When Adrenaline Mob kicks off a United States tour next month, it will bring some talented and innovative musicians along who just happen to be from San Antonio. Nothing More has landed its first national tour as a support act for the supergroup.
It only took 10 years.
Having debuted in 2003, Nothing More's hard work comes to its most rewarding fruition when it kicks off the first leg of Adrenaline Mob's trek March 12 in New Haven, Conn., and winds up April 7 in Richmond, Va. Nothing More (vocalist Jonny Hawkins, guitarist Mark Vollelunga, bassist Daniel Oliver, drummer and New Orleans native Paul O'Brien), which opened for Bush and Seether last June 3 at Sunken Garden Theater (review here), will play a homecoming show with Adrenaline Mob on Sat. March 23 at Backstage Live (tickets here; complete dates below).
"We're just psyched to finally be on a legit tour and get into all the right venues," Vollelunga told me by phone Wednesday. "Hopefully, we'll impress the people we have to, and it'll be the start of a big, long tour schedule for over the next two years promoting our upcoming album."
Nothing More released The Few Not Fleeting in 2009. Vollelunga said the next release will be self-titled.
"We're actually getting super close to finishing this next one," the 28-year-old guitarist said. "There's gonna be a whole lot of tracks on it. Definitely 13 songs and possibly three or four instrumentals. We're psyched about every single one. We just couldn't even cut one of 'em, you know what I mean? We've been self-producing pretty much all of it, which is great 'cause it's virtually free. We are quite the perfectionists, so we tend to take our time, which is good, because nothing's rushed. But it takes awhile. We're shooting for June."
The rest of the country is likely to witness for the first time what Nothing More's San Antonio fans have known all along: that the group turns things up a notch in concert. Without giving too much away, let's just say when Nothing More hit the stage, they tend to start shows in a somewhat unconventional way. And they take drum and bass solos to another extreme.
Vollelunga said it was a test in more ways than one, when Nothing More first started, to come up with something eye-catching that complemented, rather than detracted from, the performance and the songs.
"It was very challenging, and I will tell you there are a lot of different versions of that bass solo or drum solo that we've had over the years," he said. "And the first one was probably really cheesy and crappy. But just like anything, practice makes perfect, and we got better and better at it. And we challenge ourselves musically to come up with those things. Even though everything's been done, that's true, you still have to set yourself apart somehow. And then people that don't know your songs -- make them want to come back."
Adrenaline Mob, featuring Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen, Sonic Stomp guitarist Mike Orlando, Disturbed bassist and Austin resident John Moyer and ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, played San Antonio twice in 2012. They hung out with Rampage hockey fans during a game April 7 at the AT&T Center, then performed at the venue's Bud Light Courtyard. On May 16, they returned to Backstage Live with Kill Devil Hill, the new band featuring ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown (our interview here) and noted drummer Vinny Appice (see my reviews and interviews with Adrenaline Mob at the "Suggested" links in blue below). Adrenaline Mob is releasing a covers EP, Coverta, on March 12, the same day the tour kicks off.
And The Mob may be among those first-time fans of Nothing More when the tour is all said and done. Vollelunga said Nothing More's booking agent had a huge part in the band landing the gig.
"I know John Moyer has heard our stuff before," said Vollelunga, who added that he's most looking forward to playing Los Angeles' renowned The Roxy on March 30. "That'd be really cool if they know our tunes and they were down to throw us on (the tour)."
San Antonians have a terrific opportunity to check out a group filled with accomplished musicians -- while demonstrating support for one of their own that continues to strive to reach the top.
TOUR DATES
- Tue 12 Mar – New Haven CT @ Toads Place
- Wed 13 Mar – New York NY @ Marlin @ Webster Hall
- Thu 14 Mar – Pittsburgh PA @ Altar Bar
- Fri 15 Mar – Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
- Sat 16 Mar – West Springfield VA @ Empire
- Mon 18 Mar – Jacksonville FL @ Brewster’s Roc Bar
- Tue 19 Mar – Tampa FL @ Orpheum
- Wed 20 Mar – Orlando FL @ The Haven
- Fri 22 Mar – Houston TX @ Scout Bar
- Sat 23 Mar – San Antonio TX @ Backstage Live (1305 E. Houston St.)
- Sun 24 Mar – Dallas TX @ Trees
- Tue 26 Mar – Albuquerque NM @ Launch Pad
- Wed 27 Mar – Phoenix AZ @ Joe’s Grotto
- Thu 28 Mar – San Diego CA @ Brick By Brick
- Fri 29 Mar – Las Vegas NV @ Cheyenne Saloon
- Sat 30 Mar – Los Angeles CA @ Roxy
- Mon 01 Apr – Colorado Springs CO @ Black Sheep
- Tue 02 Apr – Kansas City KS @ The Voodoo Lounge
- Thu 04 Apr – St Louis MO @ Fubar
- Fri 05 Apr – Nashville TN @ Exit IN
- Sat 06 Apr – Atlanta GA @ Masquerade
- Sun 07 Apr – Richmond VA @ Kingdom
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