Nominee

Presenting Their New Album Lowlife and Playing at Furnace Fest 2021

Interview by Ken Morton

Nominee is a pop punk indie rock band from Austin whose explosive sonic reveries are sure to impress all types of music fanatics. Presenting songs with a good amount of passion, conviction and memorable hooks, Nominee is set to unleash Lowlife upon the world at large. To be released via Smartpunk Records in September, Lowlife will be out at around the same time Nominee find themselves playing at the legendary Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama. In this interview with Highwire Daze, Nominee discuss the long road to Lowlife, their upcoming Furnace Fest appearance, music influences, Boston Cream donuts, and a whole lot more!

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Nominee.

Steve: My name is Steve Flynn and I play rhythm guitar and do some vocals for Nominee. Andy: My name is Andy and I play drums in Nominee. Cameron: And I’m Cameron. I play bass and yell.

Where is the band based out of and what is or was your local music scene like prior to the pandemic?

Steve: We’re based in Austin, Texas. The local scene is pretty strong. Andy and Cam are both relatively Texas native and have been in a lot of bands prior to Nominee. So, we had a pretty strong start with some friends and support right out of the gate of getting know people and starting a scene 8 years ago.

Is there any overall story or concept behind your upcoming album title Lowlife?

Steve: When Chris (the vocalist) and I were taking about the formation of the record, a lot of the lyrical content was sort of reflection on ourselves – sort of like what we have to become and subject ourselves to – to try and be full time musicians and working artists these days. Things like our peers buying houses and settling down and having families while we’re sort chasing this artistic dream – putting it before everything else. So, it was sort of a self-reflective thing.

You have a brand-new song called Wrah Wrah that just came out. Tell me a little about that song and the inspiration behind it.

Steve: Wrah Wrah for me and I guess lyrical with Chris sort of ties along the theme of what we were saying about the album title. If you listen to the lyrics, it’s about not wanting to push off or wait for what we’re doing and still pursuing our creative endeavors and being committed to that. Like being aggressive in a sense and still embodying ourselves as musicians full time.

What has it been like to write and record new music in the middle of a pandemic and all this social unrest in the world today?

Andy: Well, we didn’t record it during the pandemic. We recorded it – we were in the studio July of 2019. So, the world was still good back then. And so, we did the whole writing/ recording process with our friend Pete at The Gradwell House in New Jersey. Pete was great. We had a really great time doing it and I think we were there pretty much close to a month. But really, when the pandemic hit, it more so affected our release of this record. We were shooting for a Spring 2020 kind of release, and then all of this stuff started happening – so we decided that we were going to go ahead and push it back a year. So, we’ve honestly been sitting on this record for the better part of a year and a half / two years just waiting for the right time to release it so we can hopefully we do some tours – play some shows – and not have it be a risk to ourselves or our fans. We’re just now finally kind of getting there. We have Furnace Fest in the fall which is when we’ll be releasing the album – which I believe is September 24th. So finally, we have the opportunity to release this thing and to share it with the world – and play some shows – so we’re very excited.

How frustrating was it to wait so long, and have you recorded any other new music in the meantime?

Cameron: On that note, we did put out an acoustic EP with Smartpunk called Outset and that was recorded in the wintertime of 2020 by Chris and Dean – who is our other guitarist and singer. They pretty much single handedly took that on – recorded it here at our house during the pandemic – and then that was released in the Spring. Andy: And yeah, it was pretty frustrating, but obviously there were bigger things at play. We don’t want to release it and try to do stuff with it when it’s not the right time and people’s health is at risk. But it was definitely frustrating, sitting on it and not being able to share it with many people. It definitely kind of stunk. And if I’m going to be honest, I started hating these songs after a while because I had listened to them so much myself. Like I’m ready to move and let’s start writing the next record. But now things are back into the swing of it, it’s like falling in love with it all over again. We just played a show last night – our very first show since the pandemic started. And releasing Wrah Wrah – that definitely was a good feeling – definitely made me fall in love with the record again and really getting excited for the Fall.

What are you guys looking forward to the most about your upcoming show at Furnace Fest?

Andy: The performance itself. It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to play a festival like that with so many fantastic band and musicians and artists – a lot of which I have grown up listening to. So, it’s a very humbling and cool experience – and honestly, I haven’t really even thought about the experience of us playing. I’m way more excited about going and watching – and hopefully meeting some of the people that have influenced my music career my entire life. So very, very excited to be there and be a part of it and watch all these great musicians put on a great show. Steve: Yeah, the caliber of Furnace Fest and the fact that it’s such a legacy festival – especially with us – a lot of those bands are stuff we grew up on and heavily influenced this band. I think to be opening or among them, if anything, is an honor for us on our progression in kind of where we’ve become.

If Nominee could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

Steve: For me, I would say a band like Taking Back Sunday. I think they’ve spanned a pretty large career. They’re a band when I was growing up and falling in love with music like we play, it was just something that was very near and dear to me. They put out so many good records and I think they’re a band that still carries to this day. So, I think that we’re getting to be a part of a show that they’re a part of (Furnace Fest) is pretty big for us. I think they’d be up on the list for me. Andy: I’m kind of torn between Underoath and The Story So Far. Underoath because that was something that really influenced me growing up early in my music career. And then when The Story So Far came about, that just to me really set the bar for musicianship and songwriting in this kind of genre. Underoath and The Story So Far – all of those guys are extremely talented songwriters and performers. And I would lose my mind if I got to tour with either of those bands. It would be really hard to play it cool and not be a fan boy and

ask a billion questions about everything. Cameron: I think right now I would have to go with AFI. They’re in the same vein of nostalgia – all the same things that Steve and Andy are talking about of bands that have influenced us growing up. I think that over the years they’ve been continuing to put out great albums and evolving as they get older. Their music is reflective of that, and I think it would be cool to tour with a band like that and pick some things up along the way.

If the music of Nominee were a donut, what kind would it be and why?

Steve: Boston Cream or Strawberry Frosted. Andy: Yeah, Boston Cream! Cameron: I’m not a donut person. I’m out! (much laughter!) Steve: I’m definitely a donut person. Andy: And I’m definitely a donut person! Steve: Or maybe I would say old fashioned or something… Andy and Cameron: No! Gross! Steve: But Boston Cream for sure – not everybody’s thing but definitely a classic – a little understated but packed full of flavor!

So, what’s up next for Nominee? You definitely have Furnace Fest, but what else is coming up?

Steve: We’re looking at doing a couple of small tours in the Fall that we are not yet announcing but we will be soon. And throughout the rest of the summer the record is still coming out, so you could expect two more music videos and a bunch of other cool stuff coming out from us – summertime merch and some other things too.

And do you have any messages for people who are reading this right now?

Steve: I would say keep your eyes peeled for next year. We have a lot of things in the works and a lot of things planned. Once the record is fully out and released, and the world continues to normalize itself, we intend to hit the road and be as visible and go to as many places and see as many new faces as possible. Andy: And we love and appreciate y’all.

https://www.nomineemusic.com/