Speeding Bullet

Jeff Schneeweis and NumberOneGun are heading south from Monterey, where they shared the stage with the likes of Pillar, PAX217 and Sixpence None the Richer at the Spirit West Coast festival, and are 200 miles outside of Los Angeles on their way to play yet another gig. But even though they still have a ways to go before reaching their destination, this distance seems nominal considering how far the band has come over just the last year. Originally hailing from Chico, California this foursome — consisting of frontman Schneeweis on vocals and guitar, Ben Tietz on guitar and vocals, Jordan Mallory on drums and Trevor Sellers on bass — has seen much of the country spreading the word about NumberOneGun. Since recently escaping Chico’s tree-lined confines and getting signed to Salvage and Floodgate Records, the band has, in a very short period of time, made great strides musically, professionally and personally.
NumberOneGun began recording their first album for Salvage / Floodgate, Celebrate Mistakes (due in stores August 12th, 2003), in January 2003, and now, with its imminent release, NumberOneGun has the opportunity to reach even more people. Thanks to the wide distribution channels of Word Entertainment / WEA, their debut CD will be available in stores all over the country — a vast upgrade from their 2002 EP, Forever, which was recorded in a garage and sold out of the back of their van. Considering all that has happened over the past year, and the promise of things to come, it came as no surprise to hear Jeff Schneeweis so excited as we conducted our interview over the phone. Not only is his band on the verge of taking off, but Schneeweis is also a newlywed, having married a woman that he’s known since the age of 14 just four-and-a-half months ago.
“Man, it’s been really exciting,” answers Schneeweis over his mobile phone with an almost giddy exuberance when asked how he and the band have been able to handle all the new situations they’ve faced since the release of Forever. “We’ve been really surprised. A lot of things were unexpected. It’s been going great. I don’t know how we handle it. We go with the flow and accept things as they come.”
One listen to Celebrate Mistakes should reveal why Schneeweis is so excited. Produced by Bob Burch, Celebrate Mistakes has a big, vibrant sound featuring bombastic hooks, a variety of tones and a confident delivery that betrays the band’s youth. From the frenetic opener, “Starting Line,” to harrowing strains of the closing track, “Today Is Described,” NumberOneGun’s first full-length album delivers an expressive and addictive listening experience, settling nicely in its genre while being able to differentiate itself from its peers. Though the market seems saturated by bands that offer a similar brand of emotionally charged pop-rock, NumberOneGun’s tight musicianship and Schneeweis’ personal lyrics keep the band sounding fresh. According to the young frontman, pulling from his own life for inspiration is something that has carried over from the band’s previous release.
“The lyrics are kind of a similar thing to the Forever EP,” Schneeweis says. “They’re all about my own experience with God and my life and stuff. One of the songs is about meeting my wife. All the experience that I’ve had, and all the crazy things that have happened to me, hopefully kids can relate to that in a tangible way. I don’t know. It can mean anything to them too, but I’m hoping they can understand where we’re coming from — where I’m coming from — and to convey a positive attitude.”
Though Schneeweis’ approach to lyrics is consistent with their past effort, the manner in which Celebrate Mistakes was recorded is far more involved. Abandoning the garage for the studio, NumberOneGun was afforded the luxury to take their time and hone their craft.
“The whole studio experience was great,” Schneeweis says. “We got to express ourselves in new ways and in writing. We were able to take our time and work with our producer to develop our ideas.
“[On Celebrate Mistakes], we took a lot of time — well, as much as we needed with writing the songs,” Schneeweis continues, describing the band’s songwriting process for the new album. “It was the same kind of format — I’d come up with the main idea for the songs, then we’d practice it, and the band would put their input in on arrangements. As soon as that was done, we had a whole album to go and record with. But a lot of it got changed at the studio too, because of Bob’s ideas for arrangement. It just made it a whole lot better. He has another point of view that we don’t really have sometimes.”
According to Schneeweis, veteran producer Bob Burch’s input proved to be invaluable during the recording. However, more than just a producer, Burch assumed the stance of a mentor to the young band throughout the making of Celebrate Mistakes. Schneeweis, Tietz, Mallory and Sellers even lived in Burch’s home while the album was being made.
“We were there for a couple months going from the studio to his house,” Schneeweis explains. “We did a lot of pre-production at his house too. [Burch] is like 40 years old, but he’s really cool to hang out with. We’d wake up in the morning, make breakfast, do chores around the house. It was like a family environment. It was kind of fun.”
Schneeweis believes that this kind of atmosphere made Celebrate Mistakes a better album.
“It made everything really easy to talk about,” he says. “It felt like [Burch] was a big part of this record.”
After NumberOneGun plays their show in Los Angeles, they’ll be off to New York City to play a date at the Knitting Factory on August 8th before heading back to California to play at The Brick Works in Chico on August 12th, 2003. It seems that this four-piece band has become incapable of standing still. As our conversation comes to a close, it becomes apparent that Schneeweis is appreciative of how far he and his band have come over the past year, and is anxious to see where these new experiences will take NumberOneGun in the future.
“I know we’ve grown so much in the last year,” says Schneeweis in an excited tone. “Playing mostly every night, you start concentrating on all the little things…Nailing down parts and nailing down your show really helps getting you to think on a different level — you learn about what’s important. We haven’t really gotten a chance to write more songs yet, but I know that once we do, it’s going to be a whole other experience because of what we’ve been going through over the last year.”

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