Nothing More plays the Yost Theater Jan 23. with the Juggernaut Tour.
The San Antonio, Texas based hard-rockers, Nothing More, make their southern California tour stops this week at the House of Blues L.A. on Jan. 22, and the Yost Theater in Orange County on Jan. 23. Along with Nothing More, the Juggernaut Tour brings to the stage rock bands Periphery, Wovenwar and Thank You Scientist.
According to lead singer of Nothing More Jonny Hawkins, “We’re looking forward to getting back out there. Every time we’re there [L.A. and O.C.] it feels like a trip because the weather is so nice. It’s ungodly how nice it is! It’s unfair for us people from Texas.”
Beyond the weather and getting back to SoCal., Hawkins and his bandmates – bassist Daniel Oliver, guitarist Mark Vollelunga and drummer Paul Obrien – are looking forward to playing with Periphery on this tour. “It’s exciting because they’re a band we have looked up to for a long time,” points out Hawkins, “The other bands on the tour are also all excellent musicians, so we’re looking forward to stepping it up every night.”
Nothing More brings something more to their live performance, creating an adrenaline-filled experience for concert goers. So what can fans expect to see from the band’s 45 minute set?
According to Hawkins, “Our live show is definitely different. There are certain songs – one called ‘Salem’ for example, where we throw this huge drum solo instrumental into the middle of the song. We do stuff like that with a few of the songs where they are a little different than what you hear on the record.” Hawkins continues, “But at the same time, we still make sure we’re trying to present as much of the [latest] record as possible that people want to hear. We try to find a balance between the two, where we bring some new elements to the live performance, but stay true to our sound.”
Although the band has been touring and recording for many years, the Juggernaut Tour is a different kind of tour for the guys from Nothing More. It’s their first time on the road as a band signed to a large record label, in support of their self-titled debut label release. Although the band had recorded and produced their latest record independently, “it was about six months after that we got a record deal and re-released it to the world,” says Hawkins.
Hawkins continues, “This tour is going to be a little different for us, the reason being is that it’s our first tour in a legitimate full-sized bus. Up until now, we’ve been in a vehicle that was pretty much homemade […] It was a little trickier on those tours. But now we have a bus with a driver so we can just sleep and wake up in the next city, which is awesome compared to how it was before.”
The leap to a tour bus signifies a big step forward for Nothing More, as they continue to gain fans and make a name for themselves across the country and beyond. Hawkins points out that, “We’ve tried to withhold from a bus for as long as we could and just suck it up. But now that we’re in one, it’s about time. We’ve been doing years of touring in all kinds of shitty vehicles and just killing ourselves, and now we’re ready to have some good sleep every night.”
As for the choice to finally sign with a larger label, Hawkins asserts that: “We did it D.I.Y. for a long time for a reason. We didn’t want to get with a label unless it was really going to mean something significant, outside of just the illusion of being cool being on a label. We wanted it to really be impactful and find the right people. We found that with Eleven Seven Music, so we decided to sign with them.”
It turns out that there are still perks for a hard rock band signing a record deal in 2014. It’s refreshing to see a hardworking and talented group of guys put in their time with years of effort, and have that effort get rewarded.
Check out Nothing More at HOB L.A. on Jan. 22. or the Yost Theater on Jan 23. to see the high-energy performance for yourself. “Be ready, we’re all ferociously excited to get back out and play again,” says Hawkins.