Hinder (verb): 1. to be or get in the way of. 2. To obstruct or delay the progress of. 3. To interfere with action or progress.

Let nothing 'hinder' your appreciation of the subtleties purveyed by this Oklahoma City five some, who are collectively dedicated to bringing back the good old decadent days when sex, drugs and rock & roll weren't dirty words, but a way of life.

"Well, I was born in Plano, TX, moved to Jones / Oklahoma City, OK one year later. I got my first drum set for x-mas when I was 12 yrs old. It was an old, beat up, 7 piece, fiberglass kit. It sounded like s**t, but I loved that thing. Over the next couple of years I taught myself how to play. I started a little band while I was in middle school with a couple of friends. It was probably the most horrible sounding s**t that anyone has ever heard, but it was a good time. In high school, I slowly started to lose my interest in drums and picked up guitar. I probably didn't pick up a pair of drum sticks for over 2 years, until the day that Hinder began. That was the day that life pretty much changed. We knew it was going to happen right away. We recorded that first practice with one microphone and a karaoke machine.

For the next week, I let everyone I knew listen to that tape. I think everyone that heard it knew that Hinder was going to be something great. For the next few years, I continued to go to school at the University of Central Oklahoma so I could learn as much about business as possible. I think I learned how to get f**ked up more than anything else, but I retained just enough knowledge to incorporate it into the music business."

"We're hoping to be the band to get people into rock again," says Cody, who writes the bulk of the band's material with vocalist Austin Winkler. Hinder was formed in Oklahoma City when guitarist Joe Garvey and Hanson discovered Austin singing for a cover band at a college dorm party. "When we first got together, we were in a negative state of mind, recovering from personal problems," says Cody about the band's name. "We had our issues. They were different issues, but we were all trying to overcome them."

Cut to almost five years later and the band has built a healthy regional following, released an independent album, Far From Close, which sold out 5,000 copies, was the object of an honest-to-goodness bidding war between three different major labels and riding high with their major label debut, Extreme Behavior.

"We live the lifestyle," explains Cody. "That's what rock is supposed to be about - rebellion and having fun. We've been blessed with the opportunity to play music as a career, so we might as well take advantage of it and have a good time. Live is where you go out and get a chance to make fans from people who have no idea who you are. You have to go out there, kick ass and win them over."