Before the storm hit the stage at Tuska Festival, we had the chance to catch up with Daniel Oliver and Mark Vollelunga of Nothing More for a laid-back yet insightful chat backstage. From metal fabrication and motocross bikes to Zelda marathons and festival chaos, the conversation flowed as naturally as a summer breeze before the sonic boom. This was more than just a pre-show warm-up: it was a window into the lives behind the sound, shared over stories of touring, gaming, and the art of rolling with the punches.
Welcome to Finland and Tuska Festival! This isn’t your average stop on a festival run, how does it feel to bring your music to such a heavy, passionate Nordic audience?
Mark Vollelunga: Pretty exciting, honestly. I walked over to the mall earlier today and saw everyone out and about. It just feels more evident here—compared to other metal festivals—how strong the metal community and culture is. And how… normal it is. I love that. It’s different. It’s really cool. And obviously, it’s more widely accepted here. A lot of great metal bands come from this country. So yeah, I’m excited to be here. I know we’re not a black metal band or anything, but we definitely have our metal moments. It’s cool to have made it all the way up here geographically, too. It’s harder to get to. And after coming to Europe for ten years, we finally get to come to Finland.
Daniel Oliver: Yeah, it makes it super special, I think. Just to know that this is our first appearance here. So, nobody’s missed us yet. That’s true. This is us, the first time. And yeah, I’m super pumped. It’s cool.
What’s your favourite part about touring Europe during the festival season? Any unexpected cultural or musical moments that stuck with you?
Mark Vollelunga: You know, we were talking earlier—it’s really cool how, in Europe, all the festivals happen around the same time. You end up playing, like, 15 festivals all in June. It’s not like that in the States. And you get to see these bands… like, I just saw them yesterday, and now we’ll see them again. And then again next week. You run into old friends from other bands you haven’t seen in a long time and reconnect with them. That’s really special to me.
But also, experiencing the food, the culture, the drinks, the people, being foreigners, it’s awesome!
I love it. I really love it over here. I know Dan runs around every city we’re in, checking out castles. Yeah, it’s charming. All the history is epic too, so much older than America for sure.
Daniel Oliver: Yeah, and all the festivals are kind of different and special in their own way. A couple of weeks ago, we were in the Italian Alps at Alpen Flair, just surrounded by vineyards. 15,000 people had to walk through those vineyards to get to the festival grounds. We were the only English-speaking band there. And the band after us, what was their name again? Stahlzeit, I think.
Mark Vollelunga: And they’re a Rammstein cover band.
Daniel Oliver: Yeah, like a Rammstein tribute band.
Mark Vollelunga: But they’re really good. And they look just like Rammstein. They also do all the fire.
Daniel Oliver: Yeah. And I was just having this moment, catering was set up perfectly so I could watch them while I ate.
I’m sitting there, eating this delicious chicken, and it’s just… this beautiful moment. You kind of feel like you don’t belong—but that almost makes it more special. Because you were wanted there.
And we did our thing—among bands that were nothing like us. And there were so many people just having a blast on this mountain. I don’t know… it’s just different. Things like that don’t happen every day. So it’s really special.
What’s the key of surviving the festival season as a band?
Daniel Oliver: Man, I think you just have to be willing to roll with the punches. Some days you’re playing at noon, some days at eight. Some shows are headliners. Sometimes your gear doesn’t show up, and you’re trying to wrap your head around playing on someone else’s guitars—like, how am I going to do this? But I don’t know… if you can just relax, breathe, and understand that it’s part of it—it helps. There’s always some anxiety before you play, but once you’re on stage, things usually fall into place. Just don’t freak out about the little stuff. It’ll all work itself out. And honestly, even if something does go wrong on stage, sometimes that makes the show even better.
Mark Vollelunga: Certain things are out of your control. And freaking out won’t change anything. It’s better to roll with the punches, like Dan was saying. Just go with it—and you’ll have a good time. It really is a ride. A wild ride over here, every festival season.
How do you prepare yourself physically for the festival season? Any extra workouts, sports, diet to be in top shape?
Daniel Oliver: Definitely. I run a lot—it really does take a lot of cardio. The stages are huge, and some of the shows are really hot, especially when you’re out in the sun. But more than anything, it’s what you do right before you play that’s super important. You’ve got to warm up your body, your voice, your hands. And then, you’ve got to mentally get psyched up. Get yourself excited. That’s one of the hardest parts.
Mark Vollelunga: Muster up the courage to put the mask on and go do the thing, switch into show mode.
Daniel Oliver: But put on heavy metal music. Do jumping jacks. It all really helps.
Do you guys get time to actually enjoy the festivals you play at?
Mark Vollelunga: Yes and no. Sometimes we do have an early bus call—we’ve got to get to another country to make a show. We’ve had to do that for several festivals. We actually get to stay here tonight, and we really look forward to those times.
Daniel Oliver: I was stoked to get to see Linkin Park finally at Graspop, even with the new lineup. Then Thrice is another band that’s really important to our band. We got to see them the other day too.
What do you think is one essential item that every fan should bring with them to the summer Metal Festival?
Daniel Oliver: I don’t know. An umbrella hat? (laughs) It’s good for sun, it’s good for rain. They look cool. It’s a fashion statement.
Mark Vollelunga: Nah, they don’t look cool, not recommended as fashion items. (laughs)
Touring can take a mental and physical toll. What do you do to recharge, both individually and as a band, when you finally get a break?
Mark Vollelunga: I think everybody’s answer is going to be a little different. For me, for all of us, it’s about getting away from it all and immersing yourself in something else. I’m a husband and father, and I just like working on my house and spending time with them.
I play a lot of video games—it takes me somewhere else mentally—and I play with my son, which is a lot of fun. And my wife too, actually. We play some couch co-op games.
I’m a big RPG guy—like Final Fantasy, all of those. I’m currently playing Zelda right now. I love Zelda. It’s fun.
Daniel Oliver: I’d say hobbies are important. I really like motorcycles and working on them, working on my car, things like that.
Mark Vollelunga: Yeah, I’d say that. You get away from it, and then when you come back, you’re refreshed, rejuvenated—ready to hang out with your buddies in a hallway again for months at a time.
“Working on the car” – do you have an old car?
Daniel Oliver: I have a 4Runner that I like a lot. It’s a 2003, so it’s not that old. I do metal fabrication for fun, so I’ve built a roof rack for it, added a ladder, rock sliders, and I’ve lifted it.
Mark Vollelunga: And then a tree just fell on it. (laughs)
Daniel Oliver: Yeah, a tree fell on it while I was on tour, so I’ve got doors showing up at my house when I get back—and a liftgate I’ll have to put on. I have an ’83 BMW motorcycle that I ride, and that needs work fairly regularly. I’ve done some custom work on it. I’ve got a motocross bike too, and when you’re riding off-road, you definitely have to keep it clean—it gets washed after every trip to the track. But yeah, I love the labor of love, if you will, when it comes to automotive and motorcycle mechanics. When you get a vehicle running perfectly, and you know you did the work to make it happen—there’s a special pride in that for me.
Interview: Péter Tepliczky
Written by Ditty
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