motel void

In our Interview section, we talk to some of our favorite artists – usually those who have just released new music or have something exciting on the way. This time, we spoke with the Portland-based band Cautious Driver.

MOTEL VOID: Make It Make Sense is your debut single – can you tell us more about the writing and recording process behind the track? Will it be included on your upcoming EP/album?

CAUTIOUS DRIVER: We recorded Make It Make Sense really quickly. We had a half of a day of studio time left over from recording another track, so we decided to try to work on this song next without much expectation of finishing it. It felt like all the parts fit together without much trouble. Although the core of the song had already been written, we were writing all the extra instrumentation in real-time as we recorded. I am usually over-prepared when it comes to recording in a studio, but working on Make It Make Sense felt like a fun exercise in spontaneity.

No plans for an album right now. I like the idea of releasing singles intermittently until we have enough songs for an EP.

MOTEL VOID: You’re based in Portland, Oregon – how would you describe the local music scene right now? Do you feel you’re part of it? Are there any favorite local venues or artists you’d recommend?

CAUTIOUS DRIVER: I am relatively new to Portland. I moved from Austin, Texas almost 2 years ago. Portland’s music scene is a little bit smaller than Austin’s, but I have been able to find a lot of community here. I am working on being a more active person in the music scene. I’d love to book some DIY shows for other bands in then near future.

We played our first show at Turn! Turn! Turn! It’s a little DIY venue and they were really easy to work with and communicative. I saw Advance Base there about a year ago and wanted to play there ever since. Local bands we love are Myriads, Speckle, A Lot Of Water, Little Dog, Pale Violet, and Lottie. There are many others, but those are the ones that come to mind.

MOTEL VOID: Were you involved in any other musical projects before starting Cautious Driver?

CAUTIOUS DRIVER: I released an EP called Youthful Exuberance as a solo artist a few years ago. It was during the pandemic so it felt like a big leap of faith to release new music especially under my own name. I was really happy with the response that I got, and helped me feel like I was a real songwriter. I played in Paperback which was a punk/emo adjacent band prior to that in Austin.

MOTEL VOID: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences at the moment?

CAUTIOUS DRIVER: In no specific order: Bruce Springsteen, Alex G, The Replacements, Bob Dylan, Suzanne Vega, The Band, Destroyer, Palehound, David Bazan, Lou Reed, Amen Dunes, Cat Power, Tom Petty, Cassandra Jenkins etc etc.

MOTEL VOID: Are there any plans for a tour to support the new material?

CAUTIOUS DRIVER: I would love to tour regionally some day soon. It’s funny to live in an average sized state now. When you tour in Texas, you have to drive like 8 hours in any direction to leave the state. It feels a lot more geographically reasonable to bounce around to a few different places here in a shorter amount of time. It’s nice to be able to perform as a 2 or 3 piece band because you can be a little more creative with the vehicle you use to tour. I would love to tour solo some day as well. Maybe rent a car and drive up to Canada.