Sometimes, when least expected, great things happen. Case in point, Hard Rock leaders Hinder were up against the wall follow the exit of Vocalist Austin Winkler in 2013 to get this life in order. Faced with the daunting task of finding a new lead singer, they tried on two different pairs of shoes per say, but it just did not fit. Rather than pack it up and call it a day, they need not look any further than within their own Rock-n-Roll family, bringing in Marshal Dutton as the permanent new singer.
Behind the scenes with Hinder for years, Dutton brought with him a stage experience, fronting other bands including Faktion, and a powerful voice. Even still, no one said fans would accept him or if the experiment would pan out. Well, all seems well in the world of Hinder as they continue to tour and return with The Reign, sporting a list of killer tunes and a new identity. Recently we caught up with the upbeat Dutton to talk his entrance to Hinder, his reservations, the work behind The Reign, and much more.
CrypticRock.com – Hinder has become one of the most known names in Rock over the past 10 plus years. You officially joined the fold as lead vocalist in 2015. What has your time been like as the band’s frontman?
Marshal Dutton – It has been great. When they asked me to join the band I was really nervous at first. I honestly didn’t know if it was a good idea because I had quite a bit of a different voice than the original singer. I was kind of worried the fans wouldn’t accept me and I thought it was going to be a disaster (laughs). Right after they asked me to be the singer we went out on a 2 week run tour and it just went great and the fans were great! We kept doing it and it kept getting better and better. We started having fun, it has mostly been smooth sailing and a fantastic time much to my surprise.
CrypticRock.com – That is nice to hear that. Sometimes when you are reserved and do not have high expectations great things happen. Your history with Hinder is much more than just coming in as frontman, you have worked with them for many years behind the scenes writing and producing. Do you feel two years into the game there is a new level of comfort with yourself and the guys?
Marshal Dutton – Yes, absolutely. It gets more and more comfortable all the time. I couldn’t imagine how it could be any more comfortable at this point. I was already well-rounded in the band and how the flow goes. Before I even joined the band I started working with Cody back in 2006 or 2007. I ended up co-producing All American Nightmare in 2010. Then Cody and I produced the Welcome to The Freakshow record in 2012. I have been intimate with the band for a long time.
Honestly, as far as performing with the band, I actually filled in for several different people before I even joined the band. I had actually been on stage with them and had that experience before I even became the singer. When Austin initially left I filled in for him in the beginning as well. I was kind of already comfortable, there wasn’t really a whole lot to learn. Once I jumped in it was already there.
CrypticRock.com – It helps to have that history with the band. You knew everyone pretty well.
Marshal Dutton – No doubt. I think I met them when I was playing with Faktion back in 2004 0r 2005. We toured extensively with them in 2006 and 2007, we were all old friends. Old friends are easy to get along with and they are fun to rock with! It is fun to be on stage with your buddies, there is nothing better!
CrypticRock.com – No question. You mentioned Faktion and that band had their success. Their debut album hit number 12 on Rock charts. How do you compare your time in Faktion to Hinder?
Marshal Dutton – All those guys from Faktion were my friends too. We are all still really good friends, we just ended up drifting apart over the years, we didn’t really end on band terms, everyone was just involved in other stuff. I am really fortunate that the bands I have been in felt like a home. I felt at home in Hinder since day one the same way I did in Faktion. Like I said, it is hanging out on stage with your buddies. When there is no animosity between any of the members the mood couldn’t be any better.
CrypticRock.com – Right. When the Smoke Clears hit the public in 2015 and it was really fans’ introduction to the new Hinder. Now you return with The Reign. What was the writing and recording process like this time around?
Marshal Dutton – It was pretty much the same. We did more writing ourselves; in the past, we tended to write with different people. On this record we did a little of that too where we got together with other songwriters and wrote songs. This record was written mostly by Cody and I, besides a few of them.
The subject matter kind of changed. In the past Hinder has been more fun and upbeat, a lot of time about relationships. This turned a little bit darker, there is darker subject matter and there is a little more of a serious side of Hinder. The record is a little heavier than what Hinder has done in the past. I am anxious to see how people take it. For example, there are a couple of songs on the record dealing with topics like suicide and more political topics.
As far as the process goes, it is pretty much two guys sitting in a room. We always sit down with acoustic guitars, start jamming, coming up with ideas, and it kind of blossoms from there.
CrypticRock.com – The darker tones began with the last record and it seems to continue on The Reign. There are heavier, darker tracks, but there are also fun Rock driven tracks. What was it like to strike the balance between the two?
Marshal Dutton – It felt a little more challenging on this record. We kind of felt we had something to prove and wanted to do something a little different. Like you said, there are still some good old time Rock songs on there. Those kind of things come really easy to us. What is more difficult is trying to change your style and trying to put yourself on a different path toward a different sound. I am not going to lie, we have days where we sit around the studio and kind of beat our heads, get frustrated, and have to come back to it. Some of it took a little bit longer, but in the end I think it was well worth it to show a different angle.
CrypticRock.com – Yes, it will be exciting to see what people think. There is also some comedy. The final track, “Losers Salute.” What was the inspiration behind that one?
Marshal Dutton – That is just one of those things that just happened. That song is what embodies what happens with us a lot of times when we are writing songs when we are just goofing off and having fun. That song started off at a kind of serious topic. We were kind of beating our heads and started joking around saying, “What if we make this about being a loser and being proud of your failures and whatnot?” We just threw it in joking around tongue-n-cheek, kind of a fuck you to rigid society. I thought it was really fun and I am glad we ended up putting it on the record.
CrypticRock.com – Well it works well. You mentioned about how you were a bit skeptical about becoming the vocalist. You were afraid fans would not accept you because you do have a different voice. Seeing you have toured over the past two years, how are you feeling the Hinder fanbase has taken to you as lead voice?
Marshal Dutton – I feel like most of them have really accepted me. I surprisingly get so little hate mail and dirty messages on Facebook. It is astounding to me I don’t have more of it, I have had some of it, but for the most part all the fans have embraced it. There are fans of every level, and some don’t even realize. They are just there to have a good time and we do that. For the dedicated fans who know the whole life and history of the band and some of those people have come to embrace me the most. That is really shocking that these people came before Austin left the band. When we go out on the road we hang out with people constantly. I see all these familiar faces, I see new ones as well and they seem to be really into it. All in all, it couldn’t be going better!
CrypticRock.com – Very cool. The band has a few shows lined up, but can we expect a full tour announced following the album’s release?
Marshal Dutton – I would expect it, we haven’t locked anything down yet. It is expected we will do a tour. We will get back out there to promote the record and have a good time. We have things going on.
CrypticRock.com – It will be exciting to see you guys out in the support of the record. As a musician it can be a challenge to be on the road all the time. How do you manage life away from home and being on the road?
Marshal Dutton – You are right, especially when you get older, being on the road takes more of a toll than it used to. We are not crazy, but we still like to have a good time and hang out. It can be exhausting day after day, but in the end we realize how much we enjoy it. We are kind of a well-oiled machine. There are not a whole lot of situations that are unnecessarily stressful. The fact that we have been doing it so long, we are used to the level of anxiety that comes along with it. Being away from home, while it sucks, it is always great that you get to come back home. It makes you appreciate home that much more. When you are home you appreciate how great it is to be out in the world. It works pretty well, I think I wear it well.
CrypticRock.com – Yes, it has to be tough, but you guys seem to have a good balance. You have a long history in Rock. What are some of your musical influences?
Marshal Dutton – When I got into Rock I started as a guitar player, I wanted to be a shredder. I kind of wanted to be Angus Young when I was a kid, he was my idol, and I loved AC/DC. I started playing guitar for that reason. That was kind of what started me off in the world of Rock. From there on, I was a huge Guns ‘N’ Roses fan. I loved the way Slash played. Then I started getting into more finesse players like Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme. I then went through a Prog Rock era. Then the ’90s hit and I was into Stone Temple Pilots. One of my favorite bands of all-time is probably Third Eye Blind, I love everything about that band. That is one the bands that is hard to find a song that I don’t like. I listen to all kinds of different music from Pop to a little bit of Folk.
I was even in a Country band, Cody and I put together a Country band called Drankmore. It was all Country songs, we also produced some other artists in Country. I am all over the place.
CrypticRock.com – It is good to be well-rounded in music. My last question for you is pertaining to movies. CrypticRock.com covers music and Horror films. If you are a fan of Horror films, what are some of your favorite Horror films?
Marshal Dutton – One of my favorite movies is The Jacket (2005), it is an Adrien Brody movie. It also has Keira Knightley. I love that movie, it is a really great Sci-Fi flick! Another more recent movie I saw that I liked was Passengers (2016).
In Horror, I am not a huge Horror film kind of guy. I like the Rob Zombie films. We have been watching ’80s Horror movies like Cat’s Eye (1985). It is really fun to go back and watch those old movies. We watched Troll (1986) recently, it is terrible, but there is something entertaining about it. Also, Stranger Things and Bates Motel are really good.
Condolences Marshal on your dad’s unexpected passing. May he R I.P. Carhey Fambro Gunkey. Tulia, Tx love Hinder!