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Hinder
Nearly all '80s music trends actually started in the late '70s, including Punk and New Wave. The lone exception was Hair Metal (Motley Crue, Poison, Skid Row, Ratt, etc.). The faux hard Rock was extremely popular and it took nothing less than Grunge to kill it. But like a phoenix (or hydra) it rose again.
'05 saw Mötley Crüe successfully tour the North America only slowed by surgeries and aliments usually associated with old age. In early '06, Crüe was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Well you can't become more establishment or ancient than that. New blood was needed to carry on the wayward decadence bound and tied to the '80s. And that left the door ajar for Hinder.
The group came together shortly after the turn of the century in the hinder lands of Oklahoma City, under the "misery loves company" ethos. Personal lives were a mess and the group, especially with its smirking attitude, helped keep the pain at bay. It was sex, drugs and Rock n' Roll, not as a motto, but a lifestyle. Of course, that's hard to pull off in dusty confines of their hometown, so the idea was to get out.
Hinder built a strong regional following and went the indie route releasing "Far From Close." The CD sold over 5,000 copies which led to a major label signing. They ventured north to Vancouver's Armoury Studios to record their '06 release "Extreme Behavior," featuring lead single, "Get Stoned."
Not only is it a struggle to be successful, it's a battle to keep it rolling. A track from "Extreme Behavior," the ballad "Lips Of An Angel," managed to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 (pop chart). The song nearly didn't make it on the album, much less get released as a single. "Our label guy was like, 'Nice song, it sounds like a B-side to me,'" recalled Winkler. "This is not a B-side." No kidding.
Things took a comic turn when Hinder torn into OK Go for their treadmill-dancing antics at the '06 MTV Video Music Awards. "That's not f**king Rock & Roll," claimed Winkler. "They're a bunch of fairies." Just to keep the ball rolling, Hanson slammed Thursday's Geoff Rickly. "That dude has got to be the worst singer I have ever heard in my entire f**king life." Kiss goodbye any chance of a Hinder-OK Go-Thursday world tour. Later, the cameras rolled as Hinder performed live at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. They film the concert for both a DVD and for a live video for their single, "How Long."
The following year, the video for Hinder's take on Steppenwolf's classic "Born To Be Wild" made its debut on NASCAR.com. The song promoted TNT's coverage of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Next, the group showed up on Stage Z, a virtual festival that coincided with the Live Earth shows to promote positive action regarding the climate-change crisis. "We're going out there to fight the complacency and apathy people have about what's going on in the world," said Winkler. The group also was also on The Badboys of Rock tour with Buckcherry and Papa Roach.
Hinder issued "You Can't Make This S**t Up" in October, '07. This was a deluxe version of "Extreme Behavior" with concert performances, music videos and bonus tracks, including their cover of "Born To Be Wild."
They released their sophomore album "Take It To The Limit" on Election Day '08 (Obama v. McCain) so that fans could "go vote and buy the . . . record," said drummer Cody Hanson. "It's such an exciting day for the rest of the country. We figured we'd give our fans something else to be excited for as well." Produced by Brian Howes, "Use Me" was the lead single.
"Go home and get stoned, 'cause the sex is so much better when you're mad at me," is a line from "Get Stoned." It does as good a job as any illustrating Hinder's lyrical stance on "Extreme Behavior." Hinder populates an anti-P.C. (politically correct) world. It's still a place where you can be sexist, arrogant or "lewd with a smile" and get away with it. Sometimes it works to be all three. Winkler provides the suggestive, occasionally emotional, lyrics as the group shifts through chords and backing vocals with admirable precision.
Hinder flaunt their locker room sensibilities on "Room 21" (a song about drunkenness and casual sex) and "Homecoming Queen." But just like any '80s influenced group worth a record deal, they can nail the power ballad. Check out "By The Way" and "Bliss (Don't Want To Know)."
After going triple-platinum with their debut Hinder has absolutely no reason to leave the '80s and "Take It To The Limit" doesn't. There's even an appearance by Crue guitarist Mick Mars on the title track (what goes around, comes around).
As if they were actually an '80s band, Hinder again loads up on ballads. "We write from real experiences," said Winkler in an interview. "And it just so happens to be in the ballads that the real experiences shine through."
In fact, slow songs comprise half the album. "Last Kiss Goodbye" is the Rock ballad but "Without You" is the one designed for arenas and soft-rock radio (if that even exists anymore). Trying to generate an ounce of sympathy, "Far From Home" tells the drinking and drugs tale.
When they crank it, Hinder, whether singing about relationships (both sweet and sour), the perils of fame or just being wild and reckless, has an unbridled exuberance. The single "Use Me" starts the set with a kick. "Loaded And Alone" keeps the energy up. Hinder revives the 'angel" imagery on "Heaven Sent" (makes sense) and doles out the sassy "Up All Night." That approach connects here just as forcefully as it did decades ago. Some things don't change. The title track has a line about a woman with a body "I can barely believe." After that, there's nothing left to say.
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