Concert Crap: First off, could you tell us a brief history of the band?
Chris Mclelland: I grew up with an older brother who listened to a lot of punk / pop punk bands like: Rancid, NOFX, Green Day, Blink 182. I got consumed by that style of music and I wanted to do everything my older brother did. When he got a guitar for his birthday, I got one for Christmas later that year. I’ve known this is what I have wanted to do since I was 13 years old. In 2013, I had just left the band I Call Fives, when Nominee asked me to move down to Austin to join the band. I had toured consistently with I Call Fives for about 4 years, and when that came to a stop it was a culture shock. So when Nominee asked me to join the timing couldn’t have been better.
CC: What bands do you guys look up to?
CM: Brand New, Jimmy Eat World, and Saves The Day to name a few. All of these bands were pretty pivotal for us growing up and under the guise of their releases we developed as musicians.
CC: Andrew and Chris have been in other bands before, has that helped with things like touring and creating new music?
CM: Everyone in the band has been in bands that have toured and cut records, so we are all pretty comfortable when it comes to the writing and touring process. Most of us live together so that also helps when it comes to writing and rehearsing. We are all willing to bleed from the eyes to make it work and that’s something we knew going into it.
CC: Chris, I read that you have Bipolar Disorder. Does being able to write music about what you’re going through help?
CM: When I initially decided to be more outward about having Bipolar, I first had to tell my girlfriend and the rest of Nominee. After that was said and done I didn’t have it in mind to start writing music about it. I sat down and started writing about something else and one verse in I realized what I was actually writing about. I had bottled up a lot of issues for years that I wasn’t willing to face head on. So, after I had confronted my problems, it just came naturally. I wasn’t relying on music as a creative outlet when I wrote Drag Me Out but since then, I’ve definitely seen the benefit of getting it out there. It’s definitely something I’ll write about in the future as well, now that I know how it feels to have it off my shoulders.
CC: How did you guys come up with Drag Me Out as the title for the EP?
CM: Steve and myself were in the car discussing lyrical content and song titles. “Drag Me Out” as a track and a theme really stood out as something we wanted to push and it landed as the title of the record.
CC: What are you guys looking forward to over the next couple of months?
CM: We are excited to go back out to the east coast this spring, we will mainly be playing songs off of Drag Me Out and couldn’t be more excited to share this record with everyone. Keep an eye out for the dates later this month!
CC: As a band what would your dream tour lineup be. your band included?
CM: DAMN. This is so tough. Personally, I’d have to say Jimmy Eat World. They’re one of my favorite bands and they’ve always been a band that is flawless live. I’d love to see that every night. Other than them, it would be a dream to do dates with Saves the Day, Glassjaw, or Thrice. I mean if you told me those four were coming through Austin, I’d be there hell or highwater.
CC: You guys recently finished up a DIY tour on the west coast, do you have any advice for other bands about doing that?
CM: Just get the first one out of the way. The first DIY tour you do will be the hardest. Everyone knows it’s not easy to book a tour yourself but the more you do it, the more friends you make who might be willing to help out every now and again. Other than that, be willing to show trade and help out other bands coming through your town. The more you give, the more you get and when you’re willing to help out touring bands, as well as your local scene, it’s a win win.
All questions answered by Chris Mclelland.
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Post by Madeline Cronin
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