If you haven’t heard of Divit yet, you should seriously consider checking out this self-described “melodic rock” band from Antioch, California. Having found success with their Nitro debut “Broadcaster” and second LP over all, the band has performed all over the US, infected the 2002 Warped Tour with their catchy, pop-punk/indie rock sound where they had a ball on all four dates they played, and have much more up their sleeve for the rest of the year on into 2004, including a few surprises like a harder, more aggressive style.
Speaking with front man Mick Leonardy via cell phone while the band was on their way to a gig in L.A., I was curious to find out what their relationship with Nitro – home of punk pioneers the Damned and TSOL - was like. Prior to their jump to Nitro, Divit was on Coldfront Records, and it sounds as though Mick is pretty happy with their present situation: “They’ve generally helped elevate us to the next step that we need to take.” Plus, now their fine record, “Broadcaster,” is available at most record stores and Mick confirms even if you can’t find it, “you could order it anywhere.” But that’s not all. He and the rest of the band – guitarist Rich Brinkerhoff, bassist Danny Kain, and drummer Nick White – are pleased with the amount of support they’ve experienced since joining the Nitro family. He elaborates, “We know that when we are out on the road that they’re at home fighting for us…They really wanna see us develop and they really want us to get to a certain point, which is why I think they signed us.” Likewise, “there’s always one person from the office watching us every time we come down to L.A.” and “they’ve flown out to random places that we’ve played” as well to show their support and to help the band out if there are any problems. And Mick muses that it doesn’t hurt that when Divit heads out to L.A. they have “a place to crash, they take us out to lunch.” It’s all about priorities Mick snickers.
It seems like they have a great relationship with Nitro, and Divit is now working on new material for their next effort, but it’s still early and the details aren’t quite finalized. See, the guys are busy touring “nonstop” - they have a full US tour in mind for the fall and in early 2004 will be making their first trek to Europe - and writing, and somewhere amidst all this, have to find time to actually record the album. However, the vocalist predicts that it’s “not even gonna be tracked until probably November-ish” and “could be out any time beween…April or – I have no idea,” he sheepishly admits. “We still have to get clearance from our label.” Ok, so he’s at a loss about when the record will be out, but there is one thing he’s certain about: it will absolutely rock…hard. Although some parts are comparable to 2002’s “Broadcaster,” the bulk of the material is headed in a different direction than the pop-punk leanings so evident on that record. It’s “definitely more aggressive, definitely dirtier, harder, you know, just kind of pulling from every inspiration possible” and is simply a lot angrier. Sounds enticing. Moreover, they’ve been playing some new songs at shows and the response has been pretty darn good so far: “People absolutely love it…They’re really into the new stuff.”
In addition, Mick has no doubt that it’s another step forward for the ever-evolving band. This time around, “we paid more attention to not only just having a good melody, but also having guitar parts and drum parts and bass parts that really push you as a musician onstage to really wanna rock out more,” and that “create more of an energy not only from the vocals but from the musical standpoint too.”
Yet, one element will remain the same. Mick’s lyrics won’t be losing their earnest, genuinely personal tone any time soon. “I feel that that’s what music is about…I don’t think enough people are honest in their lyrics.” And about exposing his innermost feelings Mick says, “I just think that for me it’s definitely hard to get through; I’m not gonna lie. Certain aspects like for this new record, well even for the old one, for “Broadcaster,” I wrote about my uncle…killing himself. I wrote about my friend who was on speed and still is…Those were hard things to write about and get through.” Despite this tough task of penning such personal lyrics about sensitive subjects and first-hand experiences, the front man believes it’s worth it in the end because he knows that some listeners out there will be able to relate to what he’s singing about and will (hopefully) find solace in the fact that they are not alone. They will realize that at least one other person has gone through a similar experience and has felt the same way as they do. On the same note, Mick doesn’t particularly care if his lyrics are misinterpreted: “Whatever it means to you, it means to you…I have songs that are definitely about ex-girlfriends, but I’ve had people come up and tell me that they got completely different interpretations of them, and if that’s something that they felt was meaningful to them at the time and they used that in their lives, then so be it.”
Divit seem to have their priorities straight, and if they keep up their high-quality song-writing, they should find much success as they break free from the now-trite label of “pop-punk” into their eventual goal of “really lay[ing] into the rock vein.” Still, they don’t want to be pigeonholed into any category really, but would rather pioneer their own sound. In a sense, they’re trying to perfect their sound to where they can just “really capture the Divit style and make it a Divit song” not just a “punk” song or a “rock” song. If all goes as planned, soon this foursome may very well transcend any definable label. Yes, this is a lofty goal, but they’re minds seem set on this and hey, who knows, they could just be the band that will forge a new sound.
