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Nonpoint's Elias Soriano discusses latest album The Return,
music industry struggle, perseverance through family
music industry struggle, perseverance through family
Interview By NEIL SHUMATE
Band Members
Elias Soriano (Lead Vocals)
BC Kochmit (Guitar)
Rasheed Thomas (Guitar)
Adam Woloszyn (Bass)
Rob Rivera (Drums)
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Genre: Hard Rock, Metal Formation: 1997
OOTB Interview
With the new album The Return, how did everything come together with Dave leaving and BC joining?
BC didn’t get to play on this record, he played on the previous record [Nonpoint] though. It was me, Dave Lizzio,
Rasheed Thomas, Adam Woloszyn and Rob Rivera. Towards the end of the recording, call it life differences, you
know, people make decisions and Rob and I felt like it had gotten to a point where we wanted to make sure that when
we played a show the next day, that someone was going to be there. We had to do what we’ve always done for fifteen
years, which was make a hard decision and we made the call.
BC fit in pretty well then, considering he’s worked with your band in the past.
We’ve been chasing BC since Andy dropped out. He’s a perfect fit for this band.
Are you writing together now and working on new songs?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. We’re thinking of maybe putting an EP together real quick just to kind of give fans a taste of
what’s to come.
What’s one song that stands out on The Return to you?
"Razors" is a good one. It’s about critics and how empowering they feel and how a lot of them don’t realize that it’s
just another opinion. At the time I knew we were going to be dealing with a bit of criticism just because the record was
coming out, so that was floating in my head at the time and it just translated to paper. Songs are what they are.
Sometimes I feel like writing something that sounds almost like a pop song, sometimes I feel like writing something that
sounds like a ballad. The guys will maybe pick it up or do something heavier to it that moves it or changes it.
When was that moment when you decided that music and playing in front of a crowd was what you wanted to do as a
career for the rest of your life?
Since Statement, the very first major record; once we got offered the deal. I sang in high school and stuff like that
through college. I had a good job, just as good of a job as this band before. The whole goal is to be your own boss,
so when I jumped in I jumped in with both feet. I’m not gonna take a half ass approach to it because then it’s not gonna
last. Fans and people that buy music can smell a phony a mile away, so I’m not going to try and fake it just for the sake
of selling a record. I’m going to get up there and do what I do and hopefully they get it.
If you could collaborate with any band or musician that you haven’t yet, who would that be?
I’d say either Chino Moreno or maybe even Anthony Green from Circa Survive. Maybe even the guys from Dredge.
I think those guys really tried to do something different with the genre and they seem to put a lot of care into their
music. I really respect them a lot and would love to sit down and just talk shop.
Kind of outside the genre, is there any music or genres you’d like to experiment with?
I wanted to play with a heavier version of hip-hop, but more like a heavy, heavy R&B where it’s something bluesy,
but something heavier than like Guns ‘n Roses. Heavy, but still having that bluesy groove to it. Maybe hip-hop was
the wrong word. More rhythm and blues with a heavy, heavy edge--it wouldn’t get played on R&B stations at all and
it probably wouldn’t get played on half of active rock or even metal stations. I’ve always wanted to try and carve that
genre out.
Throughout the long career you’ve had in the music business, what’s been one of the biggest difficulties you’ve faced
in the music industry?
The market side of things. Between politics and positioning and labels and managers. That’s the part that really takes
the gas out of things. We just want to get up there and play. So for us over the years, that’s really been the biggest
struggle, dealing with the business side of things, because it’s music and shows that we fucking do, you know.
Through it all, what makes you continue and persevere?
My family. Family is just as important as the artistic side of it. They both fall into the same category because either you
have a supportive family or you don’t have a supportive family. My family is really supportive, so I’m trying to support
my family, but at the same time too when I sit down to write a song, it still feels the same as it does the first time I wrote
a record--you know I sit down and still get excited about it. It still geeks me out that this is like, “holy shit, this is what I
do for a living.” The fact that I can reach up into the ether and pull out a song, it’s like what else is life about? And the
only thing I can say is family.
Nonpoint hits the road late March through April with 36 Crazyfists and Scare Don't Fear and will join summer festival
lineups including Rock On The Range and Rocklahoma.
CONNECT WITH NONPOINT
Tour Dates
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Elias Soriano (Lead Vocals)
BC Kochmit (Guitar)
Rasheed Thomas (Guitar)
Adam Woloszyn (Bass)
Rob Rivera (Drums)
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Genre: Hard Rock, Metal Formation: 1997
OOTB Interview
With the new album The Return, how did everything come together with Dave leaving and BC joining?
BC didn’t get to play on this record, he played on the previous record [Nonpoint] though. It was me, Dave Lizzio,
Rasheed Thomas, Adam Woloszyn and Rob Rivera. Towards the end of the recording, call it life differences, you
know, people make decisions and Rob and I felt like it had gotten to a point where we wanted to make sure that when
we played a show the next day, that someone was going to be there. We had to do what we’ve always done for fifteen
years, which was make a hard decision and we made the call.
BC fit in pretty well then, considering he’s worked with your band in the past.
We’ve been chasing BC since Andy dropped out. He’s a perfect fit for this band.
Are you writing together now and working on new songs?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. We’re thinking of maybe putting an EP together real quick just to kind of give fans a taste of
what’s to come.
What’s one song that stands out on The Return to you?
"Razors" is a good one. It’s about critics and how empowering they feel and how a lot of them don’t realize that it’s
just another opinion. At the time I knew we were going to be dealing with a bit of criticism just because the record was
coming out, so that was floating in my head at the time and it just translated to paper. Songs are what they are.
Sometimes I feel like writing something that sounds almost like a pop song, sometimes I feel like writing something that
sounds like a ballad. The guys will maybe pick it up or do something heavier to it that moves it or changes it.
When was that moment when you decided that music and playing in front of a crowd was what you wanted to do as a
career for the rest of your life?
Since Statement, the very first major record; once we got offered the deal. I sang in high school and stuff like that
through college. I had a good job, just as good of a job as this band before. The whole goal is to be your own boss,
so when I jumped in I jumped in with both feet. I’m not gonna take a half ass approach to it because then it’s not gonna
last. Fans and people that buy music can smell a phony a mile away, so I’m not going to try and fake it just for the sake
of selling a record. I’m going to get up there and do what I do and hopefully they get it.
If you could collaborate with any band or musician that you haven’t yet, who would that be?
I’d say either Chino Moreno or maybe even Anthony Green from Circa Survive. Maybe even the guys from Dredge.
I think those guys really tried to do something different with the genre and they seem to put a lot of care into their
music. I really respect them a lot and would love to sit down and just talk shop.
Kind of outside the genre, is there any music or genres you’d like to experiment with?
I wanted to play with a heavier version of hip-hop, but more like a heavy, heavy R&B where it’s something bluesy,
but something heavier than like Guns ‘n Roses. Heavy, but still having that bluesy groove to it. Maybe hip-hop was
the wrong word. More rhythm and blues with a heavy, heavy edge--it wouldn’t get played on R&B stations at all and
it probably wouldn’t get played on half of active rock or even metal stations. I’ve always wanted to try and carve that
genre out.
Throughout the long career you’ve had in the music business, what’s been one of the biggest difficulties you’ve faced
in the music industry?
The market side of things. Between politics and positioning and labels and managers. That’s the part that really takes
the gas out of things. We just want to get up there and play. So for us over the years, that’s really been the biggest
struggle, dealing with the business side of things, because it’s music and shows that we fucking do, you know.
Through it all, what makes you continue and persevere?
My family. Family is just as important as the artistic side of it. They both fall into the same category because either you
have a supportive family or you don’t have a supportive family. My family is really supportive, so I’m trying to support
my family, but at the same time too when I sit down to write a song, it still feels the same as it does the first time I wrote
a record--you know I sit down and still get excited about it. It still geeks me out that this is like, “holy shit, this is what I
do for a living.” The fact that I can reach up into the ether and pull out a song, it’s like what else is life about? And the
only thing I can say is family.
Nonpoint hits the road late March through April with 36 Crazyfists and Scare Don't Fear and will join summer festival
lineups including Rock On The Range and Rocklahoma.
CONNECT WITH NONPOINT
Tour Dates
Website
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Records
The Return (2014)
Nonpoint (2012)
Miracle (2010)
Vengeance (2007)
To The Pain (2005)
Recoil (2004)
Development (2002)
Statement (2000)
Struggle (1999)
Separate Yourself (1998)
The Return (2014)
Nonpoint (2012)
Miracle (2010)
Vengeance (2007)
To The Pain (2005)
Recoil (2004)
Development (2002)
Statement (2000)
Struggle (1999)
Separate Yourself (1998)
