Interview by David Wilson with Elias Soriano of NON POINT

Florida has coughed up a big fat loogie of Hard-Rock in the last few years and as LIMP BIZKIT and CREED drip from the highest reaches of Billboard's pop charts the Sunshine State has readied a new batch of young hopefuls ready to take their place, most significantly, NONPOINT. Actually, NONPOINT has more in common with THE DEFTONES and INCUBUS than they do LIMP BIZKIT in that though they do have a distinct Rap element it is de-emphasized in favor of the Metal aspects of the music. Contemporaries are LINKIN PARK and TAPROOT but NONPOINT stands apart audibly from these two acts enough to be its own thing in its own time. I would also add that NONPOINT has an intangible sense of danger to their music that LINKIN PARK couldn't hope to approach. "STATEMENT" has a lyric that begins, "Set yourself to rant" which is more a command than a suggestion by ten seconds into the disc and also serves as the best indicator for what NONPOINT is up to musically. Thrashingly brutal at times and phat ass phunky at others but as a whole just contemporary hard rock for generation Y with a little extra spice. Press days are generally boring affairs with hours spent on the phone speaking with people who have little if any clue who you are but this didn't seem to phase NONPOINT's Elias Soriano. The NONPOINT vocalist seemed happy just to be at the point where he would be having a press day and more than happy to share a story or two and that is just what he did. (NONPOINT's debut disc, "STATEMENT," is available on MCA records.)

You just finished this tour with MUDVAYNE, was that all it promised to be?
The MUDVAYNE guys, we are really, really good friends with those guys and we were so excited about jumping on that tour.
How was KITTIE?
KITTIE was awesome, the fans were great and we sold a lot of CDs and made a lot of really great new friends. Basically we just got the name out to more people.
People are really into KITTIE eh?
Yeah, people love KITTIE.
What the fuck is wrong with people?
(Laughing) No Comment! The girls were sweet, what can I tell ya?
Did Daddy have to slap your hand when you got too close?
(Laughing) I stopped myself when I got too close.
I suppose that plague will last for a while, oh well.
Looks like it.
I have already heard that they are going to be returning to Ozz-Fest this year which is one of the tours that you will be on as well, am I right on this?
There is that rumor but you know how Ozz-Fest is, nobody is really confirmed until like three weeks before. Everybody is checking soundscan right up until the last minute, trust me.
Are there really three stages this year, do you know?
Yeah. We just got contacted by Street Wise, we are one of the Street Wise bands that gets promoted by them and I have heard through the grapevine that they have some hand in it this year so hopefully we will be on it. I know that we are definitely leaving the schedule open for it.
NONPOINT is often compared to PUYA, who also got their biggest push from being associated with Ozz-Fest, is that a justifiable comparison in your view?
Yeah, well, we aim in a slightly different direction but they are very talented and they definitely know their sound well. It is like, I am Spanish and my drummer is Spanish but my guitar player and my bass player are both Gringos and we write music that we all love. We have our own sound and we are not aiming for the Latin thing. The song, "Orgullo," is a song that we did about three years ago and it was just something that we wanted to have on the album to have something a little different.
That is interesting and for as much as I really like PUYA their music is a little culturally specific if you know what I mean.?
Exactly.
It wouldn't play that well away from areas with larger Latino populations whereas you seem to be using some Latin flavoring but are not a Latin band, yes?
Exactly but we are also thinking internationally and South America is also a big market.
So you are a business minded musician?
We try to be. You have to be in this industry.
MCA is absolutely notorious for only giving a band one shot and if you make it, great but if you don't you are back out on the street. Do you have a building plan worked out with the people at MCA?
The label is very excited about us and very supportive of us. They really do take very good care of us and they are working really hard for us, that is why I am on the phone with you!(laughs) So, we are getting our name out and they are definitely pulling their weight and doing their share. We are working six-month, twelve-month plans and not just one-month plans.
How was it that you came to be with MCA in the first place?
Jason Biehler is really good friends with an A&R guy there and when we played at Zeta-fest with another one of his bands, SUPERTRANSATLANTIC, he heard us and he loved us to death. He gave us a call two days later and there we were.
The day that you got the call, did you go to band practice that night and say, "Dude! We got a call from MCA!"
(Laughing) No, actually, we all knew that same day but we didn't get the call directly from MCA, it was Jason. He was all about getting us ready to be heard by MCA but we needed a little bit of pre-production, we needed a little bit of fine tuning on our sound and one thing just led to another and we got the deal.
There was a previous version of the band prior to getting signed, how much did the band change from that incarnation to this one?
It is pretty much a full new lineup with the only original member being the drummer.
What about sound-wise?
Completely different entity. It was a different band as soon as the bass player the guitar player and I joined the band. We kept the name, well we dropped the "FACTOR" part, because it was an established name and it was a cool name.
You have come from the fertile fields of Florida, what is that scene all about down there?
Yeah, a lot of people are coming out of here. The fans here are very loyal and they come out to all the shows. There was a time where we were playing pretty much once a week and sometimes the same fans were at each and every one of the shows for about four months. It was very, very cool.
And the fan base has been growing outwards from there?
We went from a strong thousand to a strong two thousand in about three months and that was without playing there at all. We haven't played in South Florida in months and it was just a matter of us touring while ZETA was playing the hell out of the single. We were on the top seven at seven and we were number one for a long time beating out LIMP BIZKIT and LINKIN PARK and GODSMACK and all the big singles that were out. With all of the heavy traffic on radio right now to have a big station like ZETA play us, we really do appreciate it because it has driven our record sales way up. We are very excited.
How do you plan on spreading out from there?
Tour, tour, tour.
Did you kiss Mom and the dog goodbye and say, "See ya in a year?"
Yeah!(laughs) I told the girlfriend I hope that she likes to fly out to other cites because she is going to have to.
Did everybody have to leave pining for their girlfriends or do you plan on making new ones in each town?
No, no, we will all be good boys!
It is still early days then isn't it?
Exactly.
Well cool, so you have somebody to collect your fan mail for you back home now?
Exactly and you always need somebody to come back home to.
Have you noticed that there are a lot more friends around you now than there was before you got signed?
No. You know, when I come home I kind of just relax with my family and I really don't get a lot of opportunities to hang out with my friends but I have the same friends, they haven't changed really.
There is a discernable spirit to this record that is missing on many major label releases, do you recognize that and if so how do you account for it?
I guess that it is because the band is really proud of the music. We take a lot of time to write it and it is very thought out. We try to write music that keeps us moving, I guess we write for feel, if you know what I mean. We think that we can pinpoint it all down to being heavy and melodic but still dynamic is the word that I want here. We try to stay as dynamic and as original as possible.
There has been a considerable backlash against the Aggro/Rap-Metal scene lately, does that concern you at all?
It doesn't really concern me. To be lumped in with a lot of those bands is great and I wish each and every one of them the best but as far as what we are doing is we are trying to steer away from the Rap-Metal thing. There are obviously elements of it on this album but I think that the next album is going to be going elsewhere. You know, music is constantly evolving and we will reflect that I suppose.
How old is the material that is on this record?
It is almost three years old. Some of those songs are three years old and some of them are two years old but basically we spent our whole lives writing this album and the next album will have a lot more fresh ideas, they are just pouring out of us right now.
Was there any carryover from the first independent record that the band did to this one?
Only on four songs and then we reworked those songs.
Has MCA or other non-band personnel been giving you direction or suggestions on who should produce the next record or maybe people to consider writing with?
No. We got a lot of help from Jason as a producer on this album and he gave a lot of input but he let us do our own thing. We want another producer the next time around because we will probably have a little bit more funds to work with and a little more clout to choose somebody heavier but when that time comes around we will listen to suggestions but we will always keep it our own. I will definitely hear advice but that doesn't mean that I am going to take it.
There are a whole lot of bands coming up with your class of Metal, are there other bands that you feel a kind of kinship to in terms of sound or being part of the same generation of Metal?
We are really good friends with MUDVAYNE. We are immensely good friends with HED PE and we are good friends with GLASSJAW. EARTH CRISIS and HATEBREED are both good friends. Almost every band that we have toured with we get along great with. There are some bands that are not as social as other bands and, hey they have been out on the road for a long time and they don't want to be social that is fine with me but you know, we are all out there working.
EARTH CRISIS and HED PE, now that is a weird combo. I could just see the backstage area, one side is a hash den and the other side is a bunch of straight edge skinheads.(laughs)
Exactly!
Were you with HED PE before or after they got busted in Boston for possession?
After.
Did they start hiding their stash?
Naw, they didn't give a shit!(laughs)
Have you had the life defining rock and roll experience yet?
Uh, no. I guess I just pick my battles you know. I have been star struck a couple of times, I met Chino and the guys in the DEFTONES. But everybody is still human especially after you beat them down playing nine or ten shows in a row!(laughs)
Future plans?
We just want to get back on track and back on the road. Vacation is nice but I want to be out on the road!
http://www.nonpoint.com/
http://www.myspace.com/nonpoint