MusicRowPics: Natalie Stovall and The Drive

Natalie Stovall and The Drive artist visit

MusicRow welcomed Natalie Stovall and The Drive to its offices on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The five-piece band brought an infectious energy to the two-song performance, which included current single “Baby Come On With It” from the band’s self-titled, six-song EP on HitShop Records. “Baby Come On With It” was penned by Chris DeStefano, Jerry Flowers and Bobby Hamrick.

Lead singer and Columbia, Tenn. native Natalie Stovall has been performing professionally since the age of 10, and she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry at the tender age of 12. The Drive includes guitarist Miguel Cancino, bassist Zach Morse, guitarist and vocalist Joel Dormer, and drummer James Bavendam, whom Stovall met in college.

The band’s easy camaraderie, both on and offstage, has been hard-earned from performing more than 200 shows per year. “We started out doing the college showcases, and found an agent at one of the conferences,” said Stovall. “He booked our college dates, and that allowed us to play clubs and festivals. The college dates are what kept us afloat to play the other shows. Within a year, we went from random house gigs to having to block time off because we were playing so many shows.”

The demanding touring schedule is the primary reason the band delayed in signing with a label until last year, when they struck a deal with HitShop. “We were so busy touring that we didn’t have time to pursue a record deal,” says Stovall.

In 2012, she won the coveted Campus Activities Magazine Entertainer of the Year Award, marking the first time a female performer has received the honor in more than 20 years. The group is managed by Red Light Management’s Tracy Gershon and booked through the Paradigm Agency and Degy Entertainment.

They followed up “Baby Come On With It” with “The Long Way Around,” a song Stovall penned before heading into the studio to work on the group’s EP. “It’s about what we’ve been going through and how we got here,” said Stovall. “It felt like a song that needed to be written.”

Last year, the group spent ample time at Nashville club Anthem to not only present a showcase for members of the music industry, but to do a photo session and shoot an EPK and a music video. “The video is a compilation of our tour shows,” Stovall says. “We did a performance at Anthem as well, just to add a different feel to the video.”

The group’s EP was produced by Paul Worley and Clark Schleicher. “Natalie Stovall and the Drive have it all,” said Worley. “The talent, the songs, the look, the entertainment chops and a live show that will blow you away. Natalie is one of the best signers I have ever worked with.”

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