Interview and Photography by Timothy Schumann
April the 12th is a day I will not forget easily, due to the fact that NOTHING MORE invaded TRICKY FALLS like
an unstoppable rebel force! As you may know, I attend a lot of shows here in El Paso, Texas, but this band
straight out of San Antonio has made a lasting impression on me. Their show was without a doubt, the most
entertaining and electric performances I've seen in years! JONNY HAWKINS is hands down one of the best
front men I have ever seen--you just cannot take your eyes off of him during the entire set. He was the original
drummer, but after some lineup changes, has taken the reins as the lead singer. He still, however, plays a
make-shift drum apparatus at the foot of the stage that he at times stands on to address the audience. There
are mutable stage props, all built by DANIEL OLIVER, who plays bass. At some point, there's one that they
attach the bass guitar in and all three members (minus the drummer), play at once--spinning and rotating
the guitar!
The founding members have known each other since 7th grade and have self-produced five CD's since ’04,
all digital downloads. They were picked up last year by ELEVEN SEVEN MUSIC and have come out with their
first CD, vinyl, digital download, self-titled album "Nothing More". Hits like, "This is the Time (Ballast)" and
"Mr. MTV" were released in 2014, and just this year, "Jenny" has been blowing radio air time. "Ballast"
was number one on the MEDIABASE ACTIVE ROCK CHART and number two on the BILLBOARD MAINSTREAM
ROCK CHART.
I had the chance to sit down with DANIEL OLIVER for a few minutes before the show to ask him about their
recent World Tour and a little Q and A…
TS: Is this your first headlining tour?
DO: No, our first national tour was last August--that was our first lap around the country. But I felt we pulled
the trigger too soon. We just started touring with ELEVEN SEVEN MUSIC in March, and so far the tour has
turned out awesome! We just returned from a European tour which included Japan, where we played in
Tokyo at Budokan, then flew to Australia for the "Soundwave Festival” and shared the stage with INCUBUS
and FAITH NO MORE, then off to London…so we have been busy!
TS: Larger venues vs smaller venues, which do you
prefer?
DO: Absolutely, smaller venues! We've done huge
festivals in front of a sea of people with FIVE FINGER
DEATH PUNCH and VOLBEAT to name a few. The stages
are huge. There is just so much room and it makes for an
awesome show. But it's the smaller venues that provide
so much more energy--when the walls are a bit closed in
and the fans are not 15 feet away from you. I love it when
they’re just a couple feet from me. It’s just more personal
and a whole different vibe. I really do dig the smaller
clubs!
Daniel Oliver with ION’S Timothy Schumann