When it comes to success, a local band is accepting "Nothing Less"

With a record label already in place, a strong following of fans established and already having performed shows with national acts like Presidents of the United States of America and Flying Blind, what could be next for Nothing Less? How about a debut?

The three band members of Nothing Less -- Wasilla High School graduates Tommy Dowell and Henry Hartman and Anchorage's Tim Waters -- are headed to San Francisco, Calif. Tuesday to record the band's first feature-length album. Hot on its heels is the taping and production of a music video for "Record Store," one of the songs on the album. Not bad for a trio that had not even met each other less than two years ago.

There are several reasons Nothing Less has established itself as one of Alaska's top up-and-coming bands in such a short time. First, they are talented, and their self-described "pop punk with a ska twist" style is a fresh sound that audiences have clearly gotten behind. But don't forget about a lot of hard work, because Nothing Less will accept just that -- nothing less. They are very driven, with definite goals and the means to accomplish them.

"We're never stagnant and we aren't stupid about where we are or where we want to go with our lives," Hartman said. "We are having fun, but we're serious about it. You have to be. Living broke gets old."

The band actually formed through two ads on the Internet in November 2001. Dowell and Waters both ran ads looking for other musicians with which to start a serious band. They got together at Waters' place in Anchorage and instantly clicked. A few months later, they decided they needed a third, and Dowell contacted Hartman.

That spring, in March 2002, the three men made their debut as Nothing Less at the Spring Break Festival at Hilltop Ski Area. They developed a 12-song set and started playing gigs soon after, and their following quickly grew.

"Our first show was like 150 people, and then we played the VFW Hall and had over 400 people there," Hartman said. "I'd never been to a show like that with so many people, and it was for us."

By last July, the band was ready to go on a mini tour. They hit the road in a 1989 Ford Econoline van, headed to Oakland to lay down three tracks on a demo CD. They played several shows while down there, which helped cover the cost to have the van fixed when it finally broke down on the drive into Los Angeles. There was a silver lining, however, as the group was signed by Alcatraz Records.

"The producers told us we sounded good, and they made a few calls to people they knew at Alcatraz, and we met with them and had a deal," Waters said.

Hartman said it was a perfect opportunity for the band.

"Don't confuse it with luck," Hartman said. "It was an unplanned opportunity that we were well prepared for. It's a small indie label that has opened a lot of doors for us."

The three-song demo, "Popskapunk" perfectly describes their up-tempo style. Their sound is similar to that of Blink 182, "with a little reggae and the rest of the spectrum thrown in there," Waters said.

"It sounds like what would happen if Sublime, No Doubt and Blink 182 all got drunk together in a hot tub," Hartman said.

Nothing Less took the stage with national acts like Presidents and Flying Blind, and those experiences only help them get better they said.

"We still call them up and talk and get advice," Dowell said.

It's all part of the growing process for Nothing Less. The band is forcibly committed to getting better and to getting bigger, and that means having a clear goal in mind.

"We try to plan our future shows to be moving up in the world. You have to look at it and ask if you want to keep playing small bars and stuff, or make it to the next level and the next level," Waters said.

The 13-song debut CD is the first steps toward reaching that next level. And the music video will certainly be the next big level to reach. They are shooting with Sean Morris of Alaska Nomad Productions, a respected producer. He is bringing in professionals from the Lower 48 for the filming, including Eric Foster, who has worked as the director of photography for performers such as Chris Isaak.

"A couple of weeks ago, we had 10 or 12 people sitting around and we got a rough idea of what we wanted to do," Dowell said. "Working with Sean is cool because he knows so many people. He sent the script down to the Lower 48 and they're working on it for us."

Waters, Dowell and Hartman have been meeting with the producer and forming ideas about the video, and the excitement has clearly caught up to them.

"When we were coming up with ideas, it was so weird. We were sitting here laughing like 13-year-old schoolgirls talking about the boy next door," Hartman said.

The band hopes to have the CD released by September, and the video soon after. The trio has been working hard getting ready for next week's trip to Oakland to make sure the CD sounds exactly like they want it to.

"We are really, really focused on it," Waters said. "Originally, the trip was going to be more of a tour, but we really need to focus on our recording. The shows will come and go, but the recordings are what will last."

There is already another tour planned, though. Nothing Less is already working on putting together a college tour next winter.

"To sort of make up for not touring much this summer," Waters said.

People can hear the band's music at the numerous shows they play, and on the radio. Radio stations in Anchorage have the music, although it isn't part of their regular play rotation.

"If people request it, I think they'll play it," Waters said.

And don't think that with a new CD and video out Nothing Less will get stale. They said they are constantly writing songs and working them into their playlists, providing new sounds for their many fans.

"Some bands write songs just for an album, and then when it's done, they quit writing for a while," Waters said. "But we're always writing."

You can check out more about Nothing Less at the band's Web site, www.nothingless.com. There are links to places to download the three songs that appear on the demo CD "Popskapunk."