Roger caught up with Kenneth Nixon of Tennessee rockers Framing Hanley ahead of their upcoming UK tour.

RG: Looking forward to seeing you at your London date next month, will you be showcasing new material or what can fans expect?

Nixon: We start rehearsing for the tour this week, so right now we don’t really know exactly what all we’ll be playing.  I know we won’t be playing anything “new” as in not on our first two records, but there’s a chance we could play some “new” songs from A Promise To Burn that we’ve never played live before.

RG: Your latest album A promise to burn sounds like it has a story, what’s the background behind the name?

Nixon: Its quite simplistic in nature: something that was so promising that you just witnessed almost fall to its own demise.  I think we’ve all been there at some point in our lives.

RG: You have spent lots of time on the road leading up to the album, how do you think that has shaped your songs?

Nixon: We toured in support of The Moment for about 3 – 3 1/2 years.  We learned a lot in that time spent on the road.  We matured a lot musically and our song-writing became more seasoned.  Also, with Ryan not being in the band when we wrote The Moment, we expected his addition to the band to bring something new to our sound anyway.

RG: The cover of Lil Wayne’s Lollipop was a great boost to the band but I guess a millstone as well.  If you were starting out again what would you have done differently?

Nixon: I don’t know that I would do anything differently.  Even though at times, it may leave a bad taste in our mouth, the fact is this: that song threw us out into a large audience of people who had never heard of us previously.  That song brought us to their attention, and then they found out about our record The Moment and became fans.

RG: For those that haven’t experienced your music how would you describe it?

Nixon: Rock n roll.  We don’t try to make the classifications of what type of band we are because I feel people get too wrapped up in that already and get lost in the “styles” of bands before they even give their music a chance…it’s a large part of whats wrong with music today.

RG: What musical influences would you say the band draw upon?

Nixon: Thrice, 30 Seconds To Mars, Deftones, One Republic, Matchbox 20…its really all across the board, which is what I think makes our music unique in the fact that its kinda hard to pinpoint a certain sound or what “type” of band we are.

RG: I read that your career had a boost from some members of Creed, tell me a little about that if you would?

Nixon: Brett, our producer, was the touring bass player for Creed at one time.  I think he’d much rather be known however for his awesome bands that he fronted instead though: Virgos, Virgos Merlot, Dark New Day.  He opened our eyes to what we could accomplish as songwriters and how much simpler of a process it was to create a song rather than the arduous task that we would sometimes make it.

RG: You are joined on this tour by My Passion and The headstart.  Have you had a chance to check out their music or live shows and what do you think?

Nixon: Haven’t had a chance to see the bands live other than the videos I’ve been able to find on youtube.  We’re looking forward to having both of these bands out.  We like to have a good time with bands we tour with, so we’re looking forward to meeting these guys and hanging out just as much as we are to sharing the stage with them.

RG: You’ve played with a variety of artists through the years, who has made the most impression on you?

Nixon: Good Charlotte I think.  Those guys have been doing this for over ten years now, and still go out every single night, whether they’re feeling sick or energised, and have an amazing show.  From start to finish, they hold that crowd in the palm of their hands and thats what its all about in this business.  Not to mention, for the level of success they’ve deservedly attained, they treat other bands as equals and that can’t be said about a lot of bands.

RG: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us and good luck on the tour.  One final question;  What are you most looking forward to on your visit to the UK?

Nixon: Every show…the festivals especially.  On this tour we will be playing in front of some of the biggest crowds we’ve ever played in front of, thousands upon thousands of miles away from home.  Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside…haha.