antiMusic: Congrats on the new record. "All American Nightmare" is the lead-off single and it lives up to its name by being a snarly piece of work. It sounds like it would pull of well on a big stage. Do you write your material at all thinking about the live show and the way it's paced or is each song viable or not simply based on its own merit?

Austin: I actually don't ever think of the live show when we are writing. We just write what comes to us and what feels good, sometimes it comes back to bite us in the ass because we are so in to the song not thinking if we can even pull it off live!

antiMusic: From those several tracks, there seems to be a subtle inclusion of a Southern flavor. "Put That Record On" and "What Ya Gonna Do" don't sound too far from Kid Rock Territory. I don't know if that's indicative of a good percentage of the rest of the record but was it your intention to grow that sound slightly or did those particular tracks just demand that sort of framework?

Cody: It definitely wasn't something that we set out to do. Those songs just kind of had that southern flavor as we were writing them. When a song is taking shape, you can't really fight what it is.

antiMusic: Apparently, you wrote in excess of 60 songs for this record. What was the criteria that you used to select the 11 songs that you eventually used – simply the best of the best or was there any kind of unifying element they had to conform to, lyrically or otherwise?

Austin: When it came down to picking the songs it was surprisingly simple as far as forming the record! We picked what we thought were the best few songs and then the record kind of formed itself! That is also why we love this record so much as well, because it tells a story from front to back, our story of where we are right now!

antiMusic: What becomes of the 50-odd songs that remain from that original batch? Are they of the quality that they might show up down the road or once they're rejected, they're gonzo?

Austin: Well we for sure have some songs that did not make the cut, because they did not fit the rest of the record. That does not mean that they won't show up down the road. The songs always mean something to us.

antiMusic: Where do Hinder songs come from? Is there a lyrical idea that sparks the music or vice versa and who is usually responsible for the initial catalyst?

Cody: It depends. Sometimes it's a lyric or a title or even just a concept, and sometimes it's a chord progression or a guitar riff. Austin and I are both coming up with new ideas constantly and always bounce ideas back and forth.

antiMusic: Tell us about a couple of the songs, either what they're about or something about the writing/recording of them:

Austin: All American Nightmare

All American Nightmare was actually one of the last songs that we wrote for this album. It was one of those things where we looked at each other at said YES. The song is pretty much about being the charming men that we are that can talk you in to doing some very bad things.

Cody: Put That Record On
We thought it would be cool to write a song about all of our favorite songs that we grew up listening to. We wanted to write a song that made other people think about their favorite songs and that would take them back to a certain time in their lives. We had never really heard anyone hide a bunch of song titles in the lyrics so we thought it would be a cool idea. I think it worked out really well.

Austin: What Ya Gonna Do
"What ya gonna do" is one of my favorite tracks on this record. For me it is about kind of the literal lyrical content that I love so much because I am there in my life. I love drinking my problems away sometimes instead of facing them and one day I am going to have to take a look at myself and say "what now''!

Cody: The Life
The life tells a story about a kid that has always wanted to get of his small town and head off to the coast for this great new life. But, when he gets there, he realizes that it's not all its cracked up to be. People always think that the grass is greener on the other side but most of time the things that will make you happy in life are right in front of you.

Austin: Two Sides of Me
This song came from a title I had because I had realized that I can be 2 different people. We wrote it pretty early on in this record and also pretty quick. It wrote so fast because there is 2 sides to everybody I think.

antiMusic: Over the last several years, you've been a part of some big-ass tours with Motley and Nickelback. Has the experience filtered down into the lyrical matter at all, in terms of getting to places you might not have already visited or just being part of the "circus" on an elevated status? i.e. "All-American Nightmare" sounds like an after-show party on the Crue tour.

Austin: That is what I love about this record so much is because it is so real and because we have been through so much out here. I would hate it if we were out here doing what we loved and didn't have anything to write about, ya know.

antiMusic: What influence, if any, did Kevin Churko have on the sound of the record considering, I assume, you were pretty well done with pre-production before he came on board?

Cody: We knew what we were going for as far as a particular sound and we knew what direction the songs were going to go in. However, Kevin is really good at capturing it and making those little tweaks to make it even better. It was a great process to be able to work the songs up to a certain point and then bring in Kevin to help take them even further.

antiMusic: The basic tracks were recorded at your home studios. Tell us what both your setups are like and the steps you took along the way to become proficient on the other side of the glass.

Austin: We recorded the music part at Cody's house and the vocals in Las Vegas. I live in California and so it was an easier process on everybody this way because we all wanted to spend some time at home as well.

Cody: It was great to be able to track at home. We were able to really concentrate on the music and spend the time that was necessary. We never had to worry about studio rates or going over on time. And, we weren't rushing through it just so we could get it done and get back home.

antiMusic: Austin, I saw you open for Bif Naked on the tour for the first record and you commanded the stage with ease in a crowded club. However, from there the band graduated to higher profile tours with contemporaries such as Papa Roach, Seether, Trapt, and then even larger ones with Motley and Nickelback. Did you have a hard time adapting to the bigger stage and having to reach people 50 rows back as your band grew in popularity? What were some of the stage "tricks" you had to learn in your development as a front man to get where you are today? Who are some of the fellow front men that you admire in the biz, in terms of how they relate to a crowd? DLR/Vince Neil, per chance?

Austin: That was actually one of our first tours with Bif, and I was still trying to figure out how to be onstage without a guitar. I picked up my own style naturally, but some compare it to Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger . I can't really complain about being compared to my idols.

antiMusic: What's in the works for the band for 2011 and beyond, in terms of touring and any other activities?

Cody: Nothing is really set in stone at the moment. We know that we will be heading back out to headline in Jan/Feb. At some point we are planning to head overseas and also do some military shows. Hopefully people will really get into this album and we can stay out and tour on it for a couple of years.

antiMusic: Anything else about the record that you want to mention, that I didn't ask you?

Austin: We are very excited to see what our fans are going to think of the record and we encourage them to go out and buy the record. Not just ours but keep the rock revival alive.