Lucinda Albers
On Feb. 13, Nodes of Ranvier (Sioux Falls) announced its signing to Chicago’s Victory Records (Hawthorne Heights,
Taking Back Sunday, Atreyu).
The new label support comes at the perfect time, but a bit unforeseen, says Nodes’ member, Jon Parker.
“When Victory came around, it was completely unexpected, but it was a no-brainer,” said Parker. “It was one of the easiest processes we’ve had to deal with.”
Being from Sioux Falls doesn’t necessarily make it easy to score a record deal. However, Parker doesn’t think it’s an extremely bad thing, either.
“It doesn’t really matter if you’re from a small town as long as you try hard,” said Parker. “With the way the music industry is now, there are different challenges on where you live because the exposure might not be the same, but hopefully we’ve inspired others.”
The Nodes members, as well as fans, got another surprise around the time of the new label interest, but not necessarily a good one.
Lead singer Nick Murphy, decided to split with the band, stating in the “Link” section of the Argus Leader that he didn’t want to tour, but didn’t want to stop the rest of the band from pursuing their Nodes dreams. (This isn’t the first time Nodes has been through a lineup change. In fact, The Spill Canvas’ lead, Nick Thomas, used to be a part of the original lineup.)
Although many scenesters may be a little heavy-hearted about Murphy’s decision, the remaining members say that their relationships haven’t faltered.
“It’s pretty cool between all parties of the situation,” said Parker. “We’re happy with the way it worked out.”
The band’s remaining members, Jon Parker, Jake Stefek, Brady Murphy and Josh Ferrie, are currently in the studio, working on their next album, set to debut on Victory sometime this summer. While Murphy is helping with production of the new album, he’s not technically on the album.
“Our main focus at this point is just getting the record out,” said Parker.
Nodes has released several albums since they started back in 2000, with the most recent ones released on Facedown Records. Their latest, “The Years To Come,” released in September of 2005 has sold over 15,000 copies.
Nodes’ upcoming tour will be Murphy’s last with the band, but Nodes shows no signs of stopping. Although a name hasn’t been released, Parker hints that a long-time friend of the band will be taking over the reigns in the short future.
Also in Nodes’ future, besides the release of their new album, is hopefully a tour. In the past, Nodes has been able to share the stage with acts such as Me Without You, Zao, Bury Your Dead and Norma Jean.
“It’s more about getting the “right” tour, not just “a” tour,” said Parker. “It would also be really nice to do an international tour in Europe or something.”
Even with all the new changes and problems the band has come across, the boys stay positive about what they’re doing.
“We are a positive band,” said Parker. “We don’t necessarily try to be, we just are.”
With the hype of signing to a larger label comes the stress of succeeding.
“The hardest thing is the criticism,” said Parker.
But that’s not stopping the boys in reaching their goals.
“We just try to continue the pace we’re going and still enjoy it,” said Parker. “This is the most painstaking yet most rewarding thing for me.”
The boys will have their final tour kickoff on March 16 at Nutty’s North in Sioux Falls. Openers include Thirty Fathom Grave and Setback. The show is all ages and costs $8.
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