In 2000, the L.A. based rock band, Course Of Nature was signed to Atlantic Records, based on the strength of their demo recordings. A year later, the band recorded their smashing debut release, 'Superkala'. Produced by Matt Martone, who has worked with bands such as, 3 Doors Down and Breaking Point, and mixed by Randy Staub, who has worked with P.O.D. and Nickelback. The band released their debut, 'Superkala ' in 2002, and the single "Caught In The Sun" was an instant success in Alabama, and eventually spread to other markets.
It looked like Mark Wilkerson and his band mates were ready to take the rock world by storm and become rock and roll stars, right? The confusion of record label changes over the years took its toll on Wilkerson and his previous band members. They found themselves entwined in a record label situation that was coming apart at the seams. Their management didn’t see eye to eye with them on the direction to take after the split happened. For some bands, that would have been the straw that broke the camel's back. But Mark Wilkerson kept busy during the "downtime", writing his own tunes for Course Of Nature as well as writing for others. One track that he wrote was for Chris Daughtry from American Idol that became a smash hit single across the board - “It’s Not Over.” The rest of the fruits of his songwriting labors went toward making DAMAGED, a collection of odes to adapting to the constant, often unpleasant challenges presented by everyday life. You have tracks like "Anger Cage" and "Live Again" and the intense, haunting "The Window" that are part of the fabric of this anticipated sophomore release.
COURSE OF NATURE is back to show that real beauty can come from the tattered and torn. Only the strongest and best can weather the slings and arrows of life and make it look so good! The Rocker and I spoke with Mark Wilkerson about his band's latest release, 'Damage' and this is what he shared with us.
AAM: First off, welcome back Mark.
Mark Wilkerson: Thanks so much guys, it feels good to be back doing what I love doing. We are so happy to be back, we definitely do not want to get through another five year break. From now on I want to put out a record once a year.
AAM: Let's talk about your latest release, 'Damaged'. This current tour that you are on, how has the response been?
Mark Wilkerson: You know this tour that we are on right now. We are not playing the big arenas, we're playing smaller venues. It's more like a warm up tour for us. Everyone that we've played our music too has loved it. So the response has been very good.
AAM: You must have written so many songs during that five year break?
MW: I have so much material now I am ready to release our double album (laughs). We have lots of songs and we want to get out on the road and play them to the people.
AAM: You mentioned that you played the new songs live already on this current tour? In your opinion, how do the new songs come across live?
MW: I love the new songs way better live than on the CD. Not that I don't like the CD, but the songs do go over much better in a live setting. Plus we can feel the energy from the crowd as well.
MW: We finished the new album in January of 2007 and we didn't released it unil January of 2008. So we were sitting on it for quite some time and we were eager to out. The first single was "Anger Cage" and our next single will be for, "The Window".
AAM: How long were you in the studio for 'Damage'?
MW: We recorded the new album in six weeks.
AAM: This new album is pretty much a new start for you, isn't it?
MW: Yes, it sure is. The whole band is new as well as our management. Shane and Jackson were in two different bands, that is where I knew them from and when their band broke up we got together. We actually had to have Sean audition for his spot in the band.
AAM: As far as inspiration for the new album, where did it come from?
MW: Real life experiences. I have a hard time writing about something I don't personally feel strong about. It has to be real to me in order to perform it night in and night out.
AAM: You wrote, "It's Not Over" for Chris Daughtry. How did that come about?
MW: I actually wrote that song for our album. What happened was, I had recorded an acoustic demo of that song and played for our label at the time. They told me that the song wouldn't be a hit. The guy that produced my demo pitched it the producer of Daughtry's record and that is how it got into Chris' hands. It's weird like that, I knew I had a hit, just goes to show nobody knows what a hit is, all they are doing are taking shots in the dark. You have a few out there that act like they not just interested in the money, but at the end of the day everything is this business is all about the money.
AAM: Where other bands have thrown in the towel dealing with the industry, you have managed to keep it all together.
MW: The titled just summed up the perception of Course Of Nature in the music industry, we were a little bit of ‘Damaged Goods.’ Everyone was a little scared to get involved with us because, every time you get dropped from a label there’s a little asterisk next to your name.
AAM: How has your music changed in the last five years?
MW: I don't think it has changed that much. I think we’re a little more aggressive sounding now. The problem was our main set off our first record; it was a ballad. And our first song, off the new album “Anger Cage”; it’s a heavier song. It may be hard for people to remember us by “Anger Cage”.
AAM: Course Of Nature, as far as what type of rock band are you guys, you have been lumped in every rock genre under the sun. How would describe Course of Nature?
MW: The type of band we are, is that we're a radio band. First and foremost, we have to establish radio and then tour based off of how well it's doing on radio. To stay on the road is just so expensive. I don't want the type of career where I have to support my career on the road. The reason I got into all that was just that it was kind of the reason why we went the way we went with this record. We had already done that deal over there with them and realized that we need to get somebody that first knows music, and then knows your music and knows what you do and what you're capable of and wants to see that continue to happen.
AAM: You've lived in L.A. for six years now. Are you still trying to get use to it?
MW: First off, I am "small town." I don't have a big city bone in my body. I have adjusted and accepted that I may not get back to the "real world" for a while so I am just making the best of it. I try to stay away from L.A. as much as I can (laughs).
AAM: What was it like working with David Bendeth on Damaged and will Course of Nature work with him on future albums?
MW: Who knows what will come in the future. I am extremely proud of Damaged and what David Bendeth, Dan Korneff and John Bender did with it. They have a great system of not getting in each other’s way.
AAM: Having experienced how demanding and however changing the music industry is, what kind of advice can you give to bands that are just starting out?
MW: Yeah, stick to your guns. Don’t change cause it’ll all come back around. Once it’s hot, it’ll be hot again. If you really believe in something, stick to it. Definitely arm yourself and protect yourself.
AAM: What are your long term goals for Course of Nature?
MW: We want this record to do well. I want to be back in the studio by at least the beginning of 2009 doing another record. I definitely don’t wanna do the five year nap again (laughs). I just wanna sell enough records that people wanna hear them. And as far as touring, we want that to be something that we love to do, not because we have to do it to support ourselves.
It's obvious that Mark Wilkerson is excited about their new album, 'Damage' and getting back on the road to play for their fans. Course Of Nature promises a rousing live show to back up material that is sure to rock radios all over the world! Good to see the band back on course. The Rocker and I along with All Access Magazine would like to thank Mark for taking the time to do this interview. We had a blast talking to you Mark.
For more info on COURSE OF NATURE: www.courseofnature.com
