High on Stress are celebrating the release of their second album, Cop Light Parade at the Fine Line on Sept. 5. Lead singer and guitarist, Nick Leet talks to How Was The Show about the changes in the band, growing up in North Dakota and Ted Nugent.
How Was The Show: Talk about your early musical experiences—when you started playing, influences, etc.
Nick Leet: I started playing music at the age of 16. It was pretty much me in the basement for about a year. Then my friends and I started a band when I was 17 and that lasted through almost seven years, three albums and a move to a new state. My influences early on were Nirvana, Prince, Fig Dish and the Violent Femmes. As time went on and I got older, it turned into Elliott Smith, the Replacements, Wilco and stuff like that.
HWTS: You are originally from North Dakota—what brought you to the Twin Cities?
NL: My former band and I moved here in 1999. When you live in North Dakota, playing in a band can be difficult. It’s easier to get noticed if you’re out playing shows, writing your own songs and putting out records. We put out CDs in Minot in the 1990s. That was long before every band owned disc burners. The main problem, though, is there is not a lot of opportunities to play if you’re not setting up your own shows. That and not being punk rock enough. Now where did I put my dog collar? My neck feels naked without it.
HWTS: After leaving your former band, did you have a clear idea about what you were going to do next?
NL: Not at all really. I fattened myself up, played solitaire and went through a bad break-up with my girlfriend at that time. You know, the whole “I’m a miserable fuck” bit. I ended up listening to a lot of Bob Dylan and Whiskeytown and playing guitar again. The acoustic-based songs came early due to necessity. Paper-thin walls at the studio apartment and no band practice space will do that to you.
HWTS: How did High on Stress come about?
NL: I put up a “band wanted” sign at a few places. One of them was at Music Go Round. Mark [Devaraj] ended up calling based on that poster and said he played drums. After that, producer/bass player Jon Tranberry offered to play bass, and from him came Ben “Country” Baker. We put out Moonlight Girls and it fell apart and rearranged itself from there a few times.
HWTS: Your debut CD, Moonlight Girls, got a lot of Westerberg nods—do you love Paul the way a lot of people think you love Paul?
NL: I think it’s all a coincidence, really. Did I mention Slim Dunlap is playing our release show? Hell yes, I’m a fan. It’s un-American to not like the Replacements or Westerberg. They stand for freedom and democracy.
Cop Light Parade
HWTS: It took three years for this CD, Cop Light Parade, to see the light of day. What took so long?
NL: Life bit us in the bonch a few times. Our original bassist, Jon, left the band and then Jim Soule jumped in to take his place right before a show with Jackson Browne in Wisconsin. After that, Ben Baker, our original guitarist, ended up spending a lot of time in Shanghai, China for his job. It was really a hard time. He would step off the plane after an 18-hour flight and come to practice or shows. I’ve made that flight. It’s the worst. He deserves a medal. When he was around, we’d play shows and work on the record. Finally, he was asked to move to China and we tried to get the record done as quickly as possible. 62% of the record stayed intact, but since it was rushed, we had to re-record and drop a few things. That’s when Chad Wheeling entered. He came in and knocked us silly with his guitar heroics. He’s a gem of a guy.
HWTS: Is there a particular song on the album that you think best exemplifies what you wanted to accomplish with this release?
NL: I would say “Cop Light Parade.” I think it exemplifies how some people live their lives. At least I hope it’s taken that way or I have failed as a mediocre songwriter.
HWTS: The CD release party for Cop Light Parade is Friday, September 5 at the Fine Line. What all are we going to see there?
NL: We’re hoping to see a lot of faces and rock 2/3 of them, to be honest. You’re going to see Slim Dunlap, former guitarist of the Replacements (for people reading that were born in 1999 or later). You’ll see The Snaps, featuring members of the Flamin’ Ohs., High on Stress will be wearing Ted Nugent style loincloths—Jim’s may blow up in the back from time to time. And finally, our good friends and band of amazingness, Romantica. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. We’ve got some special surprises.
HWTS: Thank you for all of your time. Any final comments?
NL: Thank you for taking the time to ask about our half-ass rock band. I’m super excited about the record and how the band is sounding. The release show is going to be a blast and the early press we have received makes me pinch Chad’s ass to make sure that I’m not dreaming. People are nice—except for the people who aren’t nice to me. Then I write songs about them. Beware, bitches!
