STORY / ANGIE PICCIRILLO
PHOTOS / MAEGHAN DONOHUE
This past March, I was more than pleasantly surprised to have an email in my inbox with the newest release from The Driver Era — and couldn’t wait to shoot with the guys. And yes, we shot this cover shoot wayyyy back in March when “Preacher Man” was first released, so it was very exciting for the LADYGUNN team to finally be able to share these amazing photos with all the fans and everyone in the world!
As expected, Ross and Rocky are two of the most funny and loveable dudes you could ever be around — their brotherly love is truly infectious, and our crew at the shoot had a great time dressing the guys in colorful stylish outfits at a very cool art gallery while listening to 90’s rap and R&B to get everyone in the mood to have some fun! We hope that the fun we had at the shoot translates to the cover, and we can’t wait for everyone to see the remaining looks!
Our release party was one of the highlights of the year so far. In partnership with Basecamp, a really cool program that supports musicians and touring bands with their programs, we were able to plan a super fun event where fans were able to get up close and personal with the guys themselves.
We included a signature drink that was named after the guys’ second single, “Afterglow,” which you can download on their website. Since the song has major island vibes and the lyrics make you think of an amazing summer vacation, we went for a drink to match, with spiced Malibu rum, orange juice, a dash of Mountain Dew, and an orange slice…and yes, the Mountain Dew part sounds weird, but it’s good — Ross and Rocky approved it before the party even started!
We invited the fans to help us countdown as we revealed the cover to Ross and Rocky — and a great cover it is! Pre-order the magazine here so you can be the first to have all of these fantastic images and the inside scoop on The Driver Era before the rest of the world!
The performance part of the evening began with the guys playing a few songs live — Rocky on acoustic guitar and Ross treating us to his smooth vocals — first playing “Afterglow,” followed by “Preacher Man.” The fans also helped out by singing along throughout the entire songs. The guys then slowed it down for us and sang, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” originally by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
We then listened to two unreleased tracks which had everyone bopping and dancing in their seats, followed by a formal Q&A with the guys where we got the inside scoop on how they use Rocky’s X6 as their “office”—where they write songs, listen to mixes, and even came up with their band name. Fans also had a few questions too, including a whole segment on their hair color switches which was pretty entertaining, prompting Ross to jocularly ask, “Why do you guys care about our hair so much, can’t it just be about the tunes?!”
The evening finished up with a chance for fans to meet ‘n greet the guys — there were innumerable selfies taken and hugs given! Overall, the night was super fun, and we’re thrilled we got to share the release with some of The Driver Era’s biggest fans!
Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of this issue with our favorite boys on the cover here!
SPECIAL THANKS TO BASECAMP + WEST ELM + GUAYAKI + EVERYONE AT THE PARTICIPATION AGENCY!
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