Check out the interview and hear what No Limits had say!

SMMO: What's the name of your band, who are the members, and what do they play? 
No Limits: "No Limits" is the band name.  Members are:
Chris (Lead Vocals)
Cliff (Lead/rhythm Guitar, Back-up Vocals)
Geno (Lead/rhythm Guitar)
Kyle (Bass Guitar)
Rob (Drums)
 John is also a member of the band who lights the stage up for us at each venue we play.

SMMO: Describe your music to someone who has never heard your music before.
  No Limits: VARIETY.  That is one of our strong points.  We perform everything from Classic Rock to Country, with a few older favorites and selected newer hits. We try to appeal to a wide variety of listeners to get everyone on the dance floor during the show.  We go to great lengths to perform our cover songs as close to the well known recorded versions as we can. Our rationale is that a person who hears a familiar intro will be disappointed if the song suddenly changes into some strange, one-off version they have never heard. People like classic rock and oldies to sound they way they remember them.  On a few songs that have several well know versions, we throw our own twists into them just to make it fun.

SMMO: What's better, stage or studio?
No Limits: Stage all the way.  The Studio is an awesome experience but performing in front of a crowd is the real thing.  The stage is what gets the adrenaline pumping. There is nothing like a great crowd reaction to make you feel good about coming back weekend after weekend. This also pushes us to practice more, since getting it right in one take is the cornerstone of a good live performance, in the studio, you know you have second chances, on stage, there are none.

SMMO: When the band is at rehearsal, describe the atmosphere.
No Limits:  FUN.  We kid around a lot but we also are serious about going over new material and improving our current material.  Do you promote more on the Internet, or by "word-of-mouth"?  I think the combination of both. We do a lot of initial promotion through our website.  We have scheduled a lot of shows through word of mouth also.  We find that getting people to a show is the first step. Then at the next show, they show up with friends, and then those people bring other friends. Then the word of mouth becomes the dominant method. This isn’t restricted to just fans, either. One club owner talking to another or fans talking to club owners.  The fans have been a huge support from the very start.

SMMO: Are Southern Maryland venues supportive of local bands?
No Limits: Absolutely.  Most venues run ads for bands performing at their venues etc.  Like I said before, Venues also communicate with each other on promoting bands.  We are an example of that. Many of our gigs are from owners/managers of clubs recommending us to other venues and it snowballs from there.
 

SMMO: What can your band offer the Southern Maryland audiences that other bands don't?
No Limits: VARIETY.  Not many bands in Southern Maryland are doing a large variety.  Most stick to one style of music.  We have a couple that come out to most of our shows.  He likes Classic Rock and she likes Country.  They both have different tastes in music but both enjoy our shows.  We all know that the bottom line is money for the venue. If you bring in a large crowd, get on the dance floor and keep them there until last call, the club will have a good night financially. It is hard to bring in a large crowd when you are starting out, unless your set lists appeal to a variety of people. Our criteria for song selection is to ensure that the song is danceable (or a great sing-along), popular, meaning that you hear it get frequent airplay, and that it is something that we can accurately recreate live.

SMMO: What styles or genre's most influence your music?
No Limits: This is a great question for us.  All 5 members in the band have different tastes in music.  All of us bring a different sound to the table.  Our individual tastes range from Delta blues, to 50s/60s, through classic rock, country and metal. It's great.

SMMO: What most influence's the music we play is the fans.
  No Limits: We play what people who come out to see us want to hear. We are also starting to notice our influences grow as we learn new songs. Some of us have found new favorites by learning music we normally wouldn’t have even considered.

SMMO: How can audiences find out more about you, do you have a website?
No Limits: You can find us on http://www.nolimitsband.net, MDParty.com and right here on SMMO.  Awesome website you have by the way. We are spreading the word about SMMO when other musicians come to our shows and when we go out to hear them.

SMMO: How did the band get its name and how long has the group been around?
  No Limits:We struggled with a name for a long time.  One day I was looking at Roller Coaster names on the internet.  Came up with about 10 names.  We took a vote and "No Limits" was the winner.  It also fits our variety.... not limited to one style of music.  The band was formed in 2000.  Most members have been playing for years prior to the development of "No Limits".

SMMO: Describe your band in one sentence.
  No Limits: "No Limits" is made up of 5 great fun personalities who spread that fun among all the fans who come to see us.

SMMO: Do you perform original songs or cover songs, or both?
No Limits: We perform mostly covers.  I had the great experience of recording a few songs in Nashville a couple of years back.  We play some of those at our shows. We also try to find opportunities to meld two or three covers into unique medleys. The crowd seems to really like these, for example, we inject two verses and a chorus of “Magic Carpet Ride” into the middle of “Born to Be Wild”. The crowds really come to life when they realize what just happened.

SMMO: What is your secret method of providing the best show possible for the audience?
  No Limits: No secret method, just getting the crowd involved with you.  We come to a show to have fun.  We have a blast on stage.  The crowd sees that and they start to join you.  We don't do this to make a living....It's about having fun. It starts a feedback for everyone. The crowd gets louder, we get more enthusiastic, it keeps feeding on itself until the lights come on and everyone is disappointed to stop, the crowd and the band alike.

SMMO: Why is Southern Maryland a good regional area to perform live music?
No Limits: There are a lot of great venues to play, there is tons of talent out there in other bands and most important the people.  We have come to know a lot of people from Southern Maryland.  Southern Maryland people will party with you all night long.  I think the bands support each other, it is genuinely supportive and not competitive.  There are more places to play than bands in this area.

SMMO: What was the strangest thing that happened at one of your shows?
No Limits: It was our first show at a particular venue.  When we started our first set, the venue was full of country music lovers.  The average age in the bar at that time was probably 50.  When we started our last set, the venue was full of Classic Rock music lovers.  The average age in the bar was probably 30.  This was a major change right before our eyes.  It was like we played in two different venues that night.  We looked at each other after the show and all said, "What just happened here tonight".  We talked about that night for a while. Every show is memorable for a variety of reasons. This is good since it keeps us interested in returning to each venue. No two shows are alike.

SMMO: What does your talent mean to you?
  No Limits: It means a lot.  I think each one of us feel very fortunate to have the talent we have.  Each member has worked hard to get where they are.  The dedication and hard work put into the band pays off when people come out to hear you and make you feel good about what you have worked hard for.   As we have said before, we are all in this for fun. We all have day jobs and families, no one expects a recording contract, we aren’t pushing for the big time, we all simply love to play, love to perform, and we get our rewards at the end of every song. That keeps it pure, without the hint of trying to use each show to get ahead. We use each show as an excuse to come back and do it again.