“Drive There Now!” by The Almost, Sunday, December 11, 2022

In 2007 Aaron Gillespie released Southern Weather with producer Aaron Sprinkle, under the moniker The Almost. At that time Gillespie was known as the drummer and clean vocalist for Underoath, a band that had just released their biggest record, Define the Great Line, the year before. In many ways, Southern Weather was like the first Foo Fighters record written and performed by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Like Grohl, Gillespie played almost all of the instruments on the record, wrote all of the songs, and then assembled a band to tour with the record. Often filling in on bass, though, is Gillespie's good friend Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line. 

 

WINTER DAYS MAKE ME SAY, “WHAT THE HEY?" Like all of Aaron Gillespie's projects, Southern Weather captures a moment of sincerity in the singer-songwriter's life. Before what some conservative critics might say that Gillespie became the agitprop for exvangelical deconstruction, The Almost's Southern Weather authentically shows a longing for piety. Combining the emotional sounds similar to a Taking Back Sunday record with the lyrics of a charismatic church service, Southern Weather deals with feelings of inadequacy and judgement by other Christians. Some of the lyrics directly come from hymns and gospel songs. "Amazing, Because It Is" uses the hymn "Amazing Grace" as its chorus, while "Dirty and Left Out" references "Something About that Name" by Bill and Gloria Gaither. Because of these songs, Gillespie began a trajectory on the path to becoming a worship leader, eventually releasing two solo records of original worship music. But, a divorce and a quarter-life crisis upon learning about the underbelly of the Christian worship circuit led Gillespie to take some time off from releasing his own music and eventually to rethinking the way that he expressed his faith.

“AARON, GET READY FOR THIS.”  But not all of the songs on Southern Weather are explicitly Christian. The album's first single "Say This Sooner" deals with seeing the world differently than other people, which can be interpreted through Gillespie's worldview no matter where he stands spiritually. The second track, "Drive There Now!" is kind of a love song. Gillespie married his first wife at a young age, and "Drive There Now!" seems to be a song about someone who pushes the speaker to pursue his dreams. Gillespie says that he and his wife divorced because of irreconcilable  differences. Gillespie has been transparent about his divorce, speaking well of his ex-wife and the reasons for divorce, which set him at odds with his career in Christian music industry. Many Christians condemn divorce for any reason, yet some permit it for infidelity or abuse. But accepting divorce for any other reason, they see as licensure for sin. Although Gillespie may have not found that supportive relationship from his first marriage, in "Drive There Now!" the singer's extensive network of supportive friends in the Warped Tour scene and his band in Underoath and fans who have stuck with him on his journey may be seen as the drivers in this song. While not everyone is suited for a rock and roll relationship or love on the road, the network of musicians that Gillespie is a part of form a tight-knit family. And that family can drive a person to greatness. 

Read the lyrics on Genius.