Post by ♡ dsangel ♓ on Jul 14, 2011 16:59:30 GMT -5
If you've got FB or a friend w/FB you've probably seen this, but it was worth posting here. Right HTH? hahaha
Hinder Frontman X: “The People That Get It Are The Special Ones”
Alison Richter, Music Industry Examiner
July 11, 2011
Charisma: It’s what separates a frontman from someone who sings lead. Think of the greatest rock bands, and chances are there’s the perfect combination of innate style, strut and magnetism leading the musical parade.
X is one of those rare frontmen: the kind who commands a stage and holds an audience of thousands rapt from opening song to final encore. Despite being born with both the musical talent and that trait — charisma — X had no desire to be front and center. His goal was to be a rhythm guitarist, but as his songwriting skills developed, he needed more than a cover band. A chance meeting with drummer Cody Hanson and guitarist Joe Garvey became a jam session that became Hinder with bassist Mike Rodden and guitarist Mark King.
X gets his share of the spotlight as a frontman, but offstage, discussing his craft, he’s surprisingly soft-spoken and pensive. In this interview — scheduled at his request — he discussed the writing process, the spectrum of emotions that music stirs in him as a performer and fan, and the strong bond between Hinder and their loyal audience.
When we first spoke, you said Aerosmith came first for you, then the Stones. Was it a particular Aerosmith song?
There’s a song called “Janie’s Got A Gun” that I sat around and waited to hear on the radio so I could record it and play it over and over again. I was 7 or 8 and there was nobody before Aerosmith for me, especially with the hooks and Steven Tyler … it’s insane — that particular song was like a moment in time for me. I think it was the fact that it was kind of slow, so I could understand the lyrics. I think it was the whole vibe, the whole intro. I remember seeing the video shortly after and it was all intriguing to me. I had the same feeling in ’91 or ’92 or whenever [Guns N’ Roses’] “November Rain” came out, the same kind of connection with the song. It was just unbelievable. I’m a big ballad guy, so it was a paused moment in time, and shortly before that I was with my mom and I remember her pounding her thumb and I was like, “What are you doing?” She said, “I’m keeping the beat,” and I was like, “Hmm … keeping the beat. That’s cool. I get it.”
When did you discover songwriting, lyrics, the "heart" you spoke about?
When I was around 14 years old, I started playing guitar. The first time I s someone play acoustic guitar, I thought, That’s what I want to do. I want to do something that involves that. I started playing acoustic guitar and “November Rain” really, really spoke to me. It’s still one of my favorite songs. What’s great about it is you don’t know what Axl is talking about, and that’s what I love about lyrics — you can make them your own. That song has changed for me over the years as far as what it means to me. That song got me paying attention to lyrics.
Do you remember your first guitar?
I wish I had kept every guitar. My first one was a cream wood Washburn and it was badass, but instead of the saver, I was the upgrader and I sold it.
Were you already focused on being a frontman?
At that point, I wasn’t thinking of singing at all. I was just thinking about learning as much as I possibly could and having people teach me songs and eventually learning by ear. I never wanted to be a singer at all. I just wanted to be the rhythm guitar player in a band. I started writing songs when I was in a cover band, and shortly after that I figured out that it wasn’t fulfilling me enough just playing other people’s songs. So I started writing my own songs, but the band didn’t want to have anything to do with them. They were like, “Oh, cool, but let’s play what’s hot on the radio.” I met Cody and I was like, “Oh dude, you play? We should get together and jam sometime.” The first time we got together, it was me and Cody and Blower. I walked in and they’re like, “OK, cool. Play.” It was just me plugged into an amp. I started playing one of my songs and I s Cody get behind the drum set, Blower’s plugging in and I was like, “This is going to be esome!” I was finally hearing drums and guitar leads to the songs I’d written.
What made them the right guys?
At the time, I was 19 and I didn’t care who it was. I was as hungry for it as any 19-year-old kid could be. Hearing my music for the first time … it was this insane chemistry; they picked up on everything and I felt they connected with the lyrics I had written. It was wild. We probably played that song, “Broken,” 75 times, over and over. They had the same mentality I did. We were young and we had this vision, the kind of chemistry that you can’t make up. And it was funny because Cody’s like, “I wasn’t even interested in music. I used to be in a band and my old bass player was looking for a singer, so I figured if this guy was any good, I was going to send him over to this other bass player.” So it’s kind of funny how that story turned out.
Do you believe that story?
I do, because Cody’s very business-minded. Bottom line, he is the business mind of this band.
How many of the first songs you wrote survived, and is that why “Broken” is tattooed on your arm?
Yes. It was the first song I’d ever written, and I felt it needed to be a part of me forever. As far as songs surviving, not a lot. You write and learn, obviously you progress, but I would say that the passion I have for writing is still there today.
How does the process work? Lyrics first? Melody first? Is the end result often different from what you thought it would be when you first began working on it?
Absolutely. I don’t know if this makes me coldhearted, but conversations with people or ex-girlfriends in the past — I’ve gotten complete, full-on song ideas from them. I mean, lyrics straight out of their mouths; what they’re telling me put to paper. My mind will be totally on that. Maybe that makes me coldhearted [laughs], but “Far From Home” on Take It To The Limit was a whole conversation I had and that’s one song that turned out like I thought it would happen, that was a “lyrics first” kind of thing. Cody had the riffs and I sang the lyrics over that. “Lips Of An Angel” was kind of the same way. For me, it’s kind of lyrics first, then melody, and I’ll sit down with an acoustic guitar and figure it out.
Which acoustic guitar do you have?
Let me see what I’ve got here. This here is a Jasmine piece of s--t [plays]. I take a piece of s--t on the road because it gets banged up. I’ve got a lot of guitars, but the one I have on the road right now is the Jasmine, just to write with. At home I have a Gibson SJ-200, which is my motherf---er, and sometimes I’ll play it onstage, but we haven’t had a need for me to play in a while.
Are you a more creative writer during the day or at night?
It varies, especially on the road. Actually, I’m a night writer. I’ll get a vocal melody, and God bless cell phones and all of their apps. I do a lot of my writing on my phone. I’m more a night person anyway, so I use my phone. I probably have 70 songs in my phone, just lyrics. I can’t really sleep, and I roll over and I have all kinds of ideas. I have the songs written down and play them often enough that I can remember them, so all I would have to do is remember a lyric.
Can you work in a crowded bus or do you need solitude?
This lifestyle is designed to isolate you. I definitely don’t like to work in front of people unless I’m trying to show off a bit: “Oh, what do you think about this?” But other than that, I tend to do my writing in private. When you’re on your third record, you start to notice a difference in your writing style and what you think will work for the band and what won’t, so I’m kind of in that segue right now.
Do the songs from previous albums have the same meaning to you or do they change with time? What about your delivery?
Absolutely. They have to. I’m not 19 anymore, I’m not 23 anymore, and that’s what’s crazy about life and music — songs can change. When I’m singing, sometimes I can relate more now to some older songs and channel something I’m going through now onstage and let it bleed out. It gets so tricky sometimes, especially with the new record. You’re writing the songs and you kind of feel like you have to almost become this character. You write about what you’re feeling, and then, when you’re out there living the record, it almost feels like you have to live up to what you’re writing about in a weird way. I was thinking about that the other day. Does that kind of make sense to you, what I’m saying? “2 Sides of Me” and “What Ya Gonna Do” are lyrics that just came to me full on, what I was feeling in the moment, and now it sometimes feels almost like I owe the song. I’m living it so much; it’s a “something I have to live up” to kind of thing. It’s weird.
What did it feel like the first time you heard the audience sing your lyrics back to you? Do you remember which song it was?
It was definitely “Get Stoned.” No, I take that back; it was long before that, it was before we were signed, but it means a little more when you’re on the radio and you’re in Shreveport and people are singing your lyrics to you. It’s wild. I have those moments when I let the crowd sing for a minute, and I sit back and take it all in, and I can’t believe these people are singing back to me how I felt. I put it to paper and I’m in Butte, Montana, and they’re singing every lyric that came straight from my head and heart right to paper. They’re screaming it, and I can see in their eyes that they’re feeling it.
Do you have a workspace at home?
I’ve got my man cave; that’s my office [laughs]. I live in Los Angeles. I have a condo, and it’s me and my wife and my dog. It’s cool. I like to sit there and zone out by the fire. I’ll play for hours and I like to ask her for her opinion and see what she thinks. Not that she’s not a musical genius or anything, but she’s my best friend.
A fire? You live in L.A. and you need a fire?
Hey, come on now! It’s ambiance! Ambiance!
Is this a fake fire that’s not really hot?
Exactly!
Do you have to go somewhere in your head to write, a “dark place,” as they say, a place to relive past experiences?
Absolutely. Lately, I’m writing a lot about the dreams I’ve been having. It’s all real, they’re all people I’ve lived with and experienced life with. I’ve been channeling my dreams. It’s kind of weird. I take it all off of real life experiences. I guess it would be a dark place sometimes, depending on what I’m writing about. I can’t sit there and write about something that’s not real. I can’t make up a story or sing or sell anything that’s not real or hasn’t happened to me.
Over the course of writing for and with Hinder, how has the process changed?
I feel it’s kind of the same. I come up with an idea, take it to Cody and we hammer it out. I don’t think the process has changed. We’ve evolved as writers, as musicians and as people. Lyrically, we’re reflecting on this whirlwind we’ve been on. That’s the only thing that’s changed.
Is there any subject you won’t touch?
No, absolutely not. You’ve heard “Bad Mutha F---a.” If anything, I want to get across what Hinder is about. It’s real people living our lives, living our dream, and sometimes we joke around, sometimes we’re serious, sometimes we’re hurt, sometimes we’re drunk. It’s who we are. People get us discombobulated in their heads because they’re like, “How can they have a song like ‘Get Stoned’ and then ‘Lips Of An Angel’? It doesn’t make any sense.” That’s what sometimes pisses me off. They just don’t get us, and sometimes it is frustrating for me.
It takes a thick skin to deal when critics destroy what came from your heart.
When it comes to critics, you definitely have to take it and just live with it. Honestly, I’m one of those people … I kind of look up online what they say about our records and sometimes laugh because it’s really funny. The thing is, I’m living my dream and I don’t give a f--k. It doesn’t faze me because I get to come out here every night and watch our fans singing the lyrics I write right back in my face.
Why the misconceptions about Hinder, or about any band that plays loud music, especially if they have a lot of ink?
These are minor things that I think about once in a while. I see s--t getting recognition on the radio and television and I just don’t get it, but there’s things in the world that we’re never going to get, ever. Maybe Hinder is one of those bands that people say, “Ugh, they look like crazy heroin addicts, but they’re singing about love and they’re getting drunk sometimes and they’re singing about getting high. I just don’t get it.” We may be one of those bands forever, who knows, but the people that get it are the special ones, and that’s cool.
How do you know when a song is complete?
I guess when it hits Number One! [laughs] I feel like we put all our efforts into our songs. I definitely bleed out in the studio and put all my heart into it. I can sit there and pick apart a song forever. I’m that guy who’s never satisfied. I listen to the songs and say, “We shouldn’t have done that,” or “We shouldn’t have added that there.” But once it’s out, I won’t listen to it. I’ll listen to it before it’s out and I won’t listen to it again. Then I’ll hear it on the radio and it’s, “OK, cool, I get it.” I guess it’s a musician thing; people don’t like to listen to themselves at all. I can’t stand it, and that’s what kind of sucks about being a musician: I can’t enjoy anything anymore. I mean, I’m obviously a fan first and I can enjoy a killer song. If it doesn’t make me sit there and critique it, that’s when I know I love it, but if I’m studying what’s coming out, it kind of sucks.
What’s the last thing you didn’t critique?
S--t! It’s been a while. Since we got signed, I’ve been studying and I’m kind of a jaded f---er, but one song that I never said, “They should have done this,” and I listened to it just the other day, is “Meant To Live” by Switchfoot. I was like, “That’s a smash and a half.” I can listen to that song still today and it’s perfect, it’s esome.
Are some songs more difficult for you to sing because of the emotion in them?
Sometimes, absolutely, and if I get to that point onstage, singing and going through what the song’s about, or channeling what started me writing the lyrics in the first place, I’ll just look out in the crowd. I’ll see people singing it and that gives me the most motivation to sing harder or better.
Do you hear complete arrangements in your head or does the band come in to shape them?
I definitely hear something, I have something in mind for an arrangement, but for the most part I let them do their thing. If it’s dreadful, I’ll speak up and say, “That sucks! That’s not even close to what I have in mind!” [laughs] But for the most part, they nail it and it’s a cooperative effort. They totally surprise me sometimes. If I lay down some beds and give them a day or two to live with it, we come back and it’s sweet; it’s way better than I imagined it. And then it’s been the other way, too — they surprised me in a bad way!
What does music allow you to express that you couldn’t say otherwise?
Everything! Are you kidding? I can say anything I want! That’s what I love about songwriting. Or I can blame some lyrics on Cody — “I don’t know; Cody wrote that,” or “Brian Howes wrote that lyric. I don’t know where that came from.” That’s what’s great about music — sometimes you can throw your buddies under the bus!
You also do some co-writing. How has that helped, and at the same time, is it difficult to bring a r idea out and let it stand there in front of someone else’s eyes and ears?
Sometimes it’s easier when you have co-writes, because you’re, “Oh, I’ve got this idea that’s not fully developed, but I think there’s something there.” For instance, with "Put That Record On,” I had this idea, I had the first lyrics and the melody, and I was, “Is there something there?” We brought it to the Warren Brothers and we wrote that song in 20 minutes. Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes you get co-writers that you don’t mesh with and that’s like pulling teeth. You have to gel with the person. But the Warren Brothers — I have met a lot of people in my day, and they are the craziest motherf---ers ... and they’re sober for five years, so I can’t even imagine what they were like before!
Select two songs from your catalog that take you to opposite emotional spectrums.
“Far From Home” and “Room 21.” It doesn’t get more opposite than that. It’s two different emotions. “Room 21” is all sex and r and I’m taking you and leaving with no emotional connection. It’s all about sex and booze and cigarettes. “Far From Home” is about connecting with someone on different levels. The two are very different emotional songs, but they’re really about the same thing.
How do these spectrums play into sequencing the live show and the albums?
The song sequence changes with each tour, but as far as climaxing and downtime, we base it on what we would want to see. We’re a rock band, so we want to knock you out of the park with three hard rockers from the start, songs that people know. It’s very, very strategic. As far as an album, we’re old school. On iTunes, you can listen to any song, but we’re going for the climax of a record, too. We put a lot of thought into everything; it’s not just thrown out there. Live, I’m feeling all the emotions, so it’s a roller coaster, but life is a roller coaster. You get it naturally at the shows because you’re connecting with fans and it’s right in that pocket and all five of us are on the same page.
Select two songs that you love that take you to opposite emotional spectrums.
“What Ya Gonna Do” and “2 Sides Of Me” are about what I’m really going through in my life. One is trying not to drink so much and be this character, and the other, instead of facing my problems and dealing with life, I’m drinking my face off. We start the show with “2 Sides,” about being a gentleman during the day, and when the sun comes down, I’m a completely different lunatic. In “What Ya Gonna Do,” I’m trying to deal with these issues, and it makes me crazy trying to sort them out.
Are you a black-and-white personality with no gray area?
Those point-counterpoint songs … I do notice it, but more so now that you just said that. It’s pretty involved, and I am an all-or-nothing kind of guy. It’s this or that. There is no happy medium with me.
Select two songs you love that you didn't write that take you to opposite emotional spectrums.
I’m going to stick with “November Rain” because I can listen to that song at any moment in my life and channel it and relate to it. And probably “19th Nervous Breakdown” by the Rolling Stones. Those songs always make me feel that range of emotions.
If you could have written any song in the history of music, which one would it be?
Oh, this is a good one. I’m going to name one, and an hour from now I’ll want to call you back with another one. And an hour after that, I’ll call you back with yet another one! Probably “What Hurts The Most” by Jeffrey Steele. That is an amazing song; it’s one of those perfect songs. The first time I heard it, it was Rascal Flatts’ version, which is great, and I’m so glad I heard his version afterward. I think about it and it’s something I can channel and listen to every day, and “What if I said this or did this.”
Why Hinder?
I think we have the appeal that people s back in the day with rock bands, and they want to latch on to it. We also have a “We don’t give a f--k and you shouldn’t either” attitude with our fans, and when they see us live, we are what we are. They feel that they’re part of something bigger than them and us, and when we play live, that’s what comes out.
www.examiner.com/music-industry-in-national/hinder-frontman--X-the-people-that-get-it-are-the-special-ones
Hinder Frontman X: “The People That Get It Are The Special Ones”
Alison Richter, Music Industry Examiner
July 11, 2011
Charisma: It’s what separates a frontman from someone who sings lead. Think of the greatest rock bands, and chances are there’s the perfect combination of innate style, strut and magnetism leading the musical parade.
X is one of those rare frontmen: the kind who commands a stage and holds an audience of thousands rapt from opening song to final encore. Despite being born with both the musical talent and that trait — charisma — X had no desire to be front and center. His goal was to be a rhythm guitarist, but as his songwriting skills developed, he needed more than a cover band. A chance meeting with drummer Cody Hanson and guitarist Joe Garvey became a jam session that became Hinder with bassist Mike Rodden and guitarist Mark King.
X gets his share of the spotlight as a frontman, but offstage, discussing his craft, he’s surprisingly soft-spoken and pensive. In this interview — scheduled at his request — he discussed the writing process, the spectrum of emotions that music stirs in him as a performer and fan, and the strong bond between Hinder and their loyal audience.
When we first spoke, you said Aerosmith came first for you, then the Stones. Was it a particular Aerosmith song?
There’s a song called “Janie’s Got A Gun” that I sat around and waited to hear on the radio so I could record it and play it over and over again. I was 7 or 8 and there was nobody before Aerosmith for me, especially with the hooks and Steven Tyler … it’s insane — that particular song was like a moment in time for me. I think it was the fact that it was kind of slow, so I could understand the lyrics. I think it was the whole vibe, the whole intro. I remember seeing the video shortly after and it was all intriguing to me. I had the same feeling in ’91 or ’92 or whenever [Guns N’ Roses’] “November Rain” came out, the same kind of connection with the song. It was just unbelievable. I’m a big ballad guy, so it was a paused moment in time, and shortly before that I was with my mom and I remember her pounding her thumb and I was like, “What are you doing?” She said, “I’m keeping the beat,” and I was like, “Hmm … keeping the beat. That’s cool. I get it.”
When did you discover songwriting, lyrics, the "heart" you spoke about?
When I was around 14 years old, I started playing guitar. The first time I s someone play acoustic guitar, I thought, That’s what I want to do. I want to do something that involves that. I started playing acoustic guitar and “November Rain” really, really spoke to me. It’s still one of my favorite songs. What’s great about it is you don’t know what Axl is talking about, and that’s what I love about lyrics — you can make them your own. That song has changed for me over the years as far as what it means to me. That song got me paying attention to lyrics.
Do you remember your first guitar?
I wish I had kept every guitar. My first one was a cream wood Washburn and it was badass, but instead of the saver, I was the upgrader and I sold it.
Were you already focused on being a frontman?
At that point, I wasn’t thinking of singing at all. I was just thinking about learning as much as I possibly could and having people teach me songs and eventually learning by ear. I never wanted to be a singer at all. I just wanted to be the rhythm guitar player in a band. I started writing songs when I was in a cover band, and shortly after that I figured out that it wasn’t fulfilling me enough just playing other people’s songs. So I started writing my own songs, but the band didn’t want to have anything to do with them. They were like, “Oh, cool, but let’s play what’s hot on the radio.” I met Cody and I was like, “Oh dude, you play? We should get together and jam sometime.” The first time we got together, it was me and Cody and Blower. I walked in and they’re like, “OK, cool. Play.” It was just me plugged into an amp. I started playing one of my songs and I s Cody get behind the drum set, Blower’s plugging in and I was like, “This is going to be esome!” I was finally hearing drums and guitar leads to the songs I’d written.
What made them the right guys?
At the time, I was 19 and I didn’t care who it was. I was as hungry for it as any 19-year-old kid could be. Hearing my music for the first time … it was this insane chemistry; they picked up on everything and I felt they connected with the lyrics I had written. It was wild. We probably played that song, “Broken,” 75 times, over and over. They had the same mentality I did. We were young and we had this vision, the kind of chemistry that you can’t make up. And it was funny because Cody’s like, “I wasn’t even interested in music. I used to be in a band and my old bass player was looking for a singer, so I figured if this guy was any good, I was going to send him over to this other bass player.” So it’s kind of funny how that story turned out.
Do you believe that story?
I do, because Cody’s very business-minded. Bottom line, he is the business mind of this band.
How many of the first songs you wrote survived, and is that why “Broken” is tattooed on your arm?
Yes. It was the first song I’d ever written, and I felt it needed to be a part of me forever. As far as songs surviving, not a lot. You write and learn, obviously you progress, but I would say that the passion I have for writing is still there today.
How does the process work? Lyrics first? Melody first? Is the end result often different from what you thought it would be when you first began working on it?
Absolutely. I don’t know if this makes me coldhearted, but conversations with people or ex-girlfriends in the past — I’ve gotten complete, full-on song ideas from them. I mean, lyrics straight out of their mouths; what they’re telling me put to paper. My mind will be totally on that. Maybe that makes me coldhearted [laughs], but “Far From Home” on Take It To The Limit was a whole conversation I had and that’s one song that turned out like I thought it would happen, that was a “lyrics first” kind of thing. Cody had the riffs and I sang the lyrics over that. “Lips Of An Angel” was kind of the same way. For me, it’s kind of lyrics first, then melody, and I’ll sit down with an acoustic guitar and figure it out.
Which acoustic guitar do you have?
Let me see what I’ve got here. This here is a Jasmine piece of s--t [plays]. I take a piece of s--t on the road because it gets banged up. I’ve got a lot of guitars, but the one I have on the road right now is the Jasmine, just to write with. At home I have a Gibson SJ-200, which is my motherf---er, and sometimes I’ll play it onstage, but we haven’t had a need for me to play in a while.
Are you a more creative writer during the day or at night?
It varies, especially on the road. Actually, I’m a night writer. I’ll get a vocal melody, and God bless cell phones and all of their apps. I do a lot of my writing on my phone. I’m more a night person anyway, so I use my phone. I probably have 70 songs in my phone, just lyrics. I can’t really sleep, and I roll over and I have all kinds of ideas. I have the songs written down and play them often enough that I can remember them, so all I would have to do is remember a lyric.
Can you work in a crowded bus or do you need solitude?
This lifestyle is designed to isolate you. I definitely don’t like to work in front of people unless I’m trying to show off a bit: “Oh, what do you think about this?” But other than that, I tend to do my writing in private. When you’re on your third record, you start to notice a difference in your writing style and what you think will work for the band and what won’t, so I’m kind of in that segue right now.
Do the songs from previous albums have the same meaning to you or do they change with time? What about your delivery?
Absolutely. They have to. I’m not 19 anymore, I’m not 23 anymore, and that’s what’s crazy about life and music — songs can change. When I’m singing, sometimes I can relate more now to some older songs and channel something I’m going through now onstage and let it bleed out. It gets so tricky sometimes, especially with the new record. You’re writing the songs and you kind of feel like you have to almost become this character. You write about what you’re feeling, and then, when you’re out there living the record, it almost feels like you have to live up to what you’re writing about in a weird way. I was thinking about that the other day. Does that kind of make sense to you, what I’m saying? “2 Sides of Me” and “What Ya Gonna Do” are lyrics that just came to me full on, what I was feeling in the moment, and now it sometimes feels almost like I owe the song. I’m living it so much; it’s a “something I have to live up” to kind of thing. It’s weird.
What did it feel like the first time you heard the audience sing your lyrics back to you? Do you remember which song it was?
It was definitely “Get Stoned.” No, I take that back; it was long before that, it was before we were signed, but it means a little more when you’re on the radio and you’re in Shreveport and people are singing your lyrics to you. It’s wild. I have those moments when I let the crowd sing for a minute, and I sit back and take it all in, and I can’t believe these people are singing back to me how I felt. I put it to paper and I’m in Butte, Montana, and they’re singing every lyric that came straight from my head and heart right to paper. They’re screaming it, and I can see in their eyes that they’re feeling it.
Do you have a workspace at home?
I’ve got my man cave; that’s my office [laughs]. I live in Los Angeles. I have a condo, and it’s me and my wife and my dog. It’s cool. I like to sit there and zone out by the fire. I’ll play for hours and I like to ask her for her opinion and see what she thinks. Not that she’s not a musical genius or anything, but she’s my best friend.
A fire? You live in L.A. and you need a fire?
Hey, come on now! It’s ambiance! Ambiance!
Is this a fake fire that’s not really hot?
Exactly!
Do you have to go somewhere in your head to write, a “dark place,” as they say, a place to relive past experiences?
Absolutely. Lately, I’m writing a lot about the dreams I’ve been having. It’s all real, they’re all people I’ve lived with and experienced life with. I’ve been channeling my dreams. It’s kind of weird. I take it all off of real life experiences. I guess it would be a dark place sometimes, depending on what I’m writing about. I can’t sit there and write about something that’s not real. I can’t make up a story or sing or sell anything that’s not real or hasn’t happened to me.
Over the course of writing for and with Hinder, how has the process changed?
I feel it’s kind of the same. I come up with an idea, take it to Cody and we hammer it out. I don’t think the process has changed. We’ve evolved as writers, as musicians and as people. Lyrically, we’re reflecting on this whirlwind we’ve been on. That’s the only thing that’s changed.
Is there any subject you won’t touch?
No, absolutely not. You’ve heard “Bad Mutha F---a.” If anything, I want to get across what Hinder is about. It’s real people living our lives, living our dream, and sometimes we joke around, sometimes we’re serious, sometimes we’re hurt, sometimes we’re drunk. It’s who we are. People get us discombobulated in their heads because they’re like, “How can they have a song like ‘Get Stoned’ and then ‘Lips Of An Angel’? It doesn’t make any sense.” That’s what sometimes pisses me off. They just don’t get us, and sometimes it is frustrating for me.
It takes a thick skin to deal when critics destroy what came from your heart.
When it comes to critics, you definitely have to take it and just live with it. Honestly, I’m one of those people … I kind of look up online what they say about our records and sometimes laugh because it’s really funny. The thing is, I’m living my dream and I don’t give a f--k. It doesn’t faze me because I get to come out here every night and watch our fans singing the lyrics I write right back in my face.
Why the misconceptions about Hinder, or about any band that plays loud music, especially if they have a lot of ink?
These are minor things that I think about once in a while. I see s--t getting recognition on the radio and television and I just don’t get it, but there’s things in the world that we’re never going to get, ever. Maybe Hinder is one of those bands that people say, “Ugh, they look like crazy heroin addicts, but they’re singing about love and they’re getting drunk sometimes and they’re singing about getting high. I just don’t get it.” We may be one of those bands forever, who knows, but the people that get it are the special ones, and that’s cool.
How do you know when a song is complete?
I guess when it hits Number One! [laughs] I feel like we put all our efforts into our songs. I definitely bleed out in the studio and put all my heart into it. I can sit there and pick apart a song forever. I’m that guy who’s never satisfied. I listen to the songs and say, “We shouldn’t have done that,” or “We shouldn’t have added that there.” But once it’s out, I won’t listen to it. I’ll listen to it before it’s out and I won’t listen to it again. Then I’ll hear it on the radio and it’s, “OK, cool, I get it.” I guess it’s a musician thing; people don’t like to listen to themselves at all. I can’t stand it, and that’s what kind of sucks about being a musician: I can’t enjoy anything anymore. I mean, I’m obviously a fan first and I can enjoy a killer song. If it doesn’t make me sit there and critique it, that’s when I know I love it, but if I’m studying what’s coming out, it kind of sucks.
What’s the last thing you didn’t critique?
S--t! It’s been a while. Since we got signed, I’ve been studying and I’m kind of a jaded f---er, but one song that I never said, “They should have done this,” and I listened to it just the other day, is “Meant To Live” by Switchfoot. I was like, “That’s a smash and a half.” I can listen to that song still today and it’s perfect, it’s esome.
Are some songs more difficult for you to sing because of the emotion in them?
Sometimes, absolutely, and if I get to that point onstage, singing and going through what the song’s about, or channeling what started me writing the lyrics in the first place, I’ll just look out in the crowd. I’ll see people singing it and that gives me the most motivation to sing harder or better.
Do you hear complete arrangements in your head or does the band come in to shape them?
I definitely hear something, I have something in mind for an arrangement, but for the most part I let them do their thing. If it’s dreadful, I’ll speak up and say, “That sucks! That’s not even close to what I have in mind!” [laughs] But for the most part, they nail it and it’s a cooperative effort. They totally surprise me sometimes. If I lay down some beds and give them a day or two to live with it, we come back and it’s sweet; it’s way better than I imagined it. And then it’s been the other way, too — they surprised me in a bad way!
What does music allow you to express that you couldn’t say otherwise?
Everything! Are you kidding? I can say anything I want! That’s what I love about songwriting. Or I can blame some lyrics on Cody — “I don’t know; Cody wrote that,” or “Brian Howes wrote that lyric. I don’t know where that came from.” That’s what’s great about music — sometimes you can throw your buddies under the bus!
You also do some co-writing. How has that helped, and at the same time, is it difficult to bring a r idea out and let it stand there in front of someone else’s eyes and ears?
Sometimes it’s easier when you have co-writes, because you’re, “Oh, I’ve got this idea that’s not fully developed, but I think there’s something there.” For instance, with "Put That Record On,” I had this idea, I had the first lyrics and the melody, and I was, “Is there something there?” We brought it to the Warren Brothers and we wrote that song in 20 minutes. Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes you get co-writers that you don’t mesh with and that’s like pulling teeth. You have to gel with the person. But the Warren Brothers — I have met a lot of people in my day, and they are the craziest motherf---ers ... and they’re sober for five years, so I can’t even imagine what they were like before!
Select two songs from your catalog that take you to opposite emotional spectrums.
“Far From Home” and “Room 21.” It doesn’t get more opposite than that. It’s two different emotions. “Room 21” is all sex and r and I’m taking you and leaving with no emotional connection. It’s all about sex and booze and cigarettes. “Far From Home” is about connecting with someone on different levels. The two are very different emotional songs, but they’re really about the same thing.
How do these spectrums play into sequencing the live show and the albums?
The song sequence changes with each tour, but as far as climaxing and downtime, we base it on what we would want to see. We’re a rock band, so we want to knock you out of the park with three hard rockers from the start, songs that people know. It’s very, very strategic. As far as an album, we’re old school. On iTunes, you can listen to any song, but we’re going for the climax of a record, too. We put a lot of thought into everything; it’s not just thrown out there. Live, I’m feeling all the emotions, so it’s a roller coaster, but life is a roller coaster. You get it naturally at the shows because you’re connecting with fans and it’s right in that pocket and all five of us are on the same page.
Select two songs that you love that take you to opposite emotional spectrums.
“What Ya Gonna Do” and “2 Sides Of Me” are about what I’m really going through in my life. One is trying not to drink so much and be this character, and the other, instead of facing my problems and dealing with life, I’m drinking my face off. We start the show with “2 Sides,” about being a gentleman during the day, and when the sun comes down, I’m a completely different lunatic. In “What Ya Gonna Do,” I’m trying to deal with these issues, and it makes me crazy trying to sort them out.
Are you a black-and-white personality with no gray area?
Those point-counterpoint songs … I do notice it, but more so now that you just said that. It’s pretty involved, and I am an all-or-nothing kind of guy. It’s this or that. There is no happy medium with me.
Select two songs you love that you didn't write that take you to opposite emotional spectrums.
I’m going to stick with “November Rain” because I can listen to that song at any moment in my life and channel it and relate to it. And probably “19th Nervous Breakdown” by the Rolling Stones. Those songs always make me feel that range of emotions.
If you could have written any song in the history of music, which one would it be?
Oh, this is a good one. I’m going to name one, and an hour from now I’ll want to call you back with another one. And an hour after that, I’ll call you back with yet another one! Probably “What Hurts The Most” by Jeffrey Steele. That is an amazing song; it’s one of those perfect songs. The first time I heard it, it was Rascal Flatts’ version, which is great, and I’m so glad I heard his version afterward. I think about it and it’s something I can channel and listen to every day, and “What if I said this or did this.”
Why Hinder?
I think we have the appeal that people s back in the day with rock bands, and they want to latch on to it. We also have a “We don’t give a f--k and you shouldn’t either” attitude with our fans, and when they see us live, we are what we are. They feel that they’re part of something bigger than them and us, and when we play live, that’s what comes out.
www.examiner.com/music-industry-in-national/hinder-frontman--X-the-people-that-get-it-are-the-special-ones