Meet David Bazan, an indie rock musician from Seattle. He was the force behind the now defunct Pedro the Lion. The front man of Headphones. Currently he performs under his namesake.

Under Pedro the Lion, Bazan marketed his remarkable sense of assonance. His songs were based on theology. He spent the better part of a decade battling his religion and inner personal issues. His loss of faith and questioning of his world turned into a drinking problem. In an attempt to rid the demons and see angels, he went solo.  Read more...

The Lonely Forest are about to head out on tour in support of their “big brother” Chris Walla and the rest of Death Cab for Cutie. I had the chance to check out their set and talk with the guys on their last tour through Minneapolis in April and wanted to share my thoughts and overall recommendation of the band with the fine readers of Driven Far Off. Also be sure to check out the full tour dates and ticket links for their roadshow with Death Cab and their album Arrows (read review | buy).  Read more...

I am an avid music fan and I have been since elementary school. It took me a few years, but for many years now, I have been a proud fan of quality music. Music with substance, talent, and you know, created by driven musicians.

The only time I listen to the radio is on Saturday’s when Ira Glass takes over NPR with This American Life. I am uncertain, but convinced MTV ceased music videos and replaced them with Guidos and teen moms. My exposure to music that I do not love is very minimal.  Read more...

I don’t recall how I came to know the band Bombay Bicycle Club, but it’s been great. They’re a band made up of British men who have an undeniably original sound and a firm grasp on the written word. Within seconds, I was hooked to their second album, Flaws. It’s 36.7 minutes of pure bliss. There’s a good chance they are better than 99.9% of the music you’re listening to right now or maybe I have a thing for the British. Either way, I say they’re a go and perfect for this time of year.

Jenny and Johnny is composed of Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice. Lewis of Rilo Kiley fame is name enough to sell out venues before the bands debut record ever dropped.  Read more...

With so many bands playing on many different stages it’s very easy to miss bands you’d like to see and not discover a lot of new music. Each year, my goal is to see as many bands as I possibly can. This year’s count: ten.  Read more...

Gaining credentials to Warped Tour is one thing, but shooting all day is a whole other. It’s like shooting a typical show, but ALL DAY LONG. It’s hot, crowded, and long. There are definite pros and definite cons. Either way, it’s best to be prepared.

1) You have to start somewhere…but…I’m not sure a huge venue/tour such as the Warped Tour is the place to start. It’s DEFINITELY a great idea to test out both your camera and your skills at local shows before you gain mainstream coverage.  Read more...

I’m going to be doing a series on Warped Tour…guides for beginners, photographers, show reviews, photos, and more. Stay tuned. Here’s the first part.

1) Dress accordingly. Warped Tour somehow seems to fall on the hottest day of the summer. Wear thin, light clothing. This year, I saw a significant amount of girls wearing bathing suits. Not a bad idea, at all.

2) Don’t need to arrive early. Regardless of when you arrive, you’re gonna be waiting. Show up a little late and you can avoid the crowds.  Read more...

Pop music baffles me. It’s overly simplistic, it requires little to no talent, most pop singers don’t truly do a thing, and it all sounds the same. These are the artists selling out arena’s and topping the charts. I realize that not everyone is capable of multiple talentsi.e. writing the music, playing an instrument, having a band, constructing decent songs and I realize it’s really hard to do choreographed songs if you possess any of the aforementioned talent. All of this I understand. Hell, if I had the chance to do essentially nothing and get rich and famous off of it, I would. Wouldn’t you?  Read more...

I’m the kind of girl who refuses to update her MacBook every Sunday for years. I’m the kind of girl who denies all and any form of internet/computer updates, unless it’s automatic. And then, I get passive aggressive all over the internet about the internet. I am a simple minded girl. I like my internet and more specifically my iTunes to be kept basic. Which is why for the first time in a year (at least) I updated my iTunes.  Read more...