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A few months ago we published a review for Nonpoint’s second album “Development.” I really enjoyed the group’s first CD and thought they were a few notches above most nu metal bands trying to carve our a niche for themselves. When I heard “Development,” my opinion of the group shot straight up. 

The one thing I always look for with a band’s second CD is musical growth and Nonpoint more than met the challenge. With their first major label CD, “Statement”, we heard a rawer, younger band but with “Development” we get to hear a band that has been out paying their dues, learning the ropes of the music business and also growing a musicians and songwriters. 

While I’m not a big fan of generic nu-metal, Nonpoint stood out from the pack for me and this CD became a quick favorite. I was delighted when I got a call asking if we would be interested in interviewing the group. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, especially about the songs on “Development”.  What follows is an interview I conducted with frontman Elias Soriano back in October when they passed through Orange County on their headlining tour of the U.S. 

When it came time to publish the interview, I knew that I wanted to do something cool with it and I knew they would be perfect for Artist of the Month, since this series is about showcasing cool and underrated bands. We already had the bands for the November and December’s Artist of the Month set in stone, so I had to wait a couple of months to publish this interview. But it all worked out since I couldn’t think of a better band to start the New Year out with.  The CD landed on my best of 2002 list and I’m hopeful that the band will get a big break in 2003. 

For those who already know the band and their music, I hope you enjoy the interview and learn something new. For those who have yet to check out Nonpoint, I hope this feature will encourage you to give them a shot. They really do stand above a lot of bands out there right now and their new CD “Development,” is definitely worthy of your attention! 

antiMUSIC: A short while ago there was a little controversy on the web about you guys. Someone took a comment you made out of context.

Elias: Oh the audio clip? Did you hear the audio clip?

antiMUSIC: No I read an article about it but didn’t hear the clip. 

Elias: It shows that I said nothing. They couldn’t quote me because I didn’t say it. They put it up on audio clip and you can hear for yourself. I’m a relatively nice guy. When I was on the phone with this guy he wasn’t very friendly with me from the get go. I was sir’ing this guy to death. I don’t if it’s his disposition or if he had a bad day that day, he started out on the wrong foot. Like I said, I answered, he was hitting really bellow the belt and I was taking it and I wasn’t hitting back. The conversation came up and he goes “this record’s more radio friendly than the last record, did you guys write for the radio?” And I go “well we didn’t not write for the radio,” in a sarcastic kind of way. Obviously our goal as a band is to be popular. To get to the point where System [of a down] is, where they are doing things their way. But this album we f***in busted our asses doing. We spent six, seven months on the road writing. So when you sit down and you have a lot of time to think, you know I don’t want to always want to scream. You know, I have a voice, people encourage me to use it. So I decided to use it. If it was more accessible, SO BE IT! It’s better for us than anything. So this guy decided to put it up, “Nonpoint writes for the radio”. I couldn’t care less; it doesn’t phase me at all. I’m not writing or doing any of this for any of those people. I’m doing this for myself and our fans. 

antiMUSIC: Personally, my take on the album wasn’t that it was a sellout at all. It was the progression you want to see a band making from their debut to their sophomore album. 

Elias: Right, you know the first album was a collection of songs that we wrote when we were just getting together. We didn’t know our capabilities. [since that album came out] We’ve been out on the road, toured with lots of f***ing bands. You get influenced by tons of things and you learn. And that’s what we did, we got better. And this album has ten times better songwriting than the first album. It has a lot more emotion and a lot more depth. That’s what we wanted. We wanted to have an album that we liked from beginning to end. 

antiMUSIC: I read that you wrote and recorded a lot of the songs for the new album on your bus using pro-tools while out on the road.

Elias: We demoed.

antiMUSIC: Ok that was my next question. 

Elias: We recorded at a studio. We started from scratch when we went into the studio. 

antiMUSIC: How was the writing process different this time than from your first album? 

Elias: It was less in the studio and more in pre-production. We walked in [to the studio] knowing more what we were doing. I’d say that 20% of the things that changed, happened in the studio, as opposed to on the first album 50% of things from when we walked in changed. It was things that we wanted to change or that we just hadn’t added so it was a lot more thought out and a lot smarter, I think. 

antiMUSIC: As a bit of a follow up to that question, you worked with producer Jason Bieler again on this CD, was there in major changes in the way he help you produce “Development” over how you worked with him on “Statement”? 

Elias: The thing is that we co-produced this record. When it boils down to tracking and stuff like that, you don’t always need the producer there. The most important thing about Jason Bieler is that he understood the type of band that we are. He understands the sound that we are aiming for. And he knows what we didn’t like on the first album that we wanted to change. So we all walked in with that same idea, we all walked in with the mixer with that same thing as well. That’s why we mixed with Bob Clearmountain, because he was someone that listened to our band and was taking ideas and taking comments and swapping information which is such a better process, when communication between your mixer and your producer is great. Sometimes they got to let you be the band, it’s your band and Jason Bieler understands that and Bob Clearmountain understood that. They knew that this is our baby. 

(note: Bob Clearmountain has worked with a host of artists including Paul McCartney, The Who, The Pretenders, Tina Turner, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Zakk Wilde, Collective Soul… the list goes on) 

antiMUSIC:  I was curious because there is a lot fuller sound on this record from the last one. 

Elias: That was Bob Clearmountain.  The person that mixed our first album mixed it like a pop record. It was very flat, not a lot of bass and drums and you that’s the highlight of our band, pretty much. When we went in this time, we wanted to make sure that those were showcased. I think it’s a lot fuller this time around. 

antiMUSIC: What has been your proudest moment as a band so far?

Elias: Going to Europe, I guess. That’s when it feels real, when you’re in another country and kids are coming, paying to come out and see you. 

antiMUSIC: Did you guys do a solo tour or just the Ozzfest stuff?

Elias: We did a bunch of headlining stuff over there. We did some shows with… New Found Glory and we also did Ozzfest, Rock the Park..

antiMUSIC: The crowds are a little different over there from what I hear?

Elias: They were awesome! 

antiMUSIC: Is there any one band that you have yet to tour with that’s at the top of your list of bands that you’d love to go out with? 

Elias: There are a lot of bands; I think we’d go over well with the Disturbed crowd. I’d love to get back out with Mudvayne. I love the Sevendust guys. I really, really, really.. the two I see there as the top two, actually the top three for next year [2003] that I’m hoping for are The Deftones, Incubus, or Disturbed. Either one of those three I’d be ecstatic with. 

antiMUSIC: I could see you with Sevendust too, that would be cool. 

Elias: We went out with Sevendust. Those guys are so cool. I wish we could always be on tour with those guys. If I had my way, we would be! They are a great band. 

antiMUSIC:  I don’t know why Stapp [as in Scott from Creed] has them open up for him, I wouldn‘t want to follow them! 

Elias: They squash their sound [as in Creed squashes Sevendust’s sound]. Did you see it? 

antiMUSIC: A few years back with Nickelback, Sevendust and Creed. 

Elias: Yeah, but they squash their sound. They put them at half the level. They didn’t give Sevendust any production, it was sad.