by ESPN Music on September 25, 2015
from https://www.espn.com/blog/music/post/_/id/8530/espn-music-exclusive-interview-nikki-monninger-of-silversun-pickups
[Note: this is an interview that's currently still available and this archive is meant only to keep the contents and discussions inside preserved and visible online. Please follow the link in the header and read more from the source if you're interested.]
Today marks the release of Silversun Pickups' 4th full length album, Better Nature. ESPN Music had the chance to sit down and talk with the band's bassist, Nikki Monninger, about their new album, sports, and her days as a cheerleader.
Along with a love of music, Monninger has been an avid sports fan from a young age. Growing up cheering for the Dolphins and Lakers with her brothers, she told us:
"I grew up always watching football. During football season I would wake up smelling pancakes and bacon and hearing football games. I liked the sound of the crowd in a football arena...Aside from football, we would always watch basketball, specifically the Lakers. Christopher our drummer and Joe our drummer are huge Lakers fans as well."
When she wasn't watching professional sports on TV, she was a cheerleader at a young age, rooting on her brothers who were always playing football for one team or another. Aside from just cheering, Monninger competed in track and field in high school as well.
"I had that competitive streak in my bones."
Now that she's put down the pom-poms and picked up the bass, Nikki and the rest of the band are prepping for their next big release. Their 4th album, Better Nature, drops today. With some truly beautiful artwork photographed in the California desert (pictured above), Monninger told us about how this album differs from their previous work.
"With Neck of the Woods...I feel like that album felt a little colder and this one seems warmer. I think we had a nice time recording it. There are some good vibes happening in this album."
We have had a blast featuring the songs "Connection" and "The Wild Kind" from the new album as part of our Featured Music of the Month for ESPN Programming. Nikki left us with this about ESPN and Silversun Pickups teaming up:
"We're big fans of ESPN, so whenever it's played we have family members calling and everyone's really excited about it. I'm just really into sports so it's really exciting to have our music incorporated into it."