Speeding furiously down a lonely Ukrainian highway is a rented Volkswagon Van. Four musicians, as well as their tour manager are squished inside, elbow to elbow. Most of the Ukraine doesn’t know who they are but the kids awaiting their performance tomorrow night know them as Canadian Alt Punkers
High Five Drive. Lead by a Ukrainian map, which none of them could read, they have been driving for two days straight and can only hope to make their show the following evening. This is when the Ukranian police stop them. After a lot of bad noise, the two parties came to an agreement. High Five Drive will give the police one hundred Euros, and the police will not take them to jail. Most people, any sane person at least, might have turned around to run at this point. However, after Seven years, two international releases, hundreds of shows and almost twenty tours the boys have learned to deal with this sort of thing. Shit happens.
HFD is teaming up with European punk labels
Fond of Life Records, No Reason Records and
Bad Mood Records, to proudly release their new full length record
“Full blast” this spring, 2009. The album will be self released in Canada and coming out later, 2009, in Japan on
Fast Life Records. The guys feel it is their best album to date and features twelve new tracks ranging everywhere from mind melting shreds to acoustic guitars. The album was recorded and produced by sound wizard John Peters who has worked with acts such as
Comeback Kid and Distort Entertainment’s
A Textbook Tragedy. After the release the band plans to tour extensively to promote the new record starting with a tour in Canada, March and April 2009 with Austrian political punkers
Rentokill. After that, in May High Five Drive is back to Europe for a month with label mates
The Living Daylights and with
Rentokill for the last half of the tour.
In the past seven years
High Five Drive has been to Europe two times and has toured Canada countless numbers of times. They have released an EP and two full length albums in Japan on Fast Circle Records, Canada on Spawner and Lost Records and in Europe on Bad Mood Records. They have sold over 4000 copies combined, most of which were sold off the stage. They have been featured on local radio and college stations across the country through airplay and interviews. They have shared the stage with bands such as
Comeback Kid,
Mad Caddies,
Protest the Hero and the
Cancer Bats. In the past, they have recorded with Scene Veteran
Blair Calibaba whose credits include: Gob, Sum 41, No Means No, and have been produced by former Belvedere and current This is a Standoff front man
Steve Rawles.
They have driven through the pouring rain, down icy roads, through blizzards, through unbearable heat, through numerous all night drives and have always played their hearts out night after night no matter what. Whatever the future hold, they’re facing it head on.
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