The band hails from South Bend, IN, 90 miles from Chicago. The band is fronted by Zach Hess on vocals and guitars, Blake Bertles providing one hell of a rock-fusion back beat, and James Taylor (a.k.a. Squee) rounding out the Low End on bass and he on occasion plays keys and provides vocal harmonies. DRiVEN has become a powerful, well known three piece in their hometown, defined by creating dark, melodic, and rhythmic music.

Going back to the start, DRiVEN was more commercial rock, inspired by the sounds of 90's grunge rock. The band’s first EP titled “Dissociative Mentality” was released in 2006; then re-released as a full length album early 2007 with the addition of a few new songs. Dissociative Mentality was a collaboration of the original line-up. The album feel settled around more radio rock oriented song structures. Unfortunately, the original line-up disbanded in 2009, leaving Blake and Zach to their own devices.

Since disbanding , Blake and Zach spent the time off writing new music and also listening to different elements of the all-encompassing rock genre, hence the evolution of DRiVEN's sound. Such influences included Deftones, Tool, Russian Circles, Isis, Pelican, Nine Inch Nails, Karnivool. Amid the new take on DRiVEN, Blake and Zach stumbled upon Squee, who sites Coheed and Cambria and Protest the Hero as major influences. Squee brings different flared influence to their music while still captures the essence of the sound Driven has built.

Finally, DRiVEN is propelled by their passion to create music that is not quite like anything in their hometown, not quite like anything they hear on the radio, yet still providing that familiar sense of melody and structure to appeal to the masses. They write their music by a code, agreed upon by the band, incorporating their influences by filtering through their own dreams and love of music. The most recent album, recorded at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL and titled Abstract(ion), was released in March 2012. The album was Engineered by Greg Norman who has worked with artists which have influenced Driven. The album was mastered at Chicago Mastering Service, a company who often works with Electrical Audio.