Noize Addict: Well, first and foremost how is Andy's knee doing?
Elias Soriano: See that big swollen thing? (Elias points to Andy's knee as it is propped up in the back of their tour bus) We have shots on the website; his knee was maybe about an inch less in diameter than a volleyball on the second day. He's a trooper, man. We've only missed one show. Which is really good considering now the other knee is acting up since he has been putting added pressure on it. We're just trying to get through this tour so we get a few days off and Andy sit and just relax. We need him to be ready for the next step.
NA: That ties in with the next question. The next step being the Sevendust/ Fuel Tour?
ES: Yes
NA: Is that immediately following the Metal Edge Tour?
ES: We're going to go home and do some pre-production. We're probably going to take a week off - just so Andy can sit. Also, the band thinks that taking a week off might be smart - just to get our ideas together and get completely decompressed. We're also looking to write one or two more songs for the new album, which we're back into pre production for.

Then just get ready for the Fuel Tour. The tour will be good for us cuz there will people that would not normally listen to us….so we now have to convert them! That's a pretty widespread bill to be on. The lineup is us, Sevendust, and then Fuel. So, it progressively gets almost softer… It's the hard to the not-so hard.

NA: On "Statement" the song, "Tribute" features Grimm from Darwin's Waiting Room and the Miami based band is on your current tour. Did both bands play shows together back in the day?
ES: We got signed about eight months before they did. We were both up and coming in the scene. The Miami scene is in three main parts; Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Each one of these scenes has it's own big dog, "The Big Three" in that area. In Miami there was Endo, Darwin's Waiting Room and The Groovenics.

The three cities are in such close driving distances that we could play a show in Ft. Lauderdale- the next week play West Palm Beach - then the following week play Miami. So, you got to those different fans and you would convert them.…So then we had to stop doing shows every month and and just play every three months and started bring in 2,000 kids! Slowly, that's what we're trying to do here - nationally.

We've been out on the road nonstop for a year and that is what Darwin's is in the same process of doing. That's why they're on the road with us. We want to do the exact same thing we did at home. We want to get out and do it the right way. We want people to like us NOT because they like our song that's getting spun on the radio. We want them to say "Hey did you hear about the Nonpoint show last nite? You gotta come to the next show when they're in town!" That's what we want- because that is what pays for this. (Signaling the tour bus.)


NA: It's kinda like (hed)pe?
ES: Exactly.
NA: When they come back here their shows are amazing! They were back last week and played two sold out nites at The Whisky, and shit, the energy was intense! They have the greatest shows!
ES: ES: Do you know why? It's because they're good musicians and you can't deny that. You can't deny someone their talent regardless of what type of person they are. When they go up there and do what they do and they do it good - you can't deny it. And that is what we're trying to do. We're just trying to go up there and do it good. Luckily, that's what Darwin's is doing now. They're on our same management and same record label, MCA. They're pretty much on the same road that we are and I wish those guys much success.

NA: How was the experience on OZZfest? Any places or dates that stand out?
ES: The Chicago show was real good! Minneapolis and Indianapolis were awesome! All the Texas shows went really good. San Diego was great!
What about here? (Los Angeles)
ES: ES: Everyone knows how the crowds are in LA. Everyone is here to listen to the band. They're not like what we were talking about earlier - what my band is used to at home… At home, I'm sitting in front of a thousand of my fans with at least twenty of them floating on top of the other thousand. Fifty of them are swinging and punching! When you come out to a show here, everyone has heard there is a good band in town so they come out and listen. Well, guess what? Tomorrow Deftones are going to be here … the day before that Incubus was here… and the day before that… and so on. Right now, we're playing in a market that is saturated with good music, so when we come here, it is a different show cuz you give what you get, honestly. The more the kids react, the more crazy I'm going to get. The more they react, the more into it- personally we're all going to get. I can turn around to the guys onstage and after the first song and we all look at each other and go, "It's going to be THIS show!"

Each show is different because of where we are. As far as sticking out - the places I remember, Madison and Boston…those cities spin our record like CRAZY and we love it! We can actually play closer to an arena sized venue for 3,500 people and headline Boston because of the support they show our band. You know, the album sales might not show but you know what? Half the bands that sell three or four times as many albums as we have can't even pack this place (The Troubadour) so; I like the fact that our band can walk around with a little integrity. I know that's what we're doing!

NA: Your shows are always full of insane, crazy energy. We were wondering how you prepare for a show?
ES: ES: We stretch. I guess half of going up is just getting up there and doing it! I still get butterflies once in a while. At the same time, once you're onstage it's something like - excuse the testosterone-- but you just gotta go up there and be a man and do it! It's part of a job and that's just what I try to do. Beforehand, we do our best to physically keep our bodies together. Our bodies have become so used to being out there for a year, that we're pretty much walking around backstage going, "Are you ready? Are you ready? Ok, we're ready!"

On OZZfest it was weird…We would play at 10:30pm on the off dates, sign autographs until 2am and then be up at 9:30am the next morning having to play (on Ozzfest) at noon. I would need those couple of hours just to warm up my voice. So, because of that pace, your body starts to get used to that. You're an hour away from show time and your blood starts pumping your heart starts racing and adrenaline starts kicking in. THEN, you start.
NA: How were those off dates? Who else played? Taproot, Systematic and Otep, right?
ES: ES: Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! It was actually, Taproot, Systematic - some shows with Otep, they only did the first leg of Ozzfest. Then it was Pressure 4-5. My favorite new band! They're actually friends of ours. (Both Elias and Robb agree in unison) Pressure 4-5 is THE best band to come out of 2001. They have songs! They're fucking stellar guys. They're such nice guys and they have a quality of rock music that I think is really starting to get defined. Everything was getting locked into new metal and now new metal has completely gotten tossed.

Metal is metal - again. People are trying to figure out what type of metal they are. We're not trying to figure out anything. We're just trying to do what we do and I think Pressure 4-5 as well as bands like the Deftones and Taproot. Obviously, there is a compromise…I'm an entertainer. I have ears to entertain and I know what my fans like and don't like. I'm not going to give them something that I know they're not going to love. That is what I am trying to write. We're just trying to write music that hopefully people love. That's it. They will like us enough not just to buy us for ONE song. They will buy it for the whole album.

NA: On second stage OZZfest, which band just rocked it EVERY show?
ES: ES: Hatebreed. I can't say enough good things about Hatebreed. They're probably as far as hard rock, New York style- hardcore, screaming sound- type album I own. Next to, Chimaira, who are definitely coming up and are friend's of ours. We were watching them (Hatebreed) during their set and we're like, "Damn, this part of the song is SO heavy!" Then all of the sudden, it got HEAVIER! One after the other and it was fun to watch. Luckily, they played right before us, so I got to see them every single day. I would be standing there, waiting for our set and what a good warm up to watch them! I used to go back there and listen to Glass Jaw, At the Drive-In, Deftones, Slipknot or Chimaira - something to get me pumped and at the time, instead I would just go and see Hatebreed. Jamey is a great front man. He and his band are just the bomb. They are a great band. Taproot was another band that always impressed me. There is another great show that I would always watch when I got a chance. Mudvayne as well! I had seen Mudvayne and I knew exactly what they could do. I just never knew Hatebreed was like THAT! Those guys go OFF! It was fun to watch - and we did lots of shots of Jaeger together!

NA: After getting off OZZfest, which is a huge stadium tour which do you prefer, large venues or small clubs?
ES: ES: I'm going to speak for myself cuz I can't speak for the band. Everyone loves small clubs and the clubs are where it's at - it's closer. I like having a nice, big stage. I like for us to be able to sound and look the way I know our band can sound and look. I think my drummer deserves to be up high on a riser where everybody can see him and that my guitar player has room to spin around with his guitar. I love the clubs but I love big stadium stages! I just love being able to jump up and throw my microphone up in the air or jump up and not hit my head on the ceiling. But being so far away from the fans also takes away from our show, too. I like being able to be close enough that people can see the expression on my face. I like the intimacy of the small clubs but damn, if I don't like the sound and the production of the big stages. It's a double-edged sword.

NA: With all your extensive touring have you checked out any local bands around the country?
ES: ES: There is a band called,"Sunset Black," I believe they're signed - amazing! A band out of San Antonio, "Protein Shake." I actually wear their clothes all the time. They give me shirts every time we come into town. We just played with them in San Antonio. I meet a lot of bands that give me cd's asking me to check them out. I would love to play A&R; but I have so much work to do with this band. We all say that. There are a hundred steps to being a good, successful career band and we're on thirty. So, we obviously have a bunch more to go. There are a lot of bands that I hear are developing, that do have the potential of IT but they still have a couple years. First, you gotta dominate your scene before you start branching off. I haven't really seen any of those, yet. I have seen new bands, like Pressure 4-5 that are getting signed that are awesome but as far as unsigned, the only band I can honestly say is Protein Shake out of San Antonio.

NA: So, we're kinda wondering what kind of advice you would give to a new band trying to break into the business… first would be dominating your scene?
ES: Get a drummer who can do a good mailing list! (Laughing) It's the only reason why we're here. Honestly, if people don't know your band is playing you're never going to get anywhere. It was religious.

Every single show he sat there and hand wrote five hundred postcard addresses cuz none of us could afford a computer. Then we spent band money to buy stamps and mail them all out. Getting your scene involved with you and getting them to fall in love with you. When we had our label showcase when we weren't signed yet, seven labels tried to walk in the front door and they couldn't cuz it was sold out! You know what I mean? Be a hometown band first before you try to do anything else.

NA: How was the process different in re-recording songs from, "Struggle" such as "Mindtrip" and "Victim?" Do you prefer one version to the other?
ES: ES: We always love the older versions first in the beginning and then we learn to like the newer versions. When you're writing music you want to be innovative and new and fresh and different. You try to put all your ideas into one song and you can't always do that. You might want to save that idea for another song. It's a great idea but it might not be the best idea for this particular song. So, you take that idea and make a whole other song. That's kinda like what we're doing. We like "Mindtrip" - we like the heaviness of it but the vocals were a little too edgy in what we were trying to do on this album. So, what can we do? We sit down and compromise. We sit down as a band and try a vocal line like this or try that and we found that to us, it sounds better. Now we got everybody used to this sound and now we're about to hand out this sound. It really doesn't matter cuz that is what the smart Nonpoint did. The other Nonpoint was the raw, untrained, unbridled Nonpoint where it was the foundation of what could come. That's what we did. "Struggle" was actually a second step because we had done something originally called, "Separate Yourself" which we had done "Mindtrip" before and that actually went on to "Struggle" - it was just re-mixed. So, we did those songs and for "Struggle" we wrote the song, "Years" that you hear on your new album. So, "Years," "Mindtrip" and "Victim" were on it but "Victim" was a different version as well. Our friends and fans - our real fans from down home see those songs, as songs that we couldn't deny - that they would have to come with us.

At the same time, too, we had to be smart about those songs… so we listened to them and thought.. ok, what in those songs work for us so much that we love and everybody else is going to love?

NA: Any ideas on a title for the new album?
ES: "Development". There are three parts to a musical sonata; a statement, a development and a recapitulation. The first album was, "Statement," the second album is gonna be, "Development," and the third album will be, "Recapitulation."

NA: What's going to be the direction and or motivation for the next cd?
ES: ES: You're going to hear it tonite! Nonpoint is a heavy band so we stay heavy. We're taking advantage of the new talent we're finding in each other. That is what we're focusing on this album. It's definitely going to be a lot more melodic. "Endure" is such a strong song live… a lot of people have said their favorite songs on the album are, "Levels" and a lot of the softer songs. We hear, (from fans): I really like that thing you do at the end of "Double Stakked!" That is the real quiet, soft stuff. It's almost like, indirectly, fans have been saying, "That's what I love about you- you guys rock but damn, when you do the things you do!" So, we're going to give them a little more pieces of that, maybe.