UltraDrive
Atlanta, Georgia, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
"UltraDrive has shifted the music scene to a higher gear!"
- Steve Craig, DJ - 99X (99.7 FM) Atlanta - 99X
"...but the royal SURPRISE of the evening was the opener: fresh ATL rock oufit, UltraDrive..."
"These guys came out in front of a skeptical crowd and by 2/3 of the way through the first song they practically owned the room... by the end of the set grizzled Queensryche fans were egging on Thompson's guitar solos and frontman Jay Henderson had 'em singing along with songs they'd presumably just heard for the first time."
"The question of the night seemed to be 'what major label are these guys on?' Ironically UltraDrive didn't even have a CD out yet... which is too bad, because they likely could have sold at least a hundred, judging by the traffic at their sparsely stocked merch table."
- The Rev Report - The Rev Report
“Out of the ashes of Transmission comes UltraDrive... The band has now issued its first song - and its a doozie... ‘Beyond the Pain’... featuring strong vocals and a driving backbeat... Tommy Thompson delivers some excellent guitar work... I have great faith these guys are going to put out very strong music in the future.”
- Alternative Addiction - Alternative Addiction
"...this is big, fresh, melodic modern rock (with three-part harmonies, no less) and make no mistake, these guys can flat-out play!"
"UltraDrive brings what can only be described as an arena sound and attitude to any venue they play... "
"The band debuted just this past Halloween, and within a month (in what would only be their third show ever) were asked to open for the new supergroup, Army of Anyone (members of Stone Temple Pilots and Filter). Trust me, as someone who was fortunate enough to be there, I can tell you that UltraDrive was more than up to the task. Their songs were easily as good (truth be known, better in many cases) than those of the headliner... the packed venue knew they were seeing something special."
- Paco Loco, Playgrounds Magazine
- Playgounds Magazine
"UltraDrive makes the kind of passionate and driving modern rock that begs to be heard worldwide. Great music made by great people. Do yourself a favor and discover them now!"
- Aaron Hickman, DJ - Project 9-6-1 (96.1 FM) Atlanta - Project 9-6-1
"21st Century arena-rock... think Alice in Chains-meets-Velvet Revolver... dark but very accessible... a big sound with phat guitar crunch topped by dead-on pop hooks, tight harmonies and hot solos..."
- Download Previews - Download Previews
"I just listened to the new song on myspace, and I really felt like I was 'flying away'... fantastic!"
- Ross Childress (Collective Soul/Ross Childress Experience) - Ross Childress
Discography
* "Believe" - debut full-length CD, 2010
* "Them Bones" (cover) - single (download only), released 2009, from the forthcoming CD, "Believe"
* "Crush" - single, released 2009, from the forthcoming CD, "Believe"
*"Beyond the Pain" - single, released 2009, from the forthcoming CD, "Believe"
*"A Giant Show" - morning drive radio show theme song, licensed 2009 to Project 9-6-1 (96.1 FM) Atlanta
*UltraDrive has already been played on: Project 9-6-1 (96.1 FM - Atlanta), 99X (99.7 FM - Atlanta), Q106 (106.1 FM - Macon), The Buzz (99.1 FM - Statesboro), Darktech Radio (Internet Radio), w/ more on the way TBA
Photos
Bio
When your second show is opening for the legendary Queensryche, things tend to get a bit hectic.
The brainchild of ATL based guitar-hero/songwriter-extraodinaire
Tommy Thompson and producer/manager Gary Carrico, UltraDrive was originally conceived as a park-your-ego-at-the-door regional supergroup sporting a rotating cast of characters. However, when one incarnation of the project casually went out and smoked 2 more established bands in a competition to open for Army of Anyone (only the third show for that lineup), it quickly became clear that the combination of great songs and this big, fresh “arena sound” was something genuinely special... and something that deserved full attention.
The next step? Solidify a core lineup of (for lack of a better term) “four bad-asses”... the right guys who could do this thing justice. Check. And as noted above, the results were immediate and obvious. After just one debut shakedown gig in a dingy pub, UltraDrive's stunning perfromance in front of a hard-core crowd of Queensryche fans at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre earned them an invitation from the headliner to come take part in the aftershow meet-and-greet and autograph session. More notoriety and big events quickly followed, including shows with the likes of Chevelle, Adelita’s Way and the Raconteurs, highlighted perhaps by their performance in the Pontiac Garage that left ATL morning radio buzzing about how UltraDrive had (unintentionally) upstaged headliner Saving Abel.
Ironically then, when UltraDrive was then asked to write and record a new outro theme song for Project 9-6-1 radio’s morning-drive “Giant Show", it pointed up the unanticipated drawback of being in such demand out of the gate as a live act. Thus, in a reversal of the norm, the guys finally had to catch their breath long enough to actually go in the studio and record some tracks!… so now, finally, comes their debut full-length CD.
Enjoy.
Links
