Nonpoint; Touring, Writing and Re-Inventing in their Own Image

After two years of Covid, trailer mishaps and cancelled shows, our favorite homegrown fellas Nonpoint are back on the road and bringing their incredible energy to the masses on the “Taken Apart + Put Back Together” Tour.

Elias (ES), Jaysin (JZ), Adam(AW), Rasheed (RT), and Robb (RR) were kind enough to sit down with me (CB) at CPR fest in Biloxi and touch base about their future plans, what it means to be able to create and experiment in their own way musically, and of course, who their touring dream team would be.

CB: I’m recording this to transcribe, so say hi fellas.

ALL: “Heeeyyyyyyyyyy”

CB: So, welcome back to Mississippi. Sorry it’s so damn hot, yall.

(Various chuckles)

CB: You have a new tour, FINALLY. You’re starting in Wisconsin, which you know ya girl grew up in Eau Claire so you know I’m excited. Wisconsin is Nonpoint country. So is this a continuation of the pre-covid tour, or are you guys just randomly starting in the Midwest?

ES: “Well this was always the plan, the second half of the tour. Everything with the trailer and covid happened and that got pushed to January, so now we’re just getting back out to it for the original plan.”

CB: So the infamous runaway trailer, you know we have to talk about it. Was anyone hurt? What exactly happened?

RT: “Thankfully no one was hurt.”

ES: “It was just equipment.”
JZ: “We were sleeping, I slept through the entire thing. “

RT: “The driver was like, the trailers gone, and he just kept on driving.”

RR: “I actually had gotten covid, so I wasn’t there I was at home and found out about it after it happened.”

CB: So, let’s bring it back, so you actually got covid (to RR) how has that changed the like, way you all approach shows and such with it being a little calmed down but very much still a thing?

ES: “It’s definitely changed how we approach things, but we’re just trying to stay as safe as we can and be conscious of the numbers.”

CB: So you’ve been back in the studio in the downtime?

ES: We’ve been writing. We’re about to go back in.
CB: So the timeline is: writing-tour-studio-another tour?

ES: Yes, basically. This album is to basically test all the waters that we’ve been wanting to try. To not have to make the kind of music that a label wants, but to be able to experiment and do the kind of music that we have been wanting to make, but like maybe have been…discouraged..from pursuing before. They have trends hey want, and sometimes you’re led with certain mix, or certain directions that they want us to go in. This new track is gonna feel like a regular EP and then the next one may feel like something different. From these two independent tests, we’re going to put out a full length.

CB: it sounds a lot like what Chevelle did when they broke from their label. They had been pushed into a very specific niche of amazing music, but it did seem to leave them little room to explore. Now Veritas is out, and its a banger, but it doesn’t sound like normal Chevelle and it’s been super well received.

JZ: “That’s a really good album.”

CB: So when does the new tour kick off?
ALL : “May”
CB: Okay so you have some time to recover and get ready. What do you think the reception is going to be about taking the new sound out for a spin?

ES: “I think its actually going back to what our first Hans was kinda like trying to get us to do. And what he saw in the project, and why he signed us in the first place. and even his label led him away from what he saw, and he wanted us to have a very raw, very tight, big sound. that’s what this new EP is gonna be. It’s gonna be all of our, like, pit music.”

CB: Well that sounds amazing. Let me ask, if you could have another, lets say, two bands with you, who would you choose to tour?

RR: (with no hesitation) “Deftones.”

RT: “Korn would be rad too".”

ES: “Papa Roach?”
JZ: “Anyone that would basically expose us to a new genre of people and music I think is good.”

There you have it folks, grab your tickets for the “Taken Apart + Put Back Together” tour now!