Oh man, do these guys rock… I was so excited when I heard they were coming to Indy. Of course, with my travel schedule, I wasn’t in town for the show. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t help promote the show. Thanks to The Holland Account, a band that was opening for them, I was able to do a lot of promotional work for the show. I also had the chance to sit with the band for an artist interview. (Oh yeah, and I did a ticket giveaway on my blog.) Needless to say, I was able to get to know the band on a personal level before their show here in the Circle City. There were several other bands on the bill and everyone involved had a great night. The show was at Birdy’s Bar & Grill, home of rickyleepotts.com presents six bands for six bucks. Alright, enough from me… let’s get to know the band, shall we? It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Nonpoint.
You guys are originally from Fort Lauderdale. I almost went to college down there… in West Palm Beach. Do you guys still live in the sunny south Florida?
On and off I still live in Fort Lauderdale… I just had a baby girl so I’m currently in Michigan with the mother doing the daddy thing until I go on tour again.
There are so many genres I could throw you in… from hard rock to alternative; you fit a lot of molds. But what do YOU call yourselves? Describe your genre to me.
It’s metal with a taste of soul. I love heavy grooves. Dropping a smooth vocal over it feels fresh and right to me.
Tell me about your association with Modern Day Zero.
Zach was one of their old guitar players.
You guys have a TON of songs out there… do you ever forget the words to any of your tracks?
All the time. I used to wonder why other artists needed lyrics on stage until we got to record #5 and #6. When you have almost 90 songs under your belt, you tend to forget ones you don’t play often. Once I stopped right in the beginning of a performance. Couldn’t even remember the first word. It was hilarious; the crowd was cracking up.
Speaking of that, who writes all of your lyrics?
I pretty much write all the lyrics. The guys add and comment from time to time and even give me subject matter. But other than the Spanish songs, which Robb writes the majority of, I knock out the rest for us.
You scream quite a bit there Elias… what do you drink while on stage to keep the voice consistent from one song to the next?
Beer and nails.. Oh, and water here and there.
You guys have toured with a TON of big names including Hed PE (those guys make a lot of noise) to Drowning Pool and more. Do you get nervous playing before these massive bands? (I would put you in the same league as those guys, anyway!)
I invite the challenge of playing with any band. I feel like we respect our show and pride ourselves on being a live force in the touring world. So honestly, I don’t get nervous. I get amped.
You recently played a show here in Indianapolis with The Holland Account. Tell me a little bit more about that show. (I was out of town, or I would have been there. I did give away two tickets on rickyleepotts.com.)
The show was great. Another day, another show when its amidst 40 others. After over 10 years of touring they tend to blur together.
How do you guys stay motivated from one night to the next… what keeps you getting back on stage every night?
The crowd… Our fans are what it’s all about. They make it worth the challenge of touring.
You guys are doing a great job with your social media efforts. You are on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… who runs all of those accounts?
Robb, our drummer. He’s a beast online. He’s a promo king.
I LOVE your logo… Who designed that? Can I get that on any merchandise?
It was an old take on the Puerto Rican Coqui… Robb and I are from the island.
You guys are loud… ever worry about going deaf? It has to be loud up there on stage!
What was that? I didn’t catch the last part of that.
You guys released “Best Of” earlier this year. It’s pretty much all your hits. (I think they are all good.) How did you decide what songs to put on the album? And what made you stop at 12 tracks? Why not 15… 18 songs?
We were only allowed to use songs off of our first three records so it wasn’t too hard. We picked the fan favorites… Pit starters and tear jerkers.
What would you guys be doing if you were not performing?
Taking over the world.
This is the original lineup… you guys ever get sick of each other? That’s pretty impressive that you have been together for so long.
It’s not easy. All bands have their issues.
Surely you like to go to shows… what’s the best concert you have ever been to? Does any one show stand out more than the next?
Prince. That guy is a musical genius
I haven’t seen you guys live before… but what can a fan expect from a live performance?
A lot of sweat and energy. We involve the crowd and really give it everything.
You guys just wrapped up your summer tour. Did you have fun out there this summer? Make any new friends and fans while on the road?
Oh yeah… The guys and gals in the Motley Crue and the All That Remains camps are great people. Some old and new faces. It was a great summer.
Do you ever get sick of being on the road? That has to be tough.
It’s tough… the 11 week tours get tough, but it’s part of the gig.
You guys have played for some pretty impressive crowds. What’s the biggest crowd you have ever played for?
If I remember correctly, it was 38,000 in Albany, New York.
I feel like I could ask you questions forever… I truly appreciate you taking the time to sit with me for this interview. That being said, in all of the interviews that I do I always give the artist the last word. Go.
New Nonpoint coming next year… protect your neck!
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