heard the song. They hint at a singer/bassist power struggle to rival that of Kim Deal and Black Francis'. Angstastic!
June - July 2000 - The band performs high on the bill at several European music festivals, including Pinkpop, Glastonbury and Werchter.
April 1, 2000 - DriveSHAFT starts their American tour at the Metro in Chicago.
March 2000 - "(You All) Everybody" tops both US and UK charts. It stays at the top of the American charts for three weeks. The video is a massive hit on MTV and tickets for their small US tour become a hot commodity.
February 1, 2000 - DriveSHAFT hits No. 1 on the British charts, ultimately staying in the top ten for over six months.
January 23, 2000 - The "(You All) Everybody" video, directed by
Alex
Cantona, is released. The clip is not as groundbreaking as the video
for "Let Me Ride", but it does give us a glimpse into what life on
the
road with DriveSHAFT is like. Evidently it involves a
lot of sweat,
hair products, couch-lounging and laminate-flapping. See for
yourself
on the Bootleg Page. YOU ALL EV'RYBODAY!
January 18, 2000 - The second single, "(You All) Everybody", debuts on the American charts at No. 20.
January 7, 2000 - The band begins their UK tour, starting in Manchester.
December 14, 1999 - "Let Me Ride" soars up both UK and US charts, hitting the top ten in both.
November 23, 1999 - Video for "Let Me Ride" added to the "buzz bin" on MTV. Single gets quite a bit of airplay on college radio stations. After a week, the video gets shifted to heavy rotation based on its huge popularity.
November 16, 1999 - The first single, "Let Me Ride" debuts on the American charts at no. 58.
November 2, 1999 - DriveSHAFT's self-titled debut is released. See the awesome album cover on the Discography Page.
Summer/Fall 1999 - The band writes and records their first album.
Spring/Summer 1999 - DriveSHAFT generates a lot of heat and build a following by playing clubs in Manchester and the surrounding towns. This captures the attention of Rhythm Records, an independent label, and the band is signed to a three record deal.
