By Kasey Winsor

Photos by Carson So

It’s a cool Wednesday night in April, and I’m headed down to a little warehouse district in Fort Worth.  I’ve been invited to sit in on a band practice with How’s My Driving, a punk rock trio from Funky Town Texas.  It’s apparent that this isn’t exactly where I should be after dark without a weapon, but I’m honored to accept the invitation.  Besides, if it’s not at least a little dangerous, I wouldn’t be interested.

As I pull up, the “parking lot” is full.  Walking in, it’s not anything fancy…strike that.  It’s a total dump, and I love it.  There are all sorts of different genres seeping through each door I pass…and smells, (AHEM) and each is tagged with pictures, stickers, and/or drawings.  The door I am here to enter tonight greets me with “hi, my name is penis” written in pink spray paint.  I am informed that they are not the artists, yet even so, this will be interesting.

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Inside the room, it is sound proofed with old green carpet, the kind you would see in a dirty motel, and the rest of the room is painted black.  The graffiti doesn’t stop on the outside of the doors, but continues onto the walls.  There isn’t much room to sit, as its completely taken over by equipment.  There is however room for a mini fridge, and 2 trashcans overflowing with beer cans.  I’m offered a stool to sit, but I prefer the ashy floor instead.

I have been to many shows in my time, but not practices.  It’s interesting to watch the dynamic s of the band.  This one has the feeling of familiarity.  They don’t have to say a whole lot.  They just seem to know what to do, when to stop, and what’s next.  Everything just flows.

How’s My Driving is made up of DJ Isik, 33, Eric Gumm, 32, and Tony Newman, 26.  DJ (lead singer/guitar) and Eric (drums, backup vocals) were formerly in The Immigrants for close to 9 years.  Tony (bass) formerly played for Fozzie, and 86 Alert.  After The Immigrants broke up, DJ and Eric started writing some new songs, with a new sound, but had no bass player to join.  They knew Tony from the local music scene and at one point Tony had actually auditioned for The Immigrants bass player, while theirs was on a hiatus.  Tony admits to being a fan of The Immigrants.  Tony even said he took a date to one of their shows, buying a CD, and a t-shirt.  Needless to say, when he heard they were officially looking for a bass player, he was interested.

DJ, and Eric both say, “Tony was the right man for the How’s My Driving job.  It just seemed like the right move”.

With a pretty successful go with The Immigrants, why change directions, you might ask.  Well, you see, The Immigrants were gaining “maturity”.  They always loved reggae and ska, and wanted to implement more of that into their sound.  With musical influences from Suicide Machines, Rancid, Sublime, NOFX, and Face to Face, just to name a few, their style really does have something for everyone.  The biggest difference however is lyrically.

“So who writes the lyrics”? I ask.  “DJ” Eric answers, “He is definitely a singer/songwriter”.

Eric provides backup vocals but says, “I don’t even know the lyrics”.

Everyone laughs.  This doesn’t mean DJ gets all the credit.  He may write the lyrics, and provide a certain structure for the song, but Eric and Tony by no means come up empty handed.  They bring their own personalities to the table, making an influential sound.

DJ says “I used to always write about girls, but there is only so much you can say about girls.  Now, I write about life, and relationships in life.  The lyrics are about enjoying life while you’re here”.  They all admit to getting into a little trouble, which also plays a subtle role in their music.  “It’s just life…” says front man DJ.  The ultimate message is to “be who you are, do your own thing”, and believe it or not, “do what’s right”.  Truthfully speaking, it doesn’t get more punk rock than that.

I can say having seen them at shows, and as I sit with them now, they are not your “typical” punk rockers.  They don’t have the “Sid Vicious” look as Eric notes.  For the most part, they are all normal guys.  For example, tonight they all have on shorts and t-shirts that are not covered with zippers, holes, and safety pins.

DJ says “Punk rock is an attitude, not just a style.  Some would agree, some would disagree.  It’s definitely an attitude towards life in general.  It’s all about being yourself, and doing what’s right even when the moral majority doesn’t think so…we never try to look anyway, were just trying to be ourselves, do our own thing” .

Tony adds, “I really think punk rock has expanded beyond that.  There’s punk rock in everything”.  I couldn’t agree more Tony.  “We just want to be heard, get our music out there to as many people as possible, not just punk rockers”.

“So I hear talk of a new album?” I ask.  “When can we expect that?”

“Within the next 5 years.”  As I’m re-inserting my eyes into my head, they back that up with “hopefully within the next year.”  That sounds more like it.

Something you may not know about DJ and Eric is that they are both fathers.  Not the standard every-other-weekend dads.  These guys are dedicated to their kids.  I don’t know how they throw a band into the mix.  Ladies, keep your panties on!  DJ and Tony are both engaged.  BUT!!  Eric is single and content with being single, which makes him even more desirable, not to mention he’s know for taking off his shirt at shows.

I ask Eric if he has any time for women.  The response?  DJ pipes in “Eric’s always got time for women, and women always have time for Eric.”  Everyone laughs. 

Given these guys are seasoned musicians; I asked what advice they would give younger bands.  The answer came in 3 words.  “Shameless Self Promotion”.  “We used to whore ourselves out on the street handing out flyers.  Now days it’s all facebook, myspace, and texting”.

“What happened to the music scene anyway?” I ask.

“Lack of unity between bands.  Nobody wants to support one another.  No one is out buzzing anymore.  There aren’t any local legends like the Toadies, Hagfish, and Baboon.” 

How’s My Driving just played at Ridglea Theatre April 30th, and Cool Beans May 1st.  They will be at the Prophet Bar May 21stwith their “buddy band” Captain Incredible, and at The Lounge on Elm Street June 24th with DC Fallout, which Im told, has “like 87,000 fans on myspace.  That means they’re good”.  Everyone laughs.

“Tell me why people should come out to see ya’ll play?”

“We put it all on the line; we want people to see us for who we are.  It’s a good time, and we always have fun.”  Eric Says.

You can find out more about How’s My Driving by coming to a SHOW!!  In the mean time you can check out some tunes on myspace.com/howsmydrivingtx and become a fan on facebook.

Ultimately I can’t vouch for my driving, but their driving is worth catching.