What started as two young
teenagers playing around with instruments in Hawaii in the summer
of 1998 has morphed into a dream come true for the five members of
National Product. They’ve already shared the stage with top
contemporary musical acts like Yellowcard and New Found Glory, and
have left lasting footprints – not to mention legions of new
fans – in just about every city they’ve performed in.
With three U.S. tours under their belts, plans to take on Japan and
Europe, and a coveted spot on this past summer’s Warped Tour
concert series, it seems National Product is making waves far greater
than what the Kahunas are used to. One thing, however, is for sure:
this isn’t the type of band you would finding signing a recording
contract after spending a swason on the MTV reality show “Making
the Band.” The last thing the members of National Product would
ever want is to be molded into who they are not.
“One big thing our band stands for is not actually being formed
by our own environment, but choosing our own path, and being able
to do whatever we want and not being a ‘product’ of our
circumstances,” explained guitarist Jeff. “We push for
individuality among our band and also with our music.
Before the boys began tearing up the
stage, they toiled away by taking on some rather spontaneous roles.
“I used to body board professionally and I was a stunt devil,
and Dan worked in movies doing extra work, and we met that way,”
said guitarist Stan. Some of those stunts from the past seem to be
hard forgotten, especially when the boys are on tour. “We have
this game when we’re riding in our RV, we’re basically
going 90 miles per hour on this 30-foot, gigantic thing, and everybody
has to stand up and try to run to the back of the bus,” Danny
confessed. “Then, we suddenly hit the brakes and everyone just
flies!”
When they aren’t doing their best
Evil Knievel impressions, National Product is in and out of the studio
preparing for their upcoming debut album, which is scheduled for release
by the end of the year. Their four-song demo, produced by Chris Kirkpatrick
of N’SYNC and Ray Brady, has already caught the attention of
major record labels. “You’ll hear a very mature album
that will span different styles of music all into one, which is how
it’s always been with us,” lead singer Danny explained.
“We’re going with a little bit of fusion, a touch of the
hip-hop theme, and some of the biggest bands are going to be putting
their hands on this.”
Wiith a fan base that reaches new highs
every day, National Product definitely knows what it takes to stir
up a tropical heat wave, and they are all far from being discouraged
when success falls on their plate. “If people are going to be
affected by our music, no matter what, it’s a success,”
Jeff explained. “It will still be a success whether we sell
10 albums, or 10 million.”
-Shida Kaviani
