Coming from the Dallas-Fort Worth area could mean just about anything for a musician. With a prominent rock, country and pop scene down in the Lonestar State I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I came across the band Drayter (Pronounced Dre – like Dr. Dre – Tur – like Turtle.) What I found was a pleasant blend of the good elements of a catchy pop song swirled together with the rock elements of your favorite head banger. Their debut album Nine takes you back and forth between heavier tracks and top down earworms that will keep you interested around each and every turn. I got a chance to chat with both Liv and Cole of Drayter getting to know them and learn more about the makings of their debut record.
First I wanted to ask, where did the name Drayter come from? It is certainly unique!
C: So when I originally first started the band with our former bass player, we were watching cartoons and heard the name Drayter and we were like “Hey that sounds pretty cool!” so we changed up the spelling a little bit and started going by it. People just started knowing us as that band with the cool name that played covers on the weekend at house parties and stuff.
You guys have your first album “Nine” out now, and many look at the first album as a band’s first big statement to the world. What are you trying to say with this album?
L: Well the album, we have 2 different producers on the album Matt Squire and Dave Fortman, Matt Squire has more of a pop forte while Dave Fortman has worked with bands like Slipknot and Evanescence so you’re right, our first album is definintely a statement album, there is not one filler track meaning every single song on there is really great if I do say so myself! Because we have 2 different producers the album is very diverse and there are a lot of different subgenres within the album itself. I think a lot of different people are going to be able to connect to it. I guess the statement we’re trying to make with Nine is that it’s a really fun album with an uplifting undertone. There are some songs on there that are just full of hope and some tracks on there that are just like fun tracks to kick back to. It’s just a really exciting and fun album!
First single of the album is “Run” can you talk about the song itself and the meaning behind the lyrics?
C: The meaning behind the lyrics is somewhat of self-acceptance and doing your own thing regardless of what others think about you. Kind of going back to the last question a lot about our “statement” as a band and about this album is really being yourself and not letting other people’s judgements get in the way of living your life. I think that “Run” is a good summary of the statement of the album; basically do what you want, have fun, live your life, don’t sit around taking peoples criticisms too personally.
C: Basically before we’d even gotten to the studio, when the song was in demo form, we had always talked about how this part of the track needed something to take it to the next level and again we wanted to incorporate all sorts of different genres and decided that a gospel choir was something we really wanted to do. So we reached out and searched for people, who knew people, who knew people, and ended up connecting with the phenomenal choir from Dallas, one night we just drove to their local church and set up our mics and just recorded! Before going in there none of the choir members had heard the track or what it was supposed to sound like so it was really kind of an on the spot thing. It honestly didn’t take super long but it was probably one of if not the coolest experiences of the recording process. Just being able to hear 25 different voices all together singing in unison and having so much fun while doing so. It was incredible.
Being from the Dallas – Fort Worth area, you’re certainly in a big melting pot for music of a lot of different genres. How has living in Texas attributed to your musical style?
L: Both of us are really Rock rooted musicians and the Dallas scene is filled with a lot of rock, a lot of metal, the Fort Worth side of the area has a lot more rock and roll, southern flare, but Pantera comes out of Arlington so the DFW area are all for that kind of metal as well. Drayter used to play some really hard tunes, and my old band used to play some real rock and roll tunes so I think it’s really cool because we are now Rock rooted musicians moving more into the mainstream direction so it really gives us a unique sound and flair. Like yes, we’re pop but there is a notable rock element underneath it all and I really like that. I think it definitely comes across, “Run” is the most pop-y track so there is some harder stuff there’s some stuff in between. Being from this area however we will always stick to our rock roots.
What can fans expect in the upcoming months?
C: Mostly we’re focused on the album and getting it out there for all to hear, spreading the word. You know, getting it in the hands of all the right people. We’re pretty much putting everything we have behind this album. You can expect a lot of shows, touring, more super cool things especially live stuff. That’s going to be the main focus. We want to hit every city, meet every fan, get out on the road for the majority of 2016 to show what we have to offer, all while having fun doing it!
Thanks so much to Drayter for chatting with me and I’m excited to come to a show this year! For moreinformation, check out the Band’s Website and their socials.
[LINK TO STORY: https://thelpcollective.com/2016/03/02/getting-to-know-drayter/Ge.]