Drummer Boy

Parkway Drive Taking Up The Fast Lane

Parkway Drive in the Fast Lane to Success The Australian band Parkway Drive came to life in 2003 in Byron Bay, which is the laid back, beachfront hometown of the band’s hard driving members. The reason for this rather pedestrian name, you ask? It’s simply the name of the street where they used to have jam sessions and pulled all nighters as they practiced the music they loved.

It was obvious that these 5 band mates were seriously hardcore metal men that could pound it out in style. The charisma of the group is undeniable and they have an uncanny ability to connect with every member in the audience. They look more like surfer dudes with an edge, but make no mistake these guys are heavy metal to the bone.
Killing with a Smile was the first full-length album by the group.

In August, 2005, they released their first full-length album, “Killing with a Smile” which launched a frantic and rushed series of live performances and tours. Parkway Drive performed as an opening act in Australia and other countries. This allowed them to increase their popularity because of the visibility and they garnered more fans worldwide.

Parkway Drive band members currently include:

– Lead Vocalist Winston McCall
– Drummer and Percussionist Ben Gordon
– Lead guitarist Jeff Ling
– Rhythm guitarist Luke Kilpatrick
– Bass guitarist “Pipey” O’Connor

Epitaph Records signed the group in June of 2006 and then released the album “Killing with a Smile” to American audiences in August. 2006 continued to be a time of enormous success as the group appeared on the Taste of Chaos Tour where they played with such favorites as Underoath, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, and Saosin. Fans began demanding more Parkway Drive merch throughout the tour appearances. During the last 2 months of 2006, the group performed at the Homebake Festival, Soundwave Festival, Gravity G Festival, and Sound Fest.

They played at Underworld in 2007 and unveiled the first live performance of “The Siren’s Song”. As the only Australian group invited to the 2007 US Van Warped Tour, Parkway Drive enjoyed continued success and their album, “Horizons” benefited when it scored 10/10 from Blunt Magazine with its October 2007 release. Going straight to #6 on the ARIA charts, the metal album stayed in the top 40 for weeks. The music is constantly compared to Metallica’s own “Master of Puppets”, but “Horizons” is original music that has made this group popular among fans on several continents. Part of that success can be attributed to Parkway Drive’s appearance at the US Van Warped Tour in 2007.

The music on the “Horizon’s” album is constantly compared to Metallica’s own “Master of Puppets”. Drive was honored when they were the only Australian group chosen to appear on the US Vans Warped Tour in 2007.Brief Music Highlights Albums Killing with a Smile-2005 Horizons-2007 Music Videos and Singles Smoke ‘em if Ya got ‘em-2008 Boneyards.

When Parkway Drive announced they were headlining a US tour in January 2009 they included some of the favorites like Stick to Your Guns and MyChildren MyBride and are still on the cross-country tour. T-shirts, posters, hoodies and other Parkway Drive merchandise are selling well as fans can’t get enough of the new metal icons that are the heaviest of the new metal bands. “Idols and Anchors” and “Romance is Dead” are 2 songs getting a lot of airplay, while “Carrion” and “Guns for Show, Knives for a Pro” are still being downloaded frequently.

Debi Nova – Drummer Boy