Special to JamBrain by Gary S. Angelo

Pete Drivere might be most recognized as the sound man at Cedars Lounge, but his punk rock resume is a shimmering golden nugget amidst the generic album rock landscape.

Drivere was the driving force behind the Youngstown/West Middlesex critically acclaimed, neo-psych garage unit, The Infidels.  Formed in late 1981 as a post-Deadboys punk combo, The Infidels slowly evolved into 60s powerpop in the vein of Buffalo Springfield, The Who, The Byrds and The Easybeats. One can even hear echoes of early 80s paisley underground icons like The Three O’Clock, and The Dream Syndicate.

As the Infidels’ sound progressed, the punkesque Radio Birdman overtones were always prevalent, as on their 1988 release, 9:25 and Seven Seconds tracks, “The Shooting Gallery” and “Run Away From You.”
Drivere explains, “The band’s purpose was to be a punk band. We were the first, and unless I am mistaken, the last punk rock band from West Middlesex, Pa.”

His current music project is the Pretty Demons, for whom he is working on a new album while playing in the Deadbeat Poets.  The Pretty Demons deliver an arrangement of more traditional roots rock that bears a resemblance to Damn The Torpedoes-era Tom Petty and Dave Edmunds’ Rockpile. The first Pretty Demons album was a self-titled release in 2002. “Chris Leonardi, who has played with me on stage and in the studio for many years, is co-producing this Pretty Demons release for me,” Drivere says of the CD which will be out in early 2009.

Pete Drivere’s biggest focus right now is his latest project, The Deadbeat Poets, who just recently formed in the summer of 2006.  The Poets released their debut, Notes From The Underground on Audubon, New Jersey label, Pop Detective Records.

“The Deadbeat Poets were formed out of a collaboration of Frank Secich (from Stiv Bators Band/ Blue Ash) Terry Hartman (from the Backdoor Men), John Koury (from the Infidels),” Drivere said, “and I helped propel it along. I produced Notes From The Underground album and perhaps we will do another recording in the coming months.” They play a brand of stripped-down sixties garage pop with the aggression of The Kinks, and Beatles-like melodies, and their punk energy is part of the poetry.

Besides touring, trailblazing, and playing in bands, Drivere has recorded and produced bands for 18 years at his Ampreon Recorder recording studio, a haven for Youngstown’s indie pop gems The Zou, The Evil Scientists, Black Hole Magic and The Deli Bandits.

Drivere comments, “I have seen many bands come and go, and have seen many fads infiltrate rock and popular music. Sometimes I laugh out loud.”  He thinks the Youngstown music scene hasn’t changed all that much since his heyday in the 80s. “When I started recording bands in Youngstown, the majority of the guys had big hair and played metal. Now there are a lot more tattoos and bald heads, but they still play metal.”

“Some of my best friendships have emerged from my recording sessions with bands at Ampreon. Whether it’s making a suggestion, or letting a band use an amp or guitar from my collection, if it makes the music better, I am all about that,” he says.

About a year ago, Drivere began to host “Homegrown Show” on WNCD 93.3 FM, which profiles local/regional indie rock bands with a dose of old school metal, every Sunday at 9 p.m. “It’s is a different kind of show by three different personalities: myself, Jim Allgren (Viking Jim) and Jason Tibolla. We make the playlists for the show and play what we want to play.”

(Gary Angelo is a YSU journalism student and music zealot. JamBrain welcomes the participation of its community of local music enthusiasts, though we reserve all rights to do what we want with any contributions, including thanking you for them. The accuracy of the facts will have to be the responsibility of the author.)