HardRockChick Interviews NOVA

HardRockChick: What’s NOVA‘s story? How did the band get together?

Aaron Goforth (guitar): NOVA started in 2008. We had all been in different bands and weren’t new to the game. Some of us lived in the bay area and some of us didn’t. It’s just one of those things were you’re a musician and out there looking for some guys to jam with. Local papers, internet, shows, etc. It wasn’t really premeditated much.

HRC: What was the first thing that happened to you that made you think, ‘we’re doing something right’?

“Then to go out on tour and see people singing your songs, it’s really amazing.”

AG: I think when you start to write songs, jamming them out, crafting them, that’s when you see if you have something that’s special. Then to go out on tour and see people singing your songs, it’s really amazing. I think then you realize, “hey people enjoy this, this is worth it”.

HRC: How did you get involved with the Iron Man 2 videogame soundtrack?

AG: At the time Dean Martinetti (currently our manager) worked for Sega, and we met him at a video game conference. Introduced ourselves and gave him our first record. He contacted us shortly after and loved the CD. It was perfect timing because he was producing Iron Man 2 and was putting together the soundtrack with the Audio Director from the dev team. He called us three days later and asked us if we wanted to be on it because they loved the album…so it was a no brainer. After doing business with him we started to realize that he would be a perfect manager. So several beers later we convinced him, and he’s been with us ever since.

HRC: What would you say is the underlying inspiration for your latest album, Castles for Crows?

“I think we were inspired by a lot of the bands who have done their own recordings.”

AG: I think we were inspired by a lot of the bands who have done their own recordings. One of them is Killswitch Engage. Their guitarist does all the producing and engineering. For me that’s really interesting and this is the first full recording we have done on our own. Gabe and I did all the mixing and mastering. Instead of spending a lot of money on a recording, we wanted to use that to tour with. So we decided to do our own record. There are some advantages and disadvantages, but ultimately we made a great record.

HRC: You recently released a video for ‘California’- what are some of the locations in the video, and how did you select them? How do you think videos help promote a band nowadays?

“It’s kind of this mysterious place; at one time is was a big tourist attraction, but due to the high salt levels in the water, fish don’t really survive.”

AG: We shot the video at The Salton Sea. It’s kind of this mysterious place; at one time is was a big tourist attraction, but due to the high salt levels in the water, fish don’t really survive. So that affected business and drove a lot of the resorts out. I saw the movie The Salton Sea with Val Kilmer and I was interested, so I looked into it and it turned into a great place. We also shot at Venice beach. The director was familiar with that area and he suggested it. Both areas turned out to be awesome. Videos are a great way for bands to get seen. It puts a face with the music. And with YouTube being so successful, and technology allowing you to create your own hi def videos and edit them on your laptops; it’s the future. So why not take advantage.

HRC: You guys are in the midst of a tour covering a lot of smaller markets….how do you pass time on the road?

AG: Everyone does their own things to help them pass by on time. Sometimes when we’re stopped or have a break, I look up and everyone is browsing on their cell phones. We go out sometimes, like to a bar. On the days when we were doing Hot Topic acoustic shows, we would get to the mall early and just walk around and kill time. I bring my laptop, so I surf the net or watch a movie.

HRC: It seems that some of your songs may be drawn from past relationship experiences….has a girlfriend/ex-girlfriend ever asked if she was an inspiration for a song?

AG: I’ve actually never had an ex ask me. But I’m sure some of them get the hint.

HRC: Where and when are you the most creative?

“My niece inspires me, drugs inspire me, alcohol inspires me, food inspires me, music inspires me, interviews inspire me, I’m just stoked to be alive…”

AG: I like to step back and get into a comfortable space to write. I like to crank it up and see what happens. There are a lot of things that inspire me. Which I think ultimately helps me on a creative level. My niece inspires me, drugs inspire me, alcohol inspires me, food inspires me, music inspires me, interviews inspire me, I’m just stoked to be alive…

HRC: What’s something you want to do more of and something you want to do less of?

AG: I think we all want to tour more and write. We want to spend less of our money.

HRC: Mad lib: NOVA is a band about ________ that will make you feel __________.

AG: NOVA is a band about music that will make you feel something.

Read my live review of NOVA here.