Nevertheless

The five guys known as Nevertheless are growing up. And they’re experiencing the pains and joys that come with that. Their label debut, Live Like We’re Alive, placed the Chattanooga radio rock band on the map as one to watch. And the initial journey into their musical career came with both frustrations and victories. Touring took the wind out of them, so a recent two month sabbatical was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Now, they are ready to go at it again, a little bit wiser. And their music should be all the better for it. Right as we sat down, the band signed off on someone to mix their album (Andy Hunt) and things are still getting worked out as far as album title and release date. But rest assured, whatever they decide, it will be as a five-piece who know a bit more about what they’re doing.

SA: This has to be an exciting time to be working on a new batch of songs. How were the production sessions with Rob Hawkins?

Josh Pearson: Rob is awesome. He’s totally out of the box for us. Our first record was with James Paul Wisner, who is a talented, amazing person. Rob’s a person who thinks out of the box, so the new record has a little more space and some new instruments on it not on the last record. One difference from this record to the old one is that this is much more simplistic. It’s not caked with harmonies. Piano is the prominent instrument on the record, so it’s been a great experience for sure.

SA: Did you know you were going to do that in the studio? How much of the changes are you?

AJ Cheek: We actually co-wrote with Rob a bit, too. We would meet up with him and write songs with him…

SA: Beforehand?

AJ: Yes, beforehand. Actually, two and a half years ago, we wrote a song with Rob for our first record. We ended up not using it. Things get going and things fall between the cracks. It didn’t fit the album but it’s funny because it fits this one so much more. We made some tweaks to the production and changed some things to fit where we’re at now. What’s cool about Rob is that when we met for pre-production and got ready to track, there were some unspoken things … we just had the same vision already…

SA: Which is?

AJ: Just the simplistic thing. Tracking without caking six vocals and also focusing on the lyrics and melody and really focusing on vocals and letting Josh showcase his vocals instead of caking all kinds of stuff over him and losing the melody.

SA: Why decide to do something like that? Is it a response to listening to your first record and not liking it? Is it a matter of just listening to music like that right now and so you let that pour out into a new record?

AJ: I think it’s a little bit of both. Definitely the time period and what we’re listening to plays a lot into it – the simplicity of Snow Patrol or even Coldplay and things like that or rock bands like The Rocket Summer or All-American Rejects. But we also didn’t want to do the same things again. We knew the kind of things we would slip into production-wise, so we wanted to look out for that in the studio. There would be times I would throw out five guitar parts and it would reveal to me that I wasn’t even liking it. Rob would say it wouldn’t fit the direction we’re going. Now, the new record isn’t completely off-the-wall different, but it is a step in a new direction.

SA: That has to change how you approach all your instruments, right?

All: Yes!

Adam Rowe: It’s funny you say that. I had to completely change my set-up as a drummer. I wanted to get an old-school vibe, so I took out my rack tom and added a few different things just to force myself to think differently when we started tracking the record. I tell you, it made a huge difference. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

AJ: Even as parts, they are more intentional even as they’re simple. The ones that are there are solid. There aren’t all these fills in our songs, but the ones that are there will grab you. They’re killer. There are less moments which make each one more important.

SA: In other areas, like writing, trimming the excess means having a better piece. Is that true in music as well?

Josh: I think when you strip away the candy and the gloss, you really get into the meat and substance of the song. In the long run, I think it will mean more to you. There are a lot of songs on the radio that sound really cool and produced with trinkets everywhere. I call that a fast-burner. You buy it on iTunes, you listen for a week and then you never listen to it again. I think bands that really have meat with what they’re saying, that have something to say and all their instruments are intentional – I think there’s longevity to that.

SA: Were you surprised by what was exposed? You said you had to strip some things away in the studio…

Josh: I don’t want to talk too much, but some of A.J.’s parts on guitar, literally there will be the bass for the song and then there will only be one guitar part over it. Our last record was caked, but now you really appreciate that part. When the song starts, you hear that one part. That’s the only thing that’s there, so you’re forced to listen to it. That’s the one you remember.

Adam: For me, everything I recorded and that I’ve been listening to, it’s more intentional in the vibe and emotion. Instead of saying, ‘I want to showcase I can do this fill or I can play this fast.’ I focus more on ‘how can I create or build on the emotion that’s already there.’ They’re all thinking that as well. We’re trying to get a good feeling to set up the lyrics.

SA: Thematically, is there a common thread woven through the whole thing?

Josh: When we write, we never say, ‘This album is around that concept.’ But when you step away, you get a feeling of restoration on this record. When we made this record, we toured our butts off and there are times when you’re really tired and you can feel your depravity. You haven’t been to church. And you’re too tired to pray and read the Bible. And God took us from that feeling, from being down and out, to being restored and finding Him again. We had two months recently to just be at home, which was perfect to be around the church and family and friends. The later songs we wrote, like “Rest,” is a good reflection of that. It makes us passionate about what we were in the beginning and I think you’ll be able to pick up on that when you listen to the record.

SA: Were you all going through that? That you needed two months?

Brad Jones: It really does wear on you to be out on the road. It is one of the most fun things and it’s a blessing to be able to do it. But when you’re out for so long away from family, it really starts to wear on you and you start to miss them. It gets sad. So the time to go home was amazing. It puts you back in touch with friends you haven’t been able to communicate with in a while. The brotherhood of friends is so much more refreshing than anything. So being beat down on the road, that time at home recharges you and you’re ready to get back out on the road.

AJ: I think we’ve also learned that next time around, the same things will happen. We will feel that drain and tiresome feeling of wanting to go home. But I feel we have some things we’ve learned that we can take with us next time.

SA: I would think community would be huge for that.

All: Absolutely!

SA: Did you use that well the first time around?

Josh: I think we’ve grown so much as friends with each other. We may still argue occasionally but I think we’re learning when and how to speak to certain people in the band and to be able to be a good instrument. God has taught us so much more about being in community than the last time around. We’re trying to incorporate some new things this time around – like pre-show devotionals, which sometimes they happen and other times they don’t. [Laughs] There are things we have to do to keep that community alive.

AJ: Or even just talking. We’re trying to be more open when we get back in the van and vent what we’re feeling or what’s going on. We’ve always been the band that talked out stuff, even when it was brutal, but we’re getting better at that. That stuff can hurt, but it’s true and it helps us grow. But we are learning to be sensitive to each other.

• www.neverthelessmusic.com
• www.myspace.com/nevertheless

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#1 MattConner.net » Blog Archive » S-A Interview: Nevertheless on August 8th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

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