Independence Drive Vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers

posted in: Features • Rock

Red Hot Chili Peppers know how to deal with adversity. The band has been around for twenty-eight years, and have dealt with everything from lineup changes to drug addictions and deaths. But despite all of this, they have still won seven GRAMMY Awards, sold over 70 million albums worldwide and have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Earlier this year they overcame the odds once again, releasing their tenth studio album I’m With You; their first without iconic guitar hero John Frusciante since 1995’s One Hot Minute. Despite their roller coaster ride of a career, the band’s sound has always been rooted in the same basic principles: Flea‘s funky slap bass lines, melodic guitar soloing and Anthony Kiedis‘ unique hybrid of singing and rapping.  Now we have found an up-and-coming, young band that embodies those same principles with their own unique spin: Independence Drive.

Like Red Hot Chili Peppers, the members of Independence Drive are incredibly gifted musicians. Their song “I Don’t Wanna Stay” is a great demonstration of their abilities. In fact, the song bares some similarities to Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “Emit Remmus.” Both songs begin with a funky and melodic bass line that provides the foundation for the rest of the song. Both tracks also feature long, held out electric guitar notes to contrast the rhythmic nature of the bass parts in each song. It’s an interesting technique that both bands use frequently: the bass as the main melodic instrument instead of the guitar. “Pipe Dreams” is another song that shares some stylistic similarities to the sound of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Beginning with a strong rhythmic opening, this song relies more on some great guitar riffs rather than the bass part. The band uses some interesting guitar effects to achieve a unique tone in this song, sounding a little bit similar to some of the effects used on Red Hot Chili Peppers’ hit song “Dani California.” The highlight of the song is the guitar solo though, where guitarist/singer Ian Althouse gets to show off his chops with some impressive playing.

However, Independence Drive creates their own unique sound in two ways. The first is through their use of reggae influence in their music. You can hear the influence most obviously in their song “The Winding Road.” The song begins with a guitar riff that repeatedly accents the offbeats, setting up the reggae feel for the rest of the song. While much of the song retains a chilled out vibe, the band haven’t forgotten their rock roots, and the ending gets pretty heavy with some distorted guitar chords. The band ventures further into the world music realm with “Conquistador,” a song heavily influenced by Spanish music. The other thing that makes Independence Drive unique is their vocal style. While Red Hot Chili Peppers mix rapping with singing, Independence Drive use a more traditional style of singing. Although you can hear this approach on all of their songs, “Hey, Baby” best shows Althouse’s strengths as a singer. He has great range and can hit the high notes, but he also has a playful energy in his voice that makes the song really fun.

Independence Drive has the ability to combine influences from around the world to create their own unique sound. Let’s hope they have longevity too.