INTERVIEW BY

LEE ANN

KLAMERT
                                                 LEFT TO RIGHT:

                                                 J.J. THORNE

                                                 TRAVIS GARLAND

                                                 KEVIN MCHALE &

                                                 V SEVANI


Their self-titled CD Not Like Them                              
will be released this summer
under the Geffen Label.



"Not like them" was the chant at the Cambridge Rm.
at the House of Blues.  The recipient of all that
adoration was NLT. Fans of all ages were there to
witness a boy band phenomenon. The setting may
have been intimate but the screaming was more
than enough to fill the room. The excitement was
uncontrollable as they sang She said, I said, That
Girl and their newest song, Karma. The audience
was so inspired by NLT they sang and danced to
every song. NLT picked two lucky girls from the
audience to bring on stage but the whole crowd       
was so lucky to be part of the magic that night.
It was my pleasure to speak with all four members
of NLT.  They welcomed me into their tour bus
and made me feel very "at home" with their friendly
manner. The four of them have known each other for  
more than five years and Kevin said, "We grew up
together,we are brothers." Their music comes from so
many different influences but through that comes the
supercharged pop-rock sound that is NLT.
Travis said, "We want to grow as musicians."
The "life" they infuse in their incredible shows are to
show people a good time and help them forget about
their problems for a while. V said, "We realize that it
is not just about us any more, it's all about the fans."
Kevin said," So many people come up to us and
say it's their first concert."  Travis added, "The best
part for us is when people leave the concert and
say, Wow! That was incredible!"
They work very hard to bring that much quality to their show.
They have worked with Ryan Tedder (One Republic) and
Timbaland.  Travis said, "Timbaland is a really talented guy,
we were lucky to work with him."  Kevin said, "Ryan is like
our mentor."  Travis added, "He (Ryan) did the first song
we ever recorded and the last song we recorded."  It's no
surprise that their songs are becoming so popular.  They
have also perfected their dance moves by working with
some incredible choreographers such as Terry Barber
(Janet Jackson), Chris Jones and also V's brother Adam.
Adam choreographed one of their newest and most
popular songs, Karma.  Their video received over
250,000 views on You Tube.  When you see that type
of performance you can tell it's from months of prepara-
tion.  Before the tour they told me they rehearsed for
6 hours a day and now during the tour they try to at least
rehearse for 30 to 45 minutes before each show.  When
NLT hits the stage the screaming is initially because of
their good looks  but then you see and hear them and
the magic that they emulate on stage and you are a
fan for life. Kevin said, "The more they scream the more
hyped we get. We feed off the crowd completely."  V
said, "We love them, they really keep us going on stage."
They told me they have their favorite songs to perform
for different reasons.  J.J. said, "My favorite songs to
do is a medley of That Girl, Heartburn and Do It Like I
Love It. The crowd starts singing along and then erupts
into screaming and it's so much fun you, in turn, put
out a lot of energy for them." Kevin and V like She Said,
I Said because everyone knows it and sings along. While
Travis likes their new song Better because it's so upbeat
and gives them a shot of adrenaline just when they need
it.  Their Bandamonium Tour was at the halfway point
when I spoke with them.  They said that touring with V-
Factory and Menudo was such fun and they are great
guys.  J.J. compared it to wrapping a movie.  He said,
"It's like filming for 3 months, when it's over you don't
want to say goodbye. They're your friends and feel like
family."  Kevin said, "It's a comfort zone knowing you're
going to see the same people every day."  They also
love touring the country meeting people.  V said, "We
want our fans to know we love them, without them there
would be no NLT."  Kevin said, "We notice everything
they do. We check our message boards on My Space
and infuse what they say into what we do."  They really
do appreciate the dedication their fans have for them by
standing in long lines after the show.  They said it's really
wonderful to say "Hello" and take a photo.
It was refreshing to see the admiration that NLT and their
fans have for each other, they truly are Not Like Them!

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