Ones2Watch Home

Photos:  Maggie Einstein  

With only four released singles under their belts, including the newly released track "Feel You Now," The Driver Era has debuted in the music scene with serious force. Brothers Ross and Rocky Lynch come from the successful band R5, and Ross has also starred in the Netflix series, Sabrina, and the film, My Friend Dahmer. Having recently stepped away from their record deal with Hollywood Records, The Driver Era's new music comes with completely independent creative control. They are bending the rules of genre and doing it so masterfully. The best is really only yet to come for these guys.    

With a sold out show at The Roxy in Los Angeles falling on the same day of the release of "Feel You Now," Ross and Rocky come through with unparalleled energy. The curtain opens, the brothers take stage and you instantly hear that unforgettable bass lick of "Feel You Now"– the crowd goes absolutely wild. "Feel You Now" is a smooth electro-pop song with a groovy chorus and a killer 80's-inspired hook. It begs to be performed live.

The brothers' set at The Roxy on March 29 was comprised of mostly new, unreleased songs. Yet, the crowd seemed to know every single word–an incredible testament to the power that this band holds so early on. They snuck in four covers–two R5 songs alongside renditions of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" and INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart." Ross took a moment to share the personal importance of Valli’s song, noting that it was on repeat during his drives in and around Vancouver, B.C. while filming Sabrina. Meanwhile, the brothers’ cover of “Never Tear Us Apart” could have easily convinced show-goers that they were playing a song of their very own. Ross works the stage with the energy of Jagger and the confidence of Springsteen.

In somewhat of an intermission, band members and Rocky exit the stage, leaving Ross solo with the accompaniment of his acoustic guitar he’s just pulled out. He plays “Stop, Don’t Move” which translates to the crowd quite literally, and in the best way. After this “take a breath” moment, the duo finish off the set in full force.

The set ends with the unreleased song, "Welcome to the End of Your Life." This perfectly demonstrates the genre-bending attitude this band has. They're jumping into Nirvana-alt-punk territory, and it works perfectly.

They come back for their encore to play "Low," "Preacher Man," and one of their R5 covers "Did You Have Your Fun?" To answer that question frankly–yes, everyone definitely had their fun. The Driver Era put on an incredibly high energy show that gave a us a nice teaser into what we can expect from these guys moving forward.

Don't miss The Driver Era if they're hitting your city in any of the upcoming tour dates!