American Drive taking a break

American DriveWe received a statement this afternoon from American Drive, formed when J.D. Crowe retired at the end of 2012. Essentially, they were the New South without Crowe, and the guys found a new banjo picker and kept it going.

Now it seems that they are calling it quits – at least for a while. After founding guitarist/vocalist Rickey Wasson and banjoist Josh Hymer departed in the Fall of 2013, they reformed with new members, but according to their statement, the band is going on hiatus.

After 2 1/2 years of traveling the roads, American Drive has decided to take a break. The guys concluded at the beginning of 2015 that it was time to take a break with hopes of possibly reuniting sometime in the future. The band had great success with their self-titled debut album, with multiple songs climbing into the top 20 in the Bluegrass Today charts throughout the year 2013. An original song written by Dwight McCall titled Long Haul Truckin’ Man reached #1 on the charts, and the album itself stayed in the top 10 for several weeks thereafter.

The guys will always remain friends and they would like to thank everyone for their love and support for the band, and would like to ask for continued support as some of them start a new chapter in the music world.

— From Kyle Perkins:

“This was definitely one of my favorite bands I’ve ever played in. I love all the guys and the music that we created!” Kyle is currently looking to proceed forward with  a new gig. Kyle is mid-ways through recording his first solo project which will feature a vast list of all-star pickers and singers, and will also showcase Kyle’s bass playing and banjo skills. Be looking for this album sometime this summer.

— From Adam McIntosh:

“I appreciate so much the opportunity to make music with these guys, It was a thrill every time we took the stage.” Adam is currently working select dates with a brand new band called The Misery River Band, with a band project coming soon.

— From Shayne Bartley:

“I really enjoyed picking with all the guys. I’m looking forward to the future and new opportunities.” Shayne also has a traditional country project in the planning stages.

Founding mandolinist and long time New South member Dwight McCall echoed the sentiments of his bandmates, saying that they never intended to split up, it’s just that everyone got busy with other projects.

“We just all agreed that since we had a lot going on separately that we would just put American Drive on hold for a while and do what we wanted to, and if everything fell back into place at a later date, then we would possibly continue on. We all really enjoy playing with each other and are still very close, but we all have other irons in the fire and we wanted to pursue those also. I have a solo CD in the works and so does Kyle, and the other guys were wanting to explore some other things too. So we are basically not with AD anymore but maybe again at another time.”

Let’s hope they do find a reason to get back together again before too long.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.