Interview With Drummer Robb Rivera Of Nonpoint
I’ve been addicted to NONPOINT since they first released that little known album called STATEMENT and made rock radio and fans all across America stand and take notice of there songwriting style and how they put every ounce of energy into there live show. I also have had the pleasure of calling there drummer Mr. Robb Rivera a close friend and love taking the time when they come to town to talk to him cause its always so casual and just a all around good time.
This time around there was a lot of new stuff to talk a bout since in 07 they released there newest album VENGEANCE. On this record Robb has taken some reigns in the writing process as well. But on a whole the album brings back the fire and passion like STATEMENT did. NONPOINT rolled into town as part of the “MORE BALLS, MORE VOLUME, MORE STRENGTH TOUR†featuring headliners, Hell Yeah, Metal boys Machine Head and Bury Your Dead and the Romper was there to check them out. But before the show started Robb and I had a quit chat at the pub next store about the success of NONPOINT, being a role model and I found out his love for a particular food!
THE NEW ALBUM, I THINK IT GOES RIGHT BACK TO STATEMENT. WAS THERE A PRE-TALK BEFORE WRITING FOR THE ALBUM TO DISCUSS A GOAL OF WHERE U WANTED TO END UP AFTER IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE OR DID THIS ALBUM JUST HAPPEN?
We started writing and that is what came out. We didn’t have like a meeting or a sit down. Most of the stuff was written in a rehearsal room and I would stay there really late and I wrote a lot of stuff for the record, like guitar wise and stuff. So there was not like a band meeting to discuss what direction we were going in, this is just what exactly came out.
HAVE YOU EVER DONE THE BAND MEETING BEFORE A WRITING PROCESS?
Well, actually I am lying, at the end of, I’m sorry I lied..lol at the end of TO THE PAIN cycle we talked about how we wanted to simplify things and write more song oriented music but keep the tradition of NONPOINT like say BULLET or ALIVE N KICKING. But it was never let’s go back to the days of STATEMENT, it just ended up that way.
YOU ALSO WENT TO A DIFFERENT KEY YOU PLAYED IN C THEN FOR TO THE PAIN WENT TO A NOW BACK TO C. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN GO TO A IF C WAS WORKING?
Well, come on A worked too
TRUE TRUE..YOU GOT ME THERE.
A was something we decided to see if Elias range could go a little higher, so we tried it and the whole record was recorded in that key and it came out good for what it is we sold a lot of copies and obviously BULLET was successful. We went back at the end of TO THE PAIN cycle Elias’ voice was completely shot and he could barely speak so we decided to go back to the C tune, so it’s not as harsh on his voice. We don’t play that many songs off of TO THE PAIN anyway so he only has to deal with a couple of songs.
SO WAS THERE ANY PERSONAL OBSTACLES YOU OVERCAME BY LYRICALLY WRITING THIS TIME AROUND?
The personal obstacle we went through as a band was us fighting with each other through that whole making of the record. It was really tense. But for songs WITNESS is about my x wife but it could also be about a job you took, a decision you made but for me it was about my x wife so and BREATHE could be about anything like having a conversation with your parents or how people don’t understand you so you take that little moment, its basically about having space.
WITH BREATHE WHICH IS MY FAVORITE TRACK ON THE RECORD. DID YOU WRITE THE WHOLE SONG?
I wrote the chorus, the music and some of the lyrics. It went through 4 or 5 different versions but I initially started the whole thing
SO WILL WE SEE MORE OF MR RIVERA WRITING IN THE NEXT RECORD?
Yea, I want to get involved in writing as much as I can. The guys trusted me and it was the first time I took the reigns in writing so, so I want to try to keep doing it.
SO I HEARD BREATHE COULD BE A SINGLE
It’s been talked about
SO SAY THIS IS RELEASED AND BLOWS UP CAN YOU CHECK OFF ON YOUR TO DO LIST THIS AS A HUGE GOAL YOU CONQUERED
All I want to accomplish is for NONPOINT to continue to be successful. If the single goes off and does well for us then cool and yes I could check that off but it’s more a band thing. I want the band to keep being steady and be successful.
OKIE LETS MOVE ON TO THE ARTWORK THIS TIME AROUND. CAN WE JUST SAY HOW MUCH YOUR CHARACTER LOOKS LIKE YOU
Yea it does actually (Laughing) I think that is what I looked like when I was a kid. Ken did all the artwork.
WILL WE SEE A COMIC BOOK NONPOINT COMING OUT?
It’s been talked about putting out a series of comic books but it takes a lot of time, effort, money and patience. I would love to do it but it could be something for the future
WELL, YOU HAVE ENOUGH DOWN TIME ON TOUR!
Yeah, well, I’m not the artist so I can’t do it.
YOU’VE MADE RECORDS, YOU’VE DONE DVD’S, YOU’VE TOURED WITH GOOD BANDS, WHAT IS NONPOINT STRIVING FOR THAT YOU JUST HAVEN’T REACHED YET?
A gold record!
AND DO YOU FEEL YOUR HAPPY RIGHT NOW WITH THE SUCCESS YOUR HAVING OR DO YOU WANT TO GET TO THAT POINT LIKE WHERE LINKIN PARK IS OR ONE OF THOSE BANDS THAT ARE SELLING MILLIONS ?
I won’t lie, if I could get to that level, I would gladly take it but I’d be happy with us, Sevendust or Deftones success, where we can sell out clubs, have a great touring business, I would be happy with that. Honestly, I don’t think we will ever get as big as Linkin Parkor Korn or any of those bands. I think the days of bands getting that big are pretty much over but if I could get to the success of a Sevendust or a Deftones or Stone Sour, anything like that, even Slipknot, I’d be completely content. I’m content where I am right now, I mean, I don’t have a real job outside of this so and this does pay my bills so I can’t really complain, I am doing what I want to do, so there’s not much to complain about.
ALL RIGHT, TO SOME PEOPLE, YOUR DRUMMING, YOU AS A PERSON OR YOUR WHOLE BAND ARE ROLE MODELS TO KIDS OUT THERE. DO YOU SOME TIMES PONDER THE THOUGHT OF EVERY NIGHT DOING SHOWS YOUR PLAYING TO KIDS WHO IDOLIZE YOU, IS THERE ANY POINT WHERE YOU SAY THAT’S MORE PRESSURE THAN LIKE TOURING, WRITING THE RECORD?
Every night, like when we sign the merch table there’s some kid comes up to me and says you’re an amazing drummer, it’s kind of a compliment, I don’t see it, I think what they are looking at is the way I play drums and how energetic I am on the kid and how I put my body on the line to play. I don’t think they are looking at any kind of real technique because I really don’t have a technique, I never took a drum lesson in my life, I think it’s more of a visual thing that they look at and wow he looks amazing up there, but what I’m playing is nothing that nobody else, anybody can play our music. I just make it look cool. I don’t think I have any amazing musical talent, I just know enough to get by. I just try to make it look really cool.
SO, THERE’S NO PRESSURE, WHAT SO EVER?
Not at all.
HOW’S THIS TOUR GOING WITH YOU GUYS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE IT’S AN INTERESTING MIX TO PUT YOU GUYS WITH HELL YEAH AND MACHINE HEAD?
Hell Yeah picked the bands themselves, the cool thing about the tour is that they picked bands that they are fans of and not bands that are doing amazing cause a lot of the tours they put together, they want to see who’s doing what at radio, they don’t take chances and some times when we put tours together, I like to pick bands that I’m into and have somewhat of a fan base. I don’t really care too much about chart servicing or anything like that. Hell Yeah put the tour together because they are fans of Machine head, us and Bury Your Dead.
Chad was actually the one who fought for us to be on the tour. We ran into him in
Tampa and he came up to me and said I don’t understand why you guys are not bigger, he said I just don’t get it. So, we just kept in contact with him, that was the question that has been asked for years, ya know, why aren’t we bigger, honestly, I don’t know. So he wanted to help us out, I’m hoping this leads to a Mudvayne tour as well and the Machine head guys have been an amazing like, I get to watch them every night, for the first time in my life, I’m touring with people that I idolize, so it’s been pretty overwhelming. Getting to hang out with Robb Flynn every day and getting drunk with him, so it’s pretty cool.
HE’S SO NICE, ISN’T HE?
He’s very nice. Actually, every one of those guys in that band are really cool. Phil’s amazing, he got me drunk
(laughing)I’ve never seen you drunk!
You don’t want to. Vinnie Paul got me really drunk in
Charlotte but I threw up all over the bathroom twice on the bus but
(laughing)
Yeah, it’s been really cool, it’s actually very, I’m very star struck that Phil comes to our bus and hangs out or Rob sits on the side there watching us, rocking out to us. It’s nerve whacking actually to have Rob watch us
THAT’S TRUE BECAUSE WHEN I INTERVIEW HIM, I GET BUTTERFLIES IN MY STOMACH
You probably think he is cute too, so it’s all good, but anyway I’ve been a fan of Machine head since their first record came out and I absolutely love Machine head..
ALL RIGHT, HOW LONG IS THIS TOUR LASTING?
It ends March 2nd in
Texas.
ARE YOU DOING ANYMORE STUFF?
We’re doing one more headline date, then we’re going home for a couple of weeks and then we are going to try and figure out what’s next.
YOU GUYS DOING ANY VIDEOS, ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
No, I don’t think so, but BREATHE gets released as a single and I’m going to fight for a video for the song but I don’t think we’re doing anything like that now.
IF YOU DO A SINGLE, YOU HAVE TO PLAY IT EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, HEAVY TOUR, LAME TOUR, STUPID TOUR, EVERY NIGHT!
It will happen sooner or later.
YEP, EVERY NIGHT. LET’S JUST SAY IT GOT RELEASED ON A SINGLE, TONIGHT YOU HAVE TO PLAY IT, WHERE’S ELIAS
We did play it once actually, acoustically.
DO THAT TONIGHT!
No, why? You want Machine Head fans to throw eggs at us.
I’LL PROTECT YOU! (laughing)
No, We played it once acoustically, it came out really good. We did the acoustic thing at a radio station.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD?
That looks very good, your meal
YOU WANT SOME CHICKEN?
No
YOU WANT THE REST OF THE BACON BECAUSE I WONT EAT IT. (laughing)
Yeah
IS THAT YOUR FAMOUS LAST WORDS, I LOVE BACON?
I love Bacon
