A DEEPER LOOK INTO
THE FEW NOT FLEETING
- Introduction -
This album is who we are. This music is what we feel. The stage is where we live, and the heart is what we fifight for. This document is our attempt to give you a small glimpse into our hearts, minds, and lives over the last few years. This album is a reflection of our thoughts as we have travailed through life’s trials while struggling to make our mark in the music industry. It is not a product, nor a means to an end. It is an afterthought, a captured hindsight, an involved imprint from humble beginnings. It is the common denominator, the platform if you will, for an open digression that consistently leads back to the same source. We will take you into how we have fallen, and how we continue to fall, but more important, how we push on. The gravity of life can be a crushing hammer at times. For the living it is an opportunity to be sharpened, for the dead it means nothing. Fortunately, anyone reading this is taking in air, so the philosophy ends with the question… and we move onward. God or no God, rich or poor, living or dying, loved or broken, we are all here and we all feel. We hope to share what we felt in the making of this record in a way that is relevant to people in all walks of life.
Nothing More’s mantra has always been “Fight!”. The battle comes in many forms, but the roads are always the same. To the left there is cyanide, and to the right there is the few not fleeting. Life is a fifight to follow dreams, it is a fifight to love those that hurt you, and many times a counterintuitive fifight to let go. We are still, in many ways, at the beginning of our journey. While we only have a small taste of existence at our age, we feel that we have much to share. So please follow us as we travel inward...…
Daniel
Jonny
Mark
"As lightning to the children eased, with explanation kind, the Truth must dazzle gradually, or every man be blind." -Emily Dickinson
"As lightning to the children eased, with explanation kind, the Truth must dazzle gradually, or every man be blind."
-Emily Dickinson
VIDEO TOUR BLOG
- CLICK HERE -
Fat Kid
Waiting On Rain
Love?
It Seems...
Jonny (1/9)
The following description was written
in between medical procedures and naps in the
hospital. It was during the time I spent with
my mother in the final stages of battling
cancer. –
I sat in a dark room on the 5th
floor of St. Lukes Baptist Hospital.
This place became an all too familiar setting in 2008. Lying across the room was an emaciated human being, a shell of who my mother used to be. It was my shift to watch her while the rest of my family would be out and about. As I watched her I thought about how she used to be the epitome of energy, independence, and strength. She now laid quiet and immobile. She still held much of her beauty in her eyes, but she looked like a pale apparition of what once was. She was less than 95 pounds; her arms, face, and chest were nothing but bone. Her stomach was stretched to the brim with tumors, and her legs were swollen beyond definition. She had scars on her stomach and a tube coming out of her back.
Her life was suspended in a web
of iv’s that beeped with every minute. Her
bed was of some comfort, but for a person
as active as she was, it was
a prison...
Jonny (2/9)
...I would spend many of my days out of
the week watching over my mom at the
hospital. My family and I all took
shifts, so that the others could run
errands, work, go to school, or
catch up on sleep. During the time
I spent in the hospital I began to
experience hurt like I never could
have imagined. The thought of losing my mother was something that was on the forefront of my mind every day and night... But that wasn’t the worst thing. The slow and consistent suffering I saw her go through for 2 years was beginning to eat me alive. Change had come, as it will to everyone (a quote from Puscifer, spoken so well in 'Momma Sed', an influential song for me during this time). Bed sores began to develop, and her skin became mush. Youth turned to wrinkles, and
laughter to sorrow. Time passed....slowly...
Jonny (3/9)
“"Whole years of Joy glide unperceived away,
while sorrow counts the minutes as they pass."”
–-William Harvard
...Sitting in the chair next to her
bed I started to hear a noise.
It was the noise I had grown to
hate more than any other noise...
the sound of my mother crying. It was a cry so weak that it was barely audible. I jumped out of my chair to see if I could help, but she responded with a slow shake of the head. I called the nurse and we gave her another 50 mg of morphine. Her eyes rolled back and she escaped the pain for a little while. Every day went as follows: pain, vomit, cry, sedate, sleep and repeat when she woke up an hour or so later. It was absolute hell.
As I walked back to my chair, I felt relieved that she was not in pain at the moment, but I couldn’t shake the helplessness
that chipped away at my soul.
My mind began to travel into what
is, what was, and what had been...
Jonny (4/9)
...Beginning to reflect on life I began
to see that there were two women in my
life that were being taken away. Two
weeks prior, my girlfriend of 5 and a
half years decided to part ways with
me. I never saw it coming, but I
should have. The friction of
touring, lack of time and energy I
had to offer and her unmet emotional needs began to take its toll. We met when we she was 15, and I was 16. According to most adult’s predictions, that’s a time bomb ticking for heartbreak. When you consider the amount of change individuals experience from age 15 to 22, it’s no wonder most high school sweethearts don’t make it into their adult life as a couple. I was convinced we were different though. She was special, and I didn’t care what anyone said about us being too young. She and I were connected on a
level that I rarely see most married
adults on. I somewhat ignorantly felt
that I was ready for a serious
relationship at a young age, and she
seemed to be perfect. She was my first
kiss, my first date, my first road
trip, my first love letter, my first
valentine, and the first girl I said “I
love you” to.
I believed she would be my last...…
Jonny (5/9)
“"Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver.”"
-Sophocles…
...Again while quietly sitting there,
another wave of emptiness struck
me like a tidal wave. My mom was
sedated and no one was around, so
I felt safe to break down. I let
the weight off for a bit and began
to cry. Crying soon turned to weeping, and weeping to devastation. I was no longer in my chair but on the ground. As I laid face down and destitute, my mind began to take everything at once
- The foundation of love on which I stood for the last 5 and a half years with my girlfriend (hoped to be wife at the time) had been stripped away.
-The hope I had for one of my sisters
was lost to substance abuse and
rebellion.
- The faith I had held in God was
nonexistent. I had reached a pinnacle
in my 6 years of avid spiritual
searching to the conclusion that the
God I had grown to believe in did not
exist. As much as I wanted to believe,
becasue I knew it would give me some
ounce of hope, I could not believe
because of rational convictions. My
perceived foundation for
existence was nothing but a
dream...
Jonny (6/9)
...The Joy I had always found in music
had been turned into apathy. The last 8
years of work I had put into the music
industry felt wasted. I was at the end
of an era of hard work that rendered
only debt and heartache. The good
memories that were created along
the way just seemed to hurt more,
because they were gone.
- The confidence I had in my family’s strength was weak. My father had prevailed like no other man I had ever seen, but even he looked defeated. His face was tired, and his body looked weak. He had been working 10 hour days to keep our family afloat. When he would come home he would stay up all night with my mother as she vomited and cried...
I thought I had felt rock bottom before, but
this was of another caliber. I was
left Godless, motherless, loveless,
and passionless. I was hollow. Every
dream I had pursued felt meaningless.
All the love I gave felt stolen. All
the security I felt was now beaten
senseless. I was spent, and so was my
family. …
Jonny (7/9)
“"When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart
and you shall see in truth you are weeping for that
which has been your delight.”"–
-Kahil Gibran
...Going through all of this was
the toughest thing I had ever
experienced, but what made it even harder was being on the road. Touring had always been a healthy escape for me, but it became an exile while all of this was happening. I wanted so badly to help my mom in any way that I could, but I was gone. I wanted to help my dad with managing the home and give him a break, but I was gone. I wanted to help my sister, but I was gone. I wanted to put more time into my relationship with my girlfriend, but the arduous nature of the road was paying it’s toll. In my mind I had hit the tipping point.
I truly felt that it was always
“Another day away, another fight you
face alone...I’m gone”
…
Jonny (8/9)
This pain will breathe purpose
...My mother passed away on January 26th, 2009. I rushed home from a show in
Tyler, TX when I got a phone call
from my dad. I had gotten calls
before, but I knew this was serious
because I could hear it in my dad's
voice. I was the last one to arrive and as soon as I walked in the room they said my mother's heart rate slowed down. When she heard my voice her breathing began to calm. The nurses said that even though she couldn't communicate, her hearing was still strong. She now knew that everyone was there. She was just waiting for the last child to come home. She passed quickly after that. I got to tell her I loved her and hold her hand as she left this world.
- R.I.P. Shari Hawkins (1960-2009) -
Jonny (9/9)
This song helps me grieve, and it helps
me release. This song is not about
hope, it is just about
exhaling, letting out, and falling
down. It was an expression of the
\inescapable pain that came through this experience. Hope is not lost though. Hope is never lost, only forgotten and overlooked. Please read on, because over the course of the next few songs I would love to share how this horrible time in my life became one of the greatest victories of all time! I will explain much of that journey in the songs "The Few not Fleeting", "Fell in Love With a Ghost", and "It Seems"... along with tidbits of info scattered among the other songs.
"Fear not the movement of the heavens
above or the earth below for change is
what we are, my child. Righteous are
those who look up and sway with the
\ wind, who look down and dance with the
shifting of the soil, who swim with
the movement of the tides, who seek
the truth around them and discover, we
are and have always been in paradise."
-Sour Grapes
Daniel (1/2)
When we began the recording process we
decided that Gone was to be one of our singles.
This was funny because we decided that it was
one of the strongest songs even though it
had the least amount creative effort
poured into it at the time. We were
going to use it as a case study to see
how Will Hoffman (Produced Gone, Waiting
on Rain, and Fat Kid) worked in the pre-production stage of the tune. I remember being in the practice room and thinking how bland the song was and how stumped we were in trying to make it cool. “We will see what Will wants to do with it” we always said, and decided to procrastinate a little more and screw with a more complete tune. When it came time to begin working with Will, all he really did at first was agree that the whole song was way too bland except for the chorus. So there was not a magic spell that he could put us under to help inspire the music from us, he was just a sounding board for us to bounce our ideas off of...
Daniel (2/2)
...Working with Will on this record was a
blessing. We, as a band, really try to soak
up every ounce of wisdom that we can from
the professionals that we work with. From
the management side of things, to
production techniques, to honest
friendship, Will was an open book with
nothing but the band’s best interest in
mind. He has taken on the mantra of “We are not stopping until the song is done” and it made all the difference in the world. Jonny, being the rookie singer that he was, really figured out exactly what his vocals were going to sound like for the rest of the record while working with Will on this song. He really gave Jonny the confidence and recorded proof of the versatility and power of his vocals. Seeing his growth in such a short time as a vocalist on this record has left us all very excited about what is to come with the following records.
Mark (1/2)
I remember getting the idea for this song outside of The Blue Monkey in Monroe, Louisiana while sitting on the curb next
to our RV. I had my guitar plugged into
a cigarette carton amplifier with
god-awful tone. The version that
we were toying with at the time
ended up being the complete
opposite of the finished product that made the album. The idea was the same, though the musical progression different. We actually stole a musical part from ‘Salem’ that I had written in G# minor, changing it to F# minor to fit the rest of the song.
I immediately knew that ‘Gone’ would not only be on the album, but one of the single tracks once we had switched choruses. The melody flowed instantly, and we threw in a third harmony. This particular song was so catchy
that it was lodged in my brain for the next few months...
Mark (2/2)
...The music for ‘Gone’ was definitely inspired by Emery. The guitar
parts showcased in the cuts on
Emery’s album ‘The Question’
were a huge influence when
composing this song.
I absolutely love how the
harmonics mesh with the china cymbal on count 2 of the bridge and in the outro. I wish you could solo the bass, because Dan hits these harmonics sounding like a freight train!
Daniel (1/4)
"And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies..."
-Jeremiah 9:3
This song was inspired by a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding where one party decided to “hear what they wanted to hear”. “She laughed at me” they said.
“It was a nervous laugh due to the total awkwardness of the moment” cried the defendant. From that very moment on, there was nothing in the world that would redeem that poor girl. Not only was the situation beyond reconciliation, but the offended party felt that it was their duty to “get the situation off of their chest” with everybody that they knew. This is something that we balanced people like to call gossip. To top, the “guilty” party was never even confronted on the issue making for one huge sweaty ball of insecure slander.
Arghhhh! It still burns me today!...
Daniel (2/4)
...This song was created out of an emotional vent in late 2007, but is very applicable to anybody dealing with a nut job that can’t see the world for what it is. The theme of the song came to me when I randomly stumbled upon The Crucible while paroozing around Borders book store. If I remember right, the towns people of Salem blamed innocent women and their “curses” for their own misfortune. We feel that this little ditty will touch a nerve for anybody dealing with somebody that can’t own up to the reality of their own choices in life. Enjoy!!
The older I get the more I realize the merit of having good judgment. I come across more and more situations where an individual’s sense of self-entitlement rules the ring of emotion and conscious thought. This often creates a paradigm shift in one’s reality, leaving them unreached and forever removed from the benefit of an intervention from those most trusted in their lives.
Simply put, it leads to pride. Many
times when dealing with overly
proud people the only solution is to
walk away. And that’s just what
I did...
Daniel (3/4)
“...The inspiration for this song was sprung from a misunderstanding. Not even a misunderstanding, but a very minor communication breakdown. The parties that were offended let their pride swell up to where no act of communication or reconciliation was even possible. Rather than move forward to make amends with the “guilty” party, they chose to publicly defame her character through lies to justify their absolutely absurd overreaction. They thought that nobody would question their strong stance against somebody if they made her out to be the devil incarnate. It worked for a little while, creating a chasm in a group of friends that before was so tight knit, but their true colors were revealed eventually. In the end there was not a fair trial or any real apology or acknowledgement of fault. Salem is a sarcastic look at the man that blames Mc Donald’s for his obesity; for the group that says that “The Man” is holding him down all the while refusing
to get an education or put in an
honest day’s work....
Daniel (4/4)
...It is a song expressing the frustration of dealing with people that refuse to pay full price for anything yet still want overly adequate compensation for their meager efforts. It’s giving the bird to anybody that will not take responsibility for their actions or who exploit others' shortcomings publicly to make them feel alright about their own.
Mark (1/3)
Ding dong the witch is dead! There is a very sarcastic tone in this song. The original lyrics were more in the vane of Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare before Christmas’ without the kookiness. The way Jonny’s voice expresses the lyrics gives ‘Salem’ a borderline demented broadway sound. We tried to go all the way and make every listener feel the 'crazy' in this song.
Though this song seems to be fanciful, it’s actually all very real to us. To me, Salem sums up the Biblical reference, ‘If you seek, you shall find’ (Matthew 7:7). However, the counterpart of this verse was my experience instead of the hope that it was meant to be.
What I mean is, if you want to find dirt on someone, you will. If you want to catch them in a lie, you will. Basically, anyone that will go as far as to try catching a witch, conjuring up the devil, can and will. Instead of correcting their misfortunes through self-examination
they accuse and convict the innocent.
They need a scapegoat to burn...
Mark (2/3)
...I have experienced the burn. The burn when you are cornered and interrogated, found guilty with every word, regardless of its context. Whatever testimony given, whatever solace conveyed, they meet the ears of the hearer twisted and chaotic, fiercely filtered through a lifetime of nervousness and instability; things that you had no idea of nor made contribution to; things you cannot change, cannot console, cannot defend against.
I was GUILTY!!! I was the WITCH!!! My crime? ...having lived before I met this particular person.
Every simple memory became issue for an audit. I feared confrontation. I was scared of receiving text messages! I wanted to run away or for my phone to blow up, or to erase this part of my life! Crazy or melodramatic, this is exactly how I felt. Remembering it makes me sick to my stomach giving me the worst taste in my mouth. This person would even convince me that something was
wrong when absolutely nothing was...
Mark (3/3)
...I was finally burned when I began to believe the craziness, and felt insecurity that never before existed, leaving scars that will take time to fade.
The title of this song came from the Salem witch trials of 1692. Many of the "witches" were guilty before proven innocent. Many of the "witches" weren’t witches. They were hung historically, but we tend to gravitate toward the fire. When we thought of how witches were killed, we thought of them being burned at the stake...maybe that's because we watched too much Monty Python though!
Jonny (1/5)
Salem was the first self-produced song that we finished. It was especially exciting for me because I got to sit in the hot seat behind the computer and where the “producer hat” for much of the recording. I gained a strong interest in the art form of programming/production/recording about 2 years before we recorded this record, and this was my first chance to put my knowledge to the test. It’s an amazing experience working with producers like Will Hoffman or Mack Damon, but sometimes I would feel like I had a vision for a song, or a part, and I just wanted to sit in the seat and do it myself. In some cases doing is easier than explaining. I’m kind of a control freak, so this “self-produce” idea was appealing! At the same time, it was very scary because it was my first test as a “producer” and I didn’t know how
the songs I produced with the band
were going to hold up to the rest of
the
record.
Jonny (2/5)
...I would consider myself a bit of a nerd/knowledge junkie; I try to suck in as much info as possible every second of every day. As a result of this characteristic, I end up being the buzz kill in many social situations. The recording process was amazing because I learned in one year what many students pay high dollar to learn over the course of a few years. It wasn’t that I was exceptional by any means, or that I had a nack for it, it’s just that I had priceless hands on experience with pros like Will and Mack. I would pester them with a million questions every time we would have a session. I’m sure they got sick of me, but the quality of knowledge I took from our experience was amazing! I applied much of what I learned from them into how we approached the recording process with the songs Salem, Fell in Love With a Ghost, Dirge, Bullets and Blue Eyes, Love?, It Seems, and The Few Not Fleeting...
Jonny (3/5)
...This was not only my first full record to do production work on, it was my first to track lead vox on. I learned a ton vocally as we stumbled through the recording process. There were many times when I would feel very uncomfortable as I sang the parts, but I was fortunate to have Will, Mack, Dan, and Mark coach me through the process as I would lay my vulnerabilities into the mic. One of the highest parts I had to sing on the record was the harmony on the driving bridge (“this will all be over soon, she’s melting through…”). I had to wear some tight pants when I went in the booth to sing that part, if you catch my drift. I pushed my limits, and when I was too tired to push my limits the guys made sure to push me and make it happen. This song helped me develop much of my style vocally. It was interesting because the vocal parts had such a full range of expression and the guys helped me hone in on the desired vocal tones for every part. I couldn’t be where I am
vocally today without the direction
I got from Will, Mack, Dan, and Mark.
I owe them my utmost gratitude...
Jonny (4/5)
...One of the most interesting parts to record was the demented bridge (“But sir, I have no friends… and I’m fat… my wife wants to leave me, imagine that…” etc.). It was fun putting all of this together, because it was very spontaneous and theatrical. We created much of this record’s sound in the studio, and this song was no exception. We wanted this song to be as sarcastic as possible, and we feel that we got that out of the performances and overall vibe.
I would like to touch for a second on the meaning of this song. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about what this song means to me is that I can not stand when people blame others for their misfortunes (like the line says, “where does your misfortune grow?”), when it is obviously something that’s a result of their own insecurities. I have a big finger pointed at myself when I say this, because I am not perfect and have blamed others at times… We have all
done this at times, whether it be conscious or subconscious; we blame
others for the areas in which
we lack...
Jonny (5/5)
“"One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God”" -Bono
...When we wake up, we must recognize our fault, seek forgiveness, and then move on accepting full responsibility and consequence. You are only tricking yourself if you think that you keep having problems in your life as a result of others. I can’t count how many times I have had conversations with people who talk about how horrible their life is, but honestly can’t see how it’s directly connected to their own decisions. There are things that we can’t control in life, but for the most part (especially in America) we control our destiny. There is a giant black hole in my heart for the people that fail to see that and continuously act accordingly. I believe the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
Daniel (1/5)
Fat Kid is an anthem spoken from the
life experience of growing up overweight
during the most socially hostile time in
one’s life. It is a fun song, but the
emotion behind it is still very true and
sincere. It speaks beyond the specific
situation of being fat and hopefully reaches
anybody that was slighted for just being
who they were. I still remember vividly the
persecution that I received daily. I was
made fun of for being a slow runner. I was
made out to be dumb just because the fear of impossibly saying something correct in the enemy's eyes left me confused, frustrated and hurt.
The saddest part of it all is that you start to believe it about yourself. In a time when you are supposed to be developing and trying new things, you are instead scared of doing anything out of line for fear of physical or verbal abuse. Your own personal concerns and interests must stay hidden deep inside because the only people you have are those that oppress you. I went to a small school and couldn’t switch groups of friends because I didn’t have the confidence to talk to other people. I didn’t have the legs beneath me to stand against the hatred that would have come my way if I were to choose something different. I was often stolen from and was always told when I was excluded from things like parties and hangouts. But I grew up. I made something of myself and now I am thankful that I never became one of them. My insecurity drove me deep inside of myself, where their insecurity drove them to be total ass holes...
Daniel (2/5)
...I feel like many people who grew up like
I did are faced everyday with harmful
tendencies and tough choices that were born
from their past. I primarily speak from
personal experience, but it seems that the
more you hate something or somebody, the
more likely you are to become just that.
Growing up with such criticism, in many
ways, has made me overly critical of
myself, which bleeds over into how I view
and judge other people. It is sick that the
judgment and condemnation received as a child is only “vented” when passed through you to somebody else. Maybe it is circumstance that to be accepted in such a harsh environment, you must also be cut throat and condemning, or maybe it is that the only true and right place for your pain to go is into your heart where the strength and power of love can put an end to it.
The use of “Christianese” language is a personal pet peeve of mine, but for lack of something better, there is a huge amount of merit in letting go of your pain and “giving it to God”. I don't believe that God accepts, denies, or helps us in the literal, humanized sense that are adopted by many faithful people. On the other hand, I do feel that much of the fabric of “God” lies in us ascending what is acceptable and bearing the hatred knowing that they “know not what they do”. To not forgive only means that somebody else's negative energy will inevitably pass through you onto somebody else and destroy part of you in the process. When you let go of what they did to you, only then have you forgiven them and completely broken the cycle of negativity. Many scars are deep and we like to fool ourselves into thinking that forgiveness lays in the shallows, which is right past the point of where we no longer feel like publicly defaming them anymore. It is in our best interest to not accept that shallow state. We have to push on until there is not a trace of the circumstance. Then we have forgiven and deserve forgiveness ourselves...
“"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven”" (Luke 6:37)
Daniel (3/5)
...My social salvation came late in high
school when I lost interest in motocross
and began to feel the tug on my soul to
follow my older brother and father into
music. Playing bass for a church youth band
was where I found the positive community
that changed my life. There was a group of
friends there that celebrated each other's
differences and accepted me as family. Over
the next few years everything turned around
and I was given the foundation from which I
sprung into the ambitious madness that turned into my adult life.
There were two pinnacle moments in my life, as far as I can remember, that turned music into the heroin in my veins. The first happened around the age of 13. I was not really interested in listening to music and definitely not interested in playing it. I had quit the piano lessons my parents forced me into and had never looked back. This one lonely night I was randomly going through my older brother's CD collection and I found the album “Fashion Nugget” by the group “Cake”. Something inside told me to listen to that record. I plugged in some headphones to my brother's boom box and my world was never the same. There was something about the opening track “Frank Sinatra” that blew my mind. The tones, and lyrics, and rhythms, they created a mood and a story in my head that could never be matched by any movie that has come out of Hollywood. And the bass... oh the bass on that record was something I had never heard. I was hooked. Still today, Cake is heralded in the world of Dan as one of the greatest bands that has ever been. If any of you out there in internet land would like to get me a birthday present, please get me anything having to do with Cake. I have never seen them live and I do not own a t-shirt. You buy the tickets; I'll buy the drinks. Let's GO!!!!...
Daniel (4/5)
...The final step in turning my heartbeat
into the melodic part of an epic rhythm
section happened while under the influence
of a high school talent show when I was 14
years old. It was a rap song performed by
my older brother Bradley on bass. Before I
move on I should mention his current band
“Sounds Under Radio”, check them out because
they ROCK!!!!! What he did on that bass was
something far beyond what Cake delivered a
year earlier. It was a holy night to me.
The personality that I felt coming through his fingers and into my head changed my life forever. From there on out, my life was secretly devoted to music.
Fortunate for me I come from a very musical family. My father is a mastermind of lead guitar, bass guitar, banjo, lap steel, piano, and many instruments not even invented yet. He owned a full sound system while I was in high school and had a used music shop as a client that owed his accounting firm enough money to justify me rolling down there occasionally to take whatever I needed. From time to time I will wail a new riff that I am impressed with… only to remember that I had heard the piece of music from my Father’s acoustic guitar two decades earlier while watching cartoons. At my disposal was my older brother, an affluent pianist, bassist, and music theorist, and my father who had grown up with Christopher Cross and had met Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, and has one of his old Les Paul's featured in the outro of “Layla” by Eric Clapton. Needless to say, I learned from the best...
Daniel (5/5)
...Working with Jonny and Mark, who
completed the twisted story of what music
was to become in my life, came years later.
To sum it all up, I quit music, college, and
everthing I knew, packed my motorcycle and
moved to Durango, Colorado to live in the
woods and become a white water raft guide.
After that I was offered the perfect job of
taking care and charge of a team of huskies
for the Winter, leading tourists through
the woods on dog sled rides. I turned down
the position feeling that there was something for me back in San Antonio. That next year I lived with Mark and the rest is history. The era of Nothing More had just begun for me. One day you will be able to pick up the book on everything that happened in between these sentences. For now you will have to wait.
Mark(1/5)
This song actually began as a joke a joke
that our fans fell in love with. At some
point we took our fan’s enthusiasm about
the topic as a sign to put this song on the
record. The first version of fat kid was a
random funk jam with a pop punk type chorus.
It was a song that was very different from
everything else we did lyrically and
stylistically. Yet, many of our fans were
in love with it, so we began taking steps
to morph this song in ways that would help
it fit on the record. The song ended up taking us f-o-r-e-v-e-r to complete. It was rewritten over and over and over. Our producer on this track, Will Hoffman, gave us the extra energy and motivation to keep working on it, even when we thought we couldn't bare to work on it anymore.
The funny thing with this tune is that we had originally shelved it for the record. We had no intention of putting it on the record until it was resurrected through a strange course of events. Some 'important people' thought it was a 'hit' and wanted to take us under their wing. So we went back and forth on the idea and finally decided to work on it once more. We didn't want to be pigeon holed as the 'Fat Kid' band, so we did everything we could do to make this song not so “goofy”. We tried to give it a sarcastic undertone in portraying the underdog’s fight for world domination. So the 3 of us went to work...
Mark (2/5)
...We didn't want the song to be cheesy,
and that may have been the hardest thing
to stay away from. This topic is very easy
to be cheesy on… For example, here are
some ‘cheese’ lyrics that never made the
cut:
-------------------------------------
I was four foot nine, one-eighty-five (185)
I had a latitude problem and thunder thighs
A slave to the cookie, criticized
Hated because of my size
I said "Baby, just maybe you could be my queen"
And she said, "Baby, You're crazy"
Sun shining lovely, I'm festively chubby, and my smile says everything's okay
I'm everybone’s buddy, everybody loves me, as long as I smile and stay out of the way
What's wrong with me that's so wrong with you, I would leave but no place to go to, nominal friends they have no clue, what their empty words have put me through
Hey look it's a lady that I haven't seen lately, I say “What's up?” and she passes me by,
I need a yes, no, or a maybe if you'll be mine this Saturday night
Fair weather friends tell me when does it end, where my pain starts your comfort begins
Wanna put my foot down, no confidence, stripped away by my so called friends
Dance, Dance, Dance
Eat your fill and split your pants
You've turned vanity into romance
Enjoy your meathead trance
Mark (3/5)
...Once the final product was complete the
'important people's' label was undergoing
changes, and we weren't a priority, so they
didn't have enough time or money to take
the 'Fat Kid song' on. TOTAL BUMMER DUDE!!!
....but we are stronger for having the song
on the album. We are very proud to have it,
and even more proud of turning something
that was merely a joke into what it is now.
The neat thing about the creation process
of this song was that it started with a synth riff Jonny came up with. In case any of you don't know, Jonny is actually a robot. He's amazing at anything he puts his mind to. He recorded all of the drums, vocals, and programming on the record. He wrote the string parts with me and also did some piano work on the acoustic album. His potential is limitless. Dan and I are very proud to have Jonny with us. He pushes us to perfection and doesn't settle for anything less. We just don't want him to pick up guitar or bass, because then Nothing More would be a one-man band ;)
My favorite part of this song was recording bass to the bridge. We got to mess around with a bunch of effects and finally captured the explosion that you hear right after the section that says 'Thin was in but now it's out and fat is what it's all about'. The tremolo mixed with the phaser really gives it this 'airplane takeoff' feel. We decided to keep the vocals scarce on this section. We wanted to focus on what was happening musically, especially since this whole song is ADHD. We gave the music a chance to breathe.
I also love the “cat” sounding guitar part in the second verse. At the time I was getting really into slap back delay (inspired by Mike Einziger of Incubus) and that part was very industrial, so it felt like a good fit. I feared it would distract from the vocals, but it actually worked out great. I loved the part 10 times more when I thought it sounded like a cat! Ha...
Mark (4/5)
- Music History of Mark Anthony Nathaniel Vollelunga -
...Like Dan, my family was very musical.
My dad tried to get me to learn guitar when
I was 8 or so, but I hated it. He tried
teaching me Beach Boys' songs, and I didn't
want any part of that. My mom enrolled me \
in piano lessons and I greatly excelled
though I didn't like it at all. I then
discovered I could sing sometime before I turned 10. My music teachers at school encouraged me to continue pursuing singing and so I did.
I auditioned for a singing/acting job at Six Flags in San Antonio and won the audition. I starred as Tiny Tim in a sequel to 'A Christmas Carol'. So Tiny Tim had gotten stronger and didn't have to use a crutch anymore. After the holidays were over I tried out for the San Antonio Men and Boys choir and was also admitted. Over the next few years I traveled with the choir through France, England, and other parts of the US singing and performing.
Right before high school I decided I wanted to play guitar. My Dad bought me a cheap electric guitar with a built in amp. I wish I still had it because it had the most horrible sound.
Once my balls dropped I found out that I didn't have the voice I once had. I was actually the second singer of Nothing More, which was then called Undersiege. The first singer was our old guitar player Josh Kercheville. After that it was Andrew Flater, then Josh Klaus, then Travis Cox, then Daniel Oliver (filled in while we were searching), then Trey Graham, and finally Jonny Hawkins! It's funny because everyone in Nothing More has been the lead singer at one point in time (minus Matt Reynolds and Chris Smith who were bass players in Nothing More before Dan joined). Jonny is safe because he's an original member so if we part ways the whole ship is going down for good...
Mark(5/5)
...Jonny and I met at a youth camp retreat.
I had only been playing guitar for a year
and I was obsessed with Metallica solos.
I learned a ton of them and I just really
loved listening to music and figuring it
out. That part of me hasn't changed at all.
I love to pick music apart and analyze every
little thing. Jonny heard me jamming on a
friend's guitar and asked me if I wanted to
join his band. I actually turned him down
and told him I just wanted to play other
people's music. I had never really thought of playing in a band. After youth camp I started exploring the writing aspect of music and I immediately fell in love. So about 6 months later I gave Jonny a call and told him I wanted to come over and jam. I had never played music with anyone else before. Our first practice was a huge success. We started working on our first song and finished it a year later...things were a lot slower then. We practiced it, and practiced it, and practiced it. We loved that freakin song! Ha. I only wish we had a recording of it to hear how bad it actually sounded :)
At practice I told the guys I could sing too so we wouldn't have to worry about a singer. That very night I went home and wrote lyrics to our first song. It was called, “The Perfect Sin”. I have no idea what the perfect sin is or what I was thinking, but it sounded sweet at the time. My journey with Nothing More had begun.
I grew up in San Antonio, TX as a
semi-normal, white suburban kid. I never
had an issue with weight like the song
talks about, but I did have my fair share
of issues growing up. Fortunately, I lived
in a wonderful home, had amazing friends,
and had a solid education. As I got older
I became more aware of how lucky I was to
fly through life, somewhat seamlessly,
during my most vulnerable years of
development. I had my fair share of bruises,
disappointments, bullying, and growing pains like any other kid on the block. In fact, from the ages of 5 to 15 I went to the ER 5 separate times, each time to be stitched or stapled. I also had 1 instance of electrocution, 2 concussions, a broken finger, an inflamed spleen, and 2 cases of pneumonia. In addition, I overdosed on Nyquil (accidentally) and had intense hallucinations while running a very strong fever. I also had sinus infections like clockwork every 2 months, and mononucleosis once. I had been knocked out 3 times, almost choked to death with a freak fish allergy, and had 2 puppy love heart breaks. I had chicken pox, a habitually dislocated knee, and all sorts of other interesting quirks. “Not bad for a fat kid,” or scrawny kid in my case.
This song, as goofy as it is on the surface, means a lot to me when I reflect on my feelings in Middle school and High school. I felt like the underdog growing up. I was never at the “bottom of the bucket” socially, but I felt disposable; I was just another kid who could be easily replaced or forgotten. Like I said before, I never struggled with weight, but I struggled with confidence. This song empowers me when I remember thinking to myself, “I’ll show them”. Now I am happy to be living my dream and singing “Not Bad for a Fat Kid” with people across the nation. I hope this song empowers others to push forward regardless of what others think of them. At some point in my childhood I gave the naysayers the metaphorical middle finger and decided to pursue my dream of having a career in music...
...It all started when...…
...As I remember, the first significant
event I experienced with music was when my
dad took me to a rock concert. I was about
7 years old and I remember seeing
Grammatrain, Petra, and Johnny Q Public.
I’ve met a very small amount of people who
have heard of those bands, but regardless
of their mainstream success, or lack
thereof, they made a profound impact on
me that night. I recall looking up at my dad and saying “That is what I want to do”. It was the first time I ever remember feeling the tickle sliver up my spine as the music infected my being. It was the first moment of self-recognition. As a kid, it was absolutely magical and intoxicating. It’s the same feeling I experience when listening to music today, but I will never forget the first time. From that point on I had the taste in my mouth. I couldn’t shake the feeling, and I couldn’t shake the desire to be a part of this magical substance that traveled through the air, tickled my ears, and punched my soul in the gut. When I got home I whipped out the pots and pans and began destroying one kitchen utensil at a time in an attempt to create beats like the band I had just seen. Soon after, my mother decided that it was a good idea to get me a drum set. My parents were both extremely supportive in all of my endeavors. I am beyond grateful that they were brave enough to buy their hyperactive 7-year-old son a DRUM SET! Props...
...I had my first drum lesson at the age
of 7 with a burnt out rocker who was
straight out of the 80’s. All I remember
was that he had a beer belly, very long
hair, a million cats that shed all over
his house, and a garage filled with drums.
From that point on, it was my mom who
kept me on track. I wanted to quit playing
the drums numerous times, but my mom would
not let me. She also volunteered me to be
the little drummer boy in the church
Christmas play, even though I didn’t want to. It’s all very funny looking back, but as much as I hated all of the “involuntary” performances I was a part of, I will always be grateful to her for keeping me on track and pushing my limits. I miss her enthusiasm greatly; I will never forget the impact she had on my life...
The years went on and I slowly lost the passion I had found in music, until a glorious chain of events occurred... summer camp, puberty, and girls. The first time I played a drum set in a “rock band format” publicly was at the summer camp talent show. Every performance prior to that was either a cheesy church performance or a brain numbing middle school band performance. I was hungry for some rock, and the little
drummer boy roles weren’t cutting it. It was my summer before 7th grade; my friend (who played guitar) and I signed up for the talent show and did what we knew best at the time… creed songs. I am laughing while writing this, because my roots were not just humble, but quite stereotypical and humorous...
...We needed a bass player to rock with us,
so we asked the bass player in the praise
band at the time, who happened to be
Daniel Oliver’s older brother Bradley.
It’s interesting to me that he now plays
in a band that was just signed to sony/epic
records called “Sounds Under Radio”. Long
story short, we played the talent show,
and afterwards we were greeted by girls our
age who said “great job guys, we loved that
song….yada-yada…”. I’m sure they were lying, because our playing was awful, but I didn’t really care, because all I knew was that I was talking to a girl, and she was talking back! As painfully awkward as I was at this stage of my life, the drums became the antidote for my social inadequacies. It’s funny, but it really was the female sex that got me back on track with music, as shallow and silly as that is. I am forever in debt to sexual attraction, because if it didn’t exist I don’t know if my fire for music would have ever been rekindled.
...A few years later I met Mark, Josh, and Daniel...
...I met Mark at a summer camp the following year. I heard him playing in a dorm down the hall. He was jamming what
