Interviews

No Motiv

Interview with Band on Jan 6, 2004 by Archive Bot

With the release of Daylight Breaking, their third album for longtime label Vagrant Records, this Southern California quartet proves that not only have they survived 8 years together as a band, but that they are just now hitting their stride.

PB: Did you guys ever expect for "Into The Darkness" to be featured in the 2004 Winter X Games?

NM: We never imagined it happening. We've always been used to the regular promotions we've had in the past. This is truly a blessing to have ESPN and the X Games to help promote this new record.

PB: How did that all come about?

NM: It was the work of our manager, Kent Sorrell, and Vagrant. Kent gave his friend at espn a copy of the new album and they were into the songs. Our song, Into the Darkness, got their attention and things came together from there, Vagrant has been working with ESPN to get the X Games promoted as well as Daylight Breaking.

PB: You guys have been on Vagrant from the beginning which is pretty amazing. A lot of bands after a certain amount of time move onto other labels. What has made you stay?

NM: We would like to become a successful band on Vagrant. They brought us to the label as a local band from Oxnard with a local following. They've been there for us ever since we started touring. It would be awesome to grow into a band that can hold there own and started from the ground up being on Vagrant. They have done so much for us in past and its only getting better with this new record. They really want this record to do well.

PB: What caused the line-up change that brought in Jeff Hershey on bass and put Roger on drums?

NM: Well during the writing of the album we parted ways with Pat. We wanted to continue the writing for the album so we needed someone to play the drums. I've been playing for a long time, but i was rusty but good enough to write drum parts and still come up with bass lines later. We recorded most of the record as a three piece. During the course of the recording, we brought our good friend Jeff Hershey into the band. We've been friends for years and he's done alot to help us out in the past. He's an extraordinary songwriter and musican and we're lucky to have him. He was able to play on 2 songs on the record (laid to rest & brand new day). Between Jeremy, Max and I, we shared the rest of the bass duties. I played drums on 10 songs and Max played on one. Now we have a solid lineup and the chemistry is just right.

PB: Are you guys at a point that you're happy with the band and the direction you're heading in?

NM: We are more than happy. This record is getting some serious attention and we're having a great time playing together and writing songs. We've never made the same album twice. We're always progressing and evolving. The next record will be different from Daylight Breaking, but it will still sound like us. We just want to keep getting better at what we do.

PB: Besides appearing in Aspen, CO. during the X Games what does 2004 look like for you guys? Do you have any high profile tours coming up?

NM: We will be heading out with Finger Eleven and The Revolution Smile in early February til mid March. We just plan on touring and touring The goal is to get our name out to people and promote the hell out of this record.

PB: Can you tell us more about your video that you shot recently for "Into The Darkness"? Plot, etc...

NM: I can't give away everything. Its based on the lyrics for "Into The Darkness", which were inspired by a nightmare Jeremy had. The video itself has a nightmarish look. It was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Berry. They did an awesome job and were extremely easy and great to work with. I've seen the final cuts for the video and it looks absolutely great.

PB: Lastly, thanks so much for taking the time out for the interview during the holidays. For those fans who haven't heard the new record yet, how would you compare it to "Diagram...."

NM: It's a completely different record. Everything from the sound of the record to the songwriting. Its much darker and deeper than Diagram as a whole. It's pretty much a rock album. You can still hear the punk rock and hardcore roots in the songs. The lyrics are the best that Jeremy has written. Its what a record sounds like when you give us all the power to write, produce, and record an album ourselves. This represents who we are more than ever.