Local band strives for shot at the big time

There’s a sense of now or never with Austintown band Valerie Drive.

“We’ve all had our problems of staying together, and right now two of our members have babies on the way,” said guitarist-singer Dustin Hilbert, a 2005 graduate of Austintown Fitch High School. “So we’re just basically trying to write a record right now for ourselves and our future.

“Everybody’s lives are changing fast. We’re pretty young, and we’re all starting to grow up and trying to decide what we want to do, yet we’re still trying to hold onto the one thing that we all want to do the most, music.”

While falling under the pop-punk alternative, with a hint of screamo and alternative rock, the quartet — Hilbert, Dan Pearl (bass, vocals), Christian Hardy (guitar/vocals) and Justin Hilbert (drums) — is seemingly embracing a hip-hop mind-set of us-against-the-world as its rally cry to success.

Valerie Drive opens for Blacklist Royals and Trainwreck Radio on Friday at Cedars Lounge in Youngstown.

For the full story, see Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.