By Gene Triplett
The Oklahoman
"Always a good time.”
That's Hinder's motto. The five guys who form this Oklahoma City-bred band think that's what rock 'n' roll should be all about, and they do their damnedest to prove it all night, every night. First they play music, then they just play. And they go at it hard, on both counts.
Their songs echo the '80s school of straight-ahead, arena-roof-raising rock, with swaggering anthems and epic power ballads cranked to 11, while their offstage behavior recalls those thrilling days of yesteryear when hot and cold running groupies and grog were standard equipment in every rock star's hotel room. It seems Hinder is on a mission to uphold that tradition.
But when a band rises from hometown neighborhood bar circuit obscurity to double-platinum-selling, international-touring status in less than two years, that's cause for celebration. The right to party has been well-earned, and their Bad Boys of Rock Tour is aptly named. They're headlining now, with Papa Roach and Buckcherry along for the wild ride that brings them home to the Zoo Amphitheatre on Saturday.
When Hinder drummer-songwriter Cody Hanson called last week, he was stoked about the band's latest triumphant return, but it took him a fuzzy moment to remember where he was calling from ... oh yeah, Knoxville, Tenn.
"Yeah, this is actually one of the rare occasions where I'm actually able to answer that question,” he said.
Not surprising, as the band has been touring almost nonstop since the September 2005 release of its major-label debut, "Extreme Behavior,” which to date has sold 2.7 million copies in the U.S. alone and yielded five hit singles including "Get Stoned” (No. 4, Mainstream Rock chart), "Lips of an Angel” (No. 1, Pop 100), "How Long” (No. 6, Mainstream Rock), "Better Than Me” (No. 16, Mainstream Rock) and "Homecoming Queen” (No. 16, Mainstream Rock).
The 700-plus live shows have paid off handsomely in terms of fortune and fanbase, but Hanson admits the rigors of the road can sometimes take their toll on a dude, even one in his mid-20s who keeps fit playing drums for a living.
"Yeah, you know, it does a little bit, whenever you drink as much as we do,” he said. "It'll get ya a little bit, but nah, we're still good. That's kinda what makes it fun, you know? Just as long as we keep that up, and it keeps everybody's spirits and morale up, then we're good.”
One might suspect the members of Hinder — which also includes singer-songwriter Austin Winkler, guitarist-vocalist Joe "Blower” Garvey, guitarist-pianist-vocalist Mark King and bassist-vocalist Mike Rodden — consciously cultivate their "Bad Boys of Rock” image, openly and nonchalantly discussing their hard-partying ways to complement their lyrics about getting stoned and having a lot of casual sex. But Hanson insists it's a reputation they've come by without pretense.
"That's just us, man,” he said. "We don't fake anything, that's for sure. We're pretty open and honest in everything we do. We're not gonna shy away from it.”
And the boys in the band are unconcerned about the accusations of misogyny their lyrics have drawn from critics.
"You know, it's kind of funny,” Hanson said, "a lot of people ask that, but when you look out in the crowd, you know, 75 percent of our crowd is women. So I'm definitely not worried about it. That's for sure.”
In fact, the band should have no worries at all if Lady Luck is among that 75 percent, and so far it would seem that she is. In addition to colossal record sales, Hinder was tapped by TNT last spring to record a cover of Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild” to be used as the theme music for the NASCAR Fall 2007 TV campaign. The band also stars in an accompanying video full of hot cars and beautiful women.
On Sept. 6, fans jammed Monument Circle in Indianapolis for Hinder's performance at the National Football League's kickoff concert before the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints opened the new football season.
And following the last show of their "Bad Boys” tour — and the final Zoo concert of the summer — the band heads down under for the Australian leg of its seemingly endless traveling bash.
So has all this success — and excess — spoiled any of the members of Hinder?
"The only thing that's changed for us is that the chicks are hotter now,” Hanson said. "There's more of 'em, and they're a lot hotter. Except now a few of the guys have houses and stuff like that, which is pretty cool, to get to see some of the rewards for all the hard work for so long. Other than that, we're still the same guys that like to do the same stupid (stuff) that we've always done, you know?”
And when it comes to stupid (stuff), not even the road-seasoned members of Papa Roach and Buckcherry can keep up with Hinder's hard partying.
"Definitely not,” Hanson said. "They hang out, but those guys have been doing it for so long now that, for the most part, they're sober. But it's kind of cool. They're great guys, and we all get along really well.”
Buckcherry lead singer Josh Todd confirmed that assessment.
"Yeah, you know, some of us partake in that,” he said. "Me, personally, I have not. But, yes, they do go at it pretty good. They're just havin' a good time, you know?
