Here’s One Drive In That’s in No Danger of Closing

A distinctive young band from an out-of-the-way corner of America took a tip from alt-rock veterans Sonic Youth and hooked up with Gary Gersh, who signed the act to Geffen Records, and John Silva, who came in as manager.

That was the situation nearly 10 years ago with Nirvana, which went on to take the world by storm as arguably the most important act of the ‘90s.

And it’s the situation now with At the Drive In, a young quintet from El Paso, Texas, with a blend that is at once jaggedly challenging and poetically enticing, and a live presentation marked by total abandon. Tipped by Sonic Youth, Gersh (president of Capitol Records for much of the ‘90s) and Silva (at the top ranks of management with the Beastie Boys, Beck and Foo Fighters) last year made ATDI the first signing to their new G.A.S. Entertainment label.

G.A.S., having survived the collapse of its parent, Digital Entertainment Network, recently merged with Grand Royal, the label headed by Beastie Boy Mike D, with Mark Kates (who succeeded Gersh as Nirvana’s A&R; representative at Geffen) serving as president. The venture is part of an ambitious media combine that still includes the management wing (Rage Against the Machine joined the roster earlier this year), and plans for film and TV production, a heavy Internet presence as GrandRoyal.com and even a clothing line.

The chance of Nirvana-like lightning striking again was one of the prime temptations for Virgin Records, which just signed a North America distribution deal with G.A.S./Grand Royal. At the Drive In’s debut album, “Relationship of Command,” produced by Ross Robinson (whose credits include Korn and Limp Bizkit, and who recently struck a label deal for his own I Am Recordings through Virgin), is due Sept. 12.

Can the young band live up to that legacy?

“It’s a very flattering context to be put in,” says Nancy Berry, chairman of Virgin Music Group worldwide, who aggressively pursued the deal. “There’s a vibe about At the Drive In . . . something new, very distinctive and an amazing live performance.”

Berry says that it was the whole picture, not just the band, that led to the deal.

“Obviously this was a very unique opportunity to get involved with multiple individuals who are talented and respected, from John Silva, one of the most resected managers, Gary with his incredible A&R; record, and a real visionary like Mike D,” she says. “These sort of alliances don’t come along often, and we’re excited about not just At the Drive In, but other acts they’ve played for us.”

Cedric Bixler, ATDI’s energetic singer, says the situation is “pretty exciting and nerve-racking.” But he adds that the evolution of the deal has lived up to the Sonic Youth endorsement of Gersh and Silva.

“Seeing they were working with Sonic Youth, which put out a lot of experimental things and was given a lot of freedom, was what made us want to work with them,” he says. “I don’t feel any pressure. We’re doing everything the way we’ve always done it--no one’s forcing us to be radio-friendly or anything.”

But expectations are clearly high.

“Very rarely do you get to see something where you go, ‘Oh my God, this could have not just commercial success, but could be important at a time when importance is not necessarily the first thing people put on their list of criteria,” Gersh says.

The key, the teammates say, is careful handling.

“We’re taking the approach of truly, truly being patient,” says Craig Aaronson, the G.A.S. vice president of A&R; who signed the group. “I don’t know if this will be the kind of band that can just walk on to radio. When we signed them, they were already drawing 500 people in various markets from touring and working hard. The fans are already there. We just need to let it grow.”

BETTER TO GIVE: Record store managers are always concerned about people sneaking out CDs they didn’t pay for. What about people sneaking in CDs they didn’t get paid for?

That is something a few managers may find themselves dealing with as a national music and art network has been planting CDs in major chain stores this weekend.

Titled “The Droplift Project” (meant as a reverse on “shoplift”), the CD is a collection of audio collages largely made from chopped-up and rearranged samples from radio, TV and other sources.

The person who organized the venture, L.A. artist Tim Maloney, says it’s all legal under fair usage allowances, but says that the issue of sample clearances and unauthorized use of material is so hot in the music business right now that no official distributor or chain store would want to risk a lawsuit by carrying the work.

Hence the creative approach to distribution.

“Even though it’s perfectly legal, the cost of proving it with all the music business lawyers is exorbitant,” Maloney says, noting that CDs will be sold via the Web site https://www.droplift.org, where free MP3 downloads of the entire work will also be available.

“Our expectations of this are that some people may hear it,” he says. “We know we’ll never get any money [from droplifted CD sales]. But the fun part, the prank of the whole thing, the performance art of it, is putting it in places where they don’t expect it to be and allowing them to say it.”

Bob Feterl, L.A.-based territorial director for the Tower Records stores, is amused by the notion and wishes the perpetrators well.

“It might be able to slip by [and be sold in a Tower store], but not very often,” Feterl says, noting that it’s actually in the store’s interest to sell them since they didn’t cost anything to stock.

“Good luck to them on that. And if it isn’t bought, it would be discovered when inventory comes around, and then we’d bar-code it and enter it into the system and sell it like regular stock. We wouldn’t throw it out.”