Danny: Thanks so much for doing this. We appreciate you giving NP some love!
NR: Do you think it was worth moving from Hawaii to California to get your musical career off the ground?
Danny: Music is our passion so in order to pursue that passion, we needed to leave our amazing home to a place where rock music is more prevalent however we did not forget where we came from. One of our goals is to put Hawaii on the map for rock music.
NR: What/When did you decide to bring Jeff into the group?
Danny: Jeff came into the group as an addition since we were a 4 piece and decided it would be nice to have another guitar player to fill the sound in more.
NR: In all the photo's it shows NP as a 5 piece group but on your myspace profile it is only showing 4 people listed in NP. Have you guys lost someone along the way?
Danny: We lost Joey. He chose a different path still pursuing music but on a much more pop level. We quickly filled his shoes with Nathan Elliott, an amazing bass player and person who is a permanent guy in National Product.
NR: I read that you use to publish a zine back in the day. Have you thought of doing this again?
Danny: Yeah I did. It was called Mad Cow Dezine. I loved doing it. It was punk rock, it was hard, it was honest it meant a lot to me to be able to speak my voice on any issue I wanted to talk about and it amazed me at how many people felt the same after reading it. Kids aren’t really into zines anymore. I remember when everyone had a zine and they took passion in making it. Now, kids have live journal and Myspace and they don’t have to put any effort into creating something and riding your bike or driving your car from venue to venue and store to store to get your zine out. Its kinda sad, but I miss sometimes how simple our lives were. It made you work a lot harder.
NR: What made you decide to start a section on your web site called "Band Camp." What is this all about?
Danny: Band Camp is designed to help young artists and bands with knowledge on the music industry. Some of it is personal experience we have encountered. Some of it is straight from the CEO’s mouth of big labels. We just like to be there and educate and guide with positive support to the kids who will be out creating the next records I'm going to be listening to yea know. Its all about helping.
NR: You have been featured on a lot of compilation albums, do you think this has helped you get your name out?
Danny: I'm sure it helps us. We love to be apart of compilations because it’s a dying breed as well. Kind of like a zine. Comps don’t really make money, its more because the person making it is passionate about getting their favorite bands out. I think that’s cool.
NR: Do you think Myspace.com is a good or bad thing?
Danny: It can be both. Its amazing for free publicity and marketing but its also bad because of how saturated it is. Other than that, we love Myspace and what it has done for our band and music in general by getting music to kids ears who would have never otherwise heard of us, or other bands.
NR: I see that you like to sell things you own and donate the money to charities. What charities in particular do you guys back?
Danny: Aids Foundation, Cancer Society, Food bank
NR: Do you print your own merch or do you go through another company?
Danny: We actually have been, and other bands, for awhile but we are moving up in the world and will soon be signing a merchandising agreement to let us play music more. That’s good because we have to get better at our instruments he he =)
NR: I see that you are going to be on the Smashing Pumpkins Tribute album. Do you like to do cover songs or is this a one off thing?
Danny: I stinkin love doing covers. I wish sometimes our band was an 80’s glam metal band. I would play bon jovi and skid row songs all day. We do pop covers to for the fun of it but we make them really heavy just to see what they would sound like.
NR: How did you guys end up with your new label Villa Entertainment?
Danny: Villa was a blessing. We are very fortunate to be at home with them. We had the opportunity to go the major route and chose based on a few things we really needed and wanted. Villa came to the table with the most yes’s on what we wanted so we decided this would be home. Villa Ent by the way, is starting a new division on the label soon to be announced with a new name and more. Good things are coming.
NR: Do you have an idea when people will be able to get your CD through your online store?
Danny: Well, kids will have several options, we will have a DVD, a record, a music video and more coming soon. We eventually will be releasing a record….1 record of everything we ever recorded to get us where we are. Its not like we are rolling stones but shit man, you don’t have to be. If kids love your stuff, they want it all, and we want to give it to them. I know for me, Bad Religions 80-85 record made me fall in love with them. I already had Against The Grain and Suffer but then I got to hear some of the first material and I loved them even more. Our first material is horrible as hell, don’t get me wrong, but its nice to see where people evolved to and how the growth took place.
NR: Do you feel it is wrong for a band to get signed without "putting in their dues?" Let's say a band works hard and records an amazing demo and gets signed to a major label without really playing out or leaving town. Do you think this is wrong?
Danny: No, I don’t think its wrong. However I don’t think it is the smartest move for a label of any kind. When you have a band, you are dealing with 5 different personalities, not including their girlfriend if they have any, the bands crew and so on. When your at home, and everyone gets to go home to moms home cooked meals, life is dandy. When you have to actually make things work, and create and bend and break and accept and argue and learn to handle all these things it gets complicated. Now imagine those 5 guys on the road for 2 months. Things don’t always come out roses and bands realize sometimes that: 1. not taking a shower every night sucks 2. I miss my girlfriend 3. I should be in college 4. what the fuck am I thinking. These things happen every day and dudes catch planes back home and bail all the time. If a band isn't ready for that, or hasn’t figured that out yet, it could be very costly for a label. With our band, we wear the same pants 5 days a row, we don’t wear underwear so there is nothing to wash, and eating top ramen is the coolest thing since sliced bread so shit, bring it on =) P. S. We were the first American band ever to tour the entire country of mexico, if that doesn’t break up your band, nothing will.
NR: What do you think of MTV? Do you think it's selling out or just a great way to get exposure?
Danny: I think it depends on what you want from your music. Music grows on so many levels. When we started in a garage, MTV was the last thing we could ever even care about. We weren’t playing for MTV and we didn’t give a shit, no offense or anything, but it just wasn’t about that. As you grow more and more as a band, kids start to attach themselves to your music. The more they attach, the labels take notice and they want to see what the hell is going on. Once a label attaches itself (granted, if they do their job) they want to get you onto MTV and FUSE and RADIO so…more people can attach themselves to you in the same way it all started. This means record sales, it means money for the label, it means money for MTV with advertisement and more and it feeds the whole pond. Selling out is the most bullshit thing I have ever heard and this is why. When you go to school, you don’t go to school to fail, you go to learn and become something. Then you work, and you know, just like I do, we as people, don’t right off the bat get 100K a year jobs. We gotta start off at shitty jobs. I was a fuckin pizza delivery boy and grocery bagger. I didn’t once go, “this is what I wanna do for the rest of my life. Yup, I just wanna make 5$ an hour because its punk rock” Bullshit, I knew in my heart, I only have one life and damn it, I'm gonna make the best of my life and I will do everything in my power, and guided by my morals and being a good human being, to accomplish that. So we move on and some of become very well off doing what we love. Some don’t, and those are normally the people who go “you fuckin sell outs” , because they didn’t have the balls to go for their dreams or they watched it pass. You can only sell out in my opinion, if you jeopardize your morals, your beliefs to make money or achieve fame. If your sincere, honest and true, you are only moving up and those to me are considered blessings. Last note, think about this….every real passionate band started in a garage. Whether they broke up and found other members and became a big band, they all started with passion for music, MTV, the same way, was started by some people who wanted to get music out to people. Mainly the music they loved. Same with record labels, i.e. militia, victory, tooth and nail, drive thru, vagrant and so many more. What happens, is that when money becomes involved, things change and sometimes that is for better and sometimes its worse and that boils down to a matter of opinion. However, if it weren’t for these people “selling out” there would honestly be not much for us to appreciate beyond only what we are given. I don’t believe in force feeding music, you either fall in love or you don’t, if you don’t like, don’t buy it. Just remember that before you bad mouth a band, a label, mtv or anyone for that matter, they once started out because they BELIEVED and more than likely still do in music and there is nothing wrong with that.
NR: What are some artists you would want the world to check out?
Danny: Wow, so many id feel bad. Go to our Myspace check our TOP 8. we feature our favorite bands all the time and new bands who need the recognition.
NR: Have you thought of re-releasing the three out of print demos?
Danny: Yup, as stated above =)
NR: What does the next year hopefully hold for NP?
Danny: Lots and lots of rock, pop, music, hip hop, tour vans, top ramen, no showers, same pants, fast food, smelly people and doo doo pies.
