Facing a challenge, you either triumph or falter. For those who conquer the obstacles ahead, the reward is plentiful! Such is the story of life and the tale of the Texas-based band Nothing More as they prepare for the release of their highly-anticipated new album The Stories We Tell Ourselves. Working hard as an indie band for over a decade, their 2014 self-titled album via Eleven Seven Music propelled Nothing More into the mainstream Hard Rock world in a big way. Going from relatively unknown to the band on the tip of everyone’s tongue, Nothing More exploded, touring with everyone from Volbeat to Shinedown as they topped Rock charts.
With hard work paying off, the band have face the road ahead unsure of what the future may hold as they prepare to release The Stories We Tell Ourselves on Friday, September 15th, but one thing is for sure: the build up of excitement among fans has been plausible. That anxious energy came to a head on the eve of Sunday, September 10th when Nothing More hosted a private concert at Brooklyn, New York’s Knitting Factory. Available strictly to SiriusXM subscribers by invitation-only, a slew of fans gathered at the venue ready to get a sneak peek listen to Nothing More’s forthcoming album. This was not an average listening party, as it would showcase Nothing More live in-the-flesh in their only New York area appearance prior to the full tour.
Helping celebrate, Nothing More brought along their to-be tourmates Palisades to the occasion. Very familiar with the New York City scene, Palisades hail from the Garden State of New Jersey and, of late, have been spreading their wings to international acclaim. Signed to Rise Records, Palisades released their self-titled album back on January 20th, having since toured with the likes of Lacey Sturm, and, most recently, opened for ONE OK ROCK.
Consisting of Vocalist Louis Miceli, Bassist Brandon Elgar, Drummer Aaron Rose, along with Guitarists Matt Marshall and Xavier Adames, together they approached the stage of the Knitting Factory with confidence. Having a relatively abbreviated set, they made the most of their time as they dished out high-energy, emotionally-driven original tunes including “Personal” and “Better Chemicals.” Receiving a positive reaction, the band thanked the audience for showing up early to check them out and graciously took the time to meet with anyone who wanted to chat over at their merchandise table following the set. A band still on the rise, Palisades should turn on a lot more listeners once the Nothing More tour is in full-swing.
With a brief lapse of time for a soundcheck, just after 9:15 PM the main event was ready to begin as SiriusXM Octane DJ Kayla Riley enthusiastically introduced Nothing More. With all the lights out, everyone waited with bated breath as backing tracks played over the speakers moments before Nothing More – Jonny Hawkins (vocals), Mark Vollelunga (guitar, backing vocals), Daniel Oliver (bass/backing vocals), Ben Anderson (drums) – arrived on stage. Wasting little time in getting everyone’s blood flowing, they blasted into the new album with songs like “Let ’em Burn,” “Rimming Me Apart,” and “Do You Really Want It.” Additionally they mixed in recognized favorites including “Mr. MTV,” “Jenny,” and “Salem (Burn the Witch),” but the night rightfully belonged to The Stories We Tell Ourselves as they also played “Don’t Stop,” a song Hawkins proclaimed as a symbol of the band’s resilience.
Speaking of such emotions, Hawkins’ performance was nothing less than exhausting but in a good way. Clearly a man who feels each note the band plays and every lyric written, he let it all go on stage. Much like a caged animal full of fury, the minuscule platform of The Knitting Factory could not contain his output. Bouncing from one corner of the stage to the other, Hawkins sacrificed his own body for the performance, and all anyone watching could do was take a deep breath after each song concluded. Put it this way: his stage presence is real and his emotion is enough of a therapeutic release for a mass just consuming it.
Providing the new songs with that much more of an emotional charge, cuts such as the single “Go To War” were moth ear and spine tingling. Then just when one thought Hawkins and company could not get much more vulnerable, they brought it down acoustically to offer a rare ballad-like track called “Just Say When.” A song Hawkins stated they debated not even putting on the new record, after one listen, everyone was grateful they did. From there it was one memorable moment after another and like a newborn testing their pulps, it was certainly a grand introduction to The Stories We Tell Ourselves.
Winding down the full force show, Nothing More offered “This Is The Time (Ballast)” and sent everyone away more than satisfied. An experience no one will soon forget, the official tour began on September 12th with dates running through November 10th featuring support from My Ticket Home, Hell or Highwater, and Palisades. That said, those who were invited to this album release show thanks to SiriusXM and their station Octane got a taste of what the rest of the world has in store once The Stories We Tell Ourselves hits.
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