Making it as a band means hitting the road

Nothing Less faces the same daunting task any band in Alaska faces -- the challenge of geography.

Getting noticed in Alaska is one thing. But getting noticed outside the state is another, and there is only one way to accomplish it -- hit the road.

"It is freakin' impossible to get noticed unless you get out of here," said Henry Hartman, drummer for Nothing Less, which toured the West Coast last year and is heading back on Tuesday to record a feature-length album.

One example is Anatomy of a Ghost, Nothing Less singer/guitarist Tim Waters said.

"They struggled for years up here, and they went to Portland, and now they are doing really well," Waters said. "You have to go down there a lot to get noticed."

Hartman said that was the secret to the success of another one of Alaska's top rock bands, 36 Crazyfists.

But here in Alaska, there is a growing music scene, one that gets noticed more after bands start turning heads in the Lower 48.

"People like the Alaska idea, but we don't oversell it," Waters said. "We want to get the Alaska scene noticed more. There are a lot of good things going on up here."

Nothing Less is already getting air time on the radio in parts of Oregon, as well as Anchorage. With the release of their CD later this summer and a tour already planned for next winter, the outlook for the band is bright.

"We want to sell out stadiums. We want to be on Last Call with Carson Daly," Hartman said with a chuckle.