Flyer Profile: Thanks for Nothing
Thanks for Nothing has accomplished a lot of the last few years. The Fayetteville based band was founded in 2003 and over the course of the last five years, TFN has opened for the Toadies, Collective Soul, and several other bands. Last year, they played halftime of a Memphis Grizzlies game.
One of their biggest achievements to date is their album “Masquerade,” which was released on Tuesday, Sept 9th. Thanks for Nothing will formally release their second studio album at their release party at George’s on Saturday. You can check them out on myspace page, or on their website, or you can just scroll down and check out the title track for their new album below.
We got in touch with them this week, and they were nice enough to answer some questions.
Fayettevilleflyer: What have you been listening to lately?
Thanks for Nothing: We have been listening to a lot of different things in the van lately… Death Cab, Band of Horses, Radiohead, As Tall As Lions, MGMT, The Good Fear, and Snoop/Dre’s greatest hits are in constant rotation.
FF: You guys have played with some pretty awesome bands. What are some of the sweetest ones?
TFN: Collective Soul were awesome, they were cool. The Toadies was rockin balls for sure. Everybody was cool, but those two shows probably stand out the most.
FF: What is your perception of the Fayetteville music scene in 2008?
TFN: The scene in Fayettevegas is really evolving again right now. We went through a big dry spell for a while after the Gypsy and pretty much everywhere but George’s closed, but I think its coming back. Bands like Marca, Apartment 5, Memphis Pencils, and The.Radio.Sky are playing and bringing out crowds. Good original music is bouncing back. A Good Fight were just on MTV and had an article in AP Magazine, this is huge stuff. I think people that aren’t into the scene right now should pay attention. I know a lot of people that still complain about the scene going taking a drip the last 2 years or so, but now those people need to go back out and check some of the new stuff out. All that in a nutshell, we think it’s thriving and starting to kick.
FF: Who are some locals we might not have heard of that we need to check out?
TFN: Will Gunselman is a newer guy in town who has some good stuff. He has two albums and is about to put out another. Justin Brasher is probably one of the best singer/songwriters in music right now, in my opinion.
FF: You guys just released a new record. Where’d you make it / who’s putting it out / tell us a little bit about it.
TFN: We recorded the album with Mike Bailey at Dream Maker Productions. He mixed all but 4 songs, one was at East Hall with Chris Moore, the other 3 were with Ross Hogarth (Motley Crue, Black Crowes, Jimmy Eat World). Kevin Nix at Ardent in Memphis mastered it. We are really proud of the album. We feel after 4 1/2 years, it’s the album we have been wanting to release. Jacob Doss, our new member, really added a lot to it and we can’t wait to get out an play it in front of people.
FF: Who has the best pizza in Fayetteville?
TFN: Tim’s, by far.
FF: What is next for Thanks for Nothing? Any touring plans?
TFN: We play a few shows a week, all over the midwest and some of the southeast. Hopefully at the end of this year we can put together a solid 3 or 4 week tour. We have been weekend warriors for a while, we would love to just throw some t-shirts in the van, pack some PB and J sandwiches, and hit the road.
Click below to hear “Masquerade” by Thanks for Nothing
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Comments
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By Total Bastard on September 10th, 2008
Eh they’re allright.
There definitely seems to be a lot of new bands in Fayetteville lately.
By sofresh-n-sogay on September 10th, 2008
new bands are welcomed, but can we get some that do something better than bland mediocrity, yes I’m talking to you radio sky and thanks for nothing.
By yrfuneralmytrial on September 10th, 2008
Yikes! I’ve actually never heard them but slamming them here post-interview is pretty uncool imo.
By Total Bastard on September 10th, 2008
It would be totally rad if some of the older buildings just west of the Mill District on 6th would be gutted and become live music venues. The trail dumps out there, you can walk to it from UA campus.
Somebody with more $ than me make this happen.
Screw the Renaissance TIFF. Get us a radness factor TIFF that creates a new entertainment district and fosters creativity.
I’d vote for it.
By Boggy Creek Creature on September 10th, 2008
To Ted Dancin’ and sofresh-n-sogay:
Hear hear! The more new bands, the better! Now let’s have some interviews with some bands that actually matter.
To Total Bastard:
The students will never walk all the way to the Mill District. But the locals would! I always thought that Block St. would be the only refuge for boozing locals, but your idea is a great one. I’d vote for it, too. (And you’ve endeared yourself to me just with your use of “totally rad”)
To yrfuneralmytrial: You’d prefer us to slam them pre-interview, maybe? Also, I assume you’ve used “imo” to stand for “in my opinion”. Cut it out. This is a website, not a cell phone.
By yrfuneralmytrial on September 10th, 2008
“To yrfuneralmytrial: You’d prefer us to slam them pre-interview, maybe? Also, I assume you’ve used “imo” to stand for “in my opinion”. Cut it out. This is a website, not a cell phone.”
-Whether a band matters or not is a matter of opinion. Getting on here and slamming them when, most likely, their family members, friends and fans will be dropping by to read their interview, is a ****head move “in my opionion” and you should “cut it out”. As a music fan, I’d love to hear your list of local bands that matter. Insert yours at the top.
By Boggy Creek Creature on September 10th, 2008
There are posts on here saying far worse and incendiary things about elected government officials, let alone some goofy band. If their claque comes here and is saddened by some anonymous loser’s bitching, well I hope they have thicker skin than you, sir. I doubt critical commentary is going to end any time soon for this group.
You want my list? What exactly am I supposed to insert at the top? Putting aside all the double entendres that spring to mind, I will assume you mean my own band. I’m not in a band, sir. Are you? I’d love to hear it.
For the time being, here’s a short list of bands that matter:
-Sarah Hughes
-Fayetteville Funk Ensemble
-Velcro Moonshoe (are they still around?)
-Pope County Bootleggers
-Cletus Got Shot
-The Wooden Stares (defunct I believe, but I just wanted to shout out to one of my favorite bartenders)
-Kahula Gypsy Band
-A Good Fight (dig their sound somewhat, but they’re just nice boys and snappy dressers)
-Jacob Enwood
-Indiana and the Byrds
-and the lovely Opal Fly (although Eureka gets to claim her as their own)
By the dudest of dues on September 10th, 2008
I think this is absolutely pathetic. Dissing these guys from what is in the picture is ridiculous. If they don’t look “progressive” enough to you because they are wearing hats and facial hair, then your a complete idiot.
To be honest, no wonder music venues are dying and the music scene sucks around here. The comments shown here exploit why it’s embarrassing to talk about the people that go to shows around here. I don’t know anything about them, but it looks like they wrote songs, played a bunch of shows, and they are trying to get an interview on a website to help move forward. What’s wrong with that?
By Total Bastard on September 10th, 2008
dudest of dudes:
Your second paragraph is confusing.
Nevertheless, I don’t think generalizations can be made about the market for live music consumption in Fayetteville based on some random, anonymous comments here on the Flyer.
Some people will like what you have to say, others won’t.
Some may tell you to GFYAD.
I actually enjoy the whole free speech stuff on here as I see it.
A lot of the time people are just trying to be funny. Sometimes they are, sometimes they are not (yours truly excepted. I always find everything I type hilariously funny. Oh, and East Springdale Earl, too).
I personally think the band sounds ok based on the link to their Myspace page. But WTF do I know about music?
Not much past 1999, thats what.
By yrfuneralmytrial on September 10th, 2008
Boggy – Being clever doesn’t excuse bad manners. The fact that you have no band sounds like the tastemaker has no talent to me. Maybe you and a few friends could get something together to help reignite things. Whether I play or not doesn’t matter as I’m not here ****ting on bands.
Dude – Well said. I’ve been around this music “scene” as long as anyone and anytime it was thriving, there was always a “courteous support” that accompanied it. Now the only time I see/hear/feel that to any extent is once a year at the NAMA awards.
By Total Bastard on September 10th, 2008
Formula for making Fayetteville a kickass live music capital of the world:
1) TIF for rent-controlled live music only venues in the Mill District.
2) Imminent Domain to turn the former Divinity Building site on Dickson Street into an open air ampitheater/beer garden.
3) Giant ampitheater at SouthPass with a huge field, worthy of outdoor music festivals making the national circuit.
If the city and the A&P had the tax revenues from 2 more UA football games per year, we could make all this stuff happen with barely a blip on our city’s budget.
By ts on September 10th, 2008
Guys, where is the Divinity building?
By T-Rooth on September 10th, 2008
So…to the guy or girl that’s not even in a band, but would just love to destroy hardworking musicians on an anonymous forum. I’ve seen “Thanks For Nothing” play, and let me say, they are probably the hardest working band in Fayetteville right now. Do they love music? Damn right! Would they like to be on the radio, earning more money and getting more air time? Sure! These guys understand the music “game” and have adjusted their goals accordingly. This includes posing for pictures that the industry requires from a group interested in making more from the fruits of their labor than a round of drinks after a gig, and a late-night stop at IHOP. Every band will have folks that love ‘em or hate ‘em, and it’s fine for you if you choose to publicly show your anonymous ass, but it’s fine for me to say I disagree. And as a musician, I can honestly say I respect the effort I’ve seen from these guys, and hope you all come out to George’s this Saturday and see what I’m talking about. And no, I’m not in the band.
By Total Bastard on September 10th, 2008
Taste is subjective.
Not everybody is going to like your band.
We welcome all opinions here.
By yrfuneralmytrial on September 10th, 2008
“yrfuneral- did you take your sobriquet from the Sonny Boy Williamson song by the same, albeit correctly spelled, name?”
-Beats me. It was given to me as an alternate as my first choice of usernames, “yrpocketthesaurusmytrial” was already in use.
By Boggy Creek Creature on September 11th, 2008
lovely name. very original.
By singer from Three Doors Down on September 11th, 2008
I’m just glad to see that Bam Margera and Jesse Camp have finally joined forces. Do they sing about joining the Army National Guard?
By The Truth on September 11th, 2008
I wonder how many people who bellyache that all music around here sucks have actually been to a concert in the past five years.
Hmmm?
By chacnevb on September 11th, 2008
gotta give some love to Morgan Smith (former member of TrueFolk w/ logan)
By TheJman on September 11th, 2008
for being so terrible they sure have generated quite a stir on here…some of the most comments of any band profile….
By Lacy on September 11th, 2008
singer from Three Doors Down wins best comment
By Total Bastard on September 11th, 2008
singer from Three Doors Down for MAYOR!
By scyton on September 11th, 2008
So, I have been to one of the “Thanks for Nothing” shows. I have been to a lot of other people’s shows also. I wasn’t nearly as impressed with others as much as I was TFN. I don’t know what it is that some of you are hating on so bad. They have talent. So what if they have some cover songs. At the end of the day, these guys are known, people have heard them, and have been impressed by thier ability. I had my doubts about what they would be like, but I was genuinly entertained as well as glad to hear thier stuff.
By Jessika on September 11th, 2008
These guys are awesome. they have worked hard and it shows in their music. I’m excited to see what more they have to offer. :)
By Total Bastard on September 11th, 2008
All bands are ****.
I only listen to chant.
By b on September 11th, 2008
on another note, two of the members of TFN are the nick nolte’s as well…hell of a good time if want a little comedy show w/ man on guitar and silent sidekick drum boy!
By yrfuneralmytrial on September 11th, 2008
“All bands are ****. I only listen to chant.”
-Finally, someone making sense. My favorites being the incoherent, fictionalized ramblings of native American actors (often caucasian) in made-for-TV westerns. Preferably, from the early 1960’s. “(Low gutteral vibration) Hmmmmmweallloveithere,canstopdrinkingbeerhayaHmmmmmm”.
By sofresh-n-sogay on September 11th, 2008
To be fair, I did listen to their songs on myspace…I could only briefly tolerate it. I was also forced to see the radio sky when some douche booked them to open for the paper chase; during that show 5 people stayed on the floor to watch the radio sky, and everyone else went out on the patio, they were that bad.
I’m picky, so the only local (sort of local) band I have every really liked was shake ray turbine. NW Arkansas puts out some decent stuff, some and only some, but for the most part music here has no soul, no creativity. Most pop, indie, rock, whatever, from this region is generic mindnumbing ripped-off riffs. Where is the ingenuity and art? Instead we get a group of boys who try to dress the role instead of attempting originality, so really boys, thanks for nothing.
By Boggy Creek Creature on September 11th, 2008
Shake Ray! Jesus, cranking up the wayback, sir. I commend you.
But that’s it? Even for little rock bands?
I’m going to put on some Ashtray Babyhead in protest.
By scyton on September 14th, 2008
There was a pretty decent turnout at George’s for these guys to be so “****ty.” I saw a lot of CD’s in hands, hmmmm, I think people may like them.
By chris-os on September 14th, 2008
I heard a shake ray turbine song once on NBA Inside Stuff Tv show on NBC. No one in the band knew anything about it. I guess they didn’t copyright their music. They were sweet though.