On the Verge: Middle Class Rut rides high on 'New Low'

By Korina Lopez, USA TODAY

Raising a ruckus: Between the two of them, Middle Class Rut members Zack Lopez (guitar) and Sean Stockham (drums) can make a lot of noise. Their single, New Low, off their raucous debut album No Name No Color, peaked at No. 5 on USA TODAY's alternative charts. To maintain the raw energy in their music, the band records immediately after rehearsal. "At first, it was a means of documenting our material," says Stockham. "We were writing so much that we'd forget it if we didn't put it down immediately."

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  By Steve Gullick

  Zack Lopez and Sean Stockham of Middle Class Rut are currently on tour promoting their debut album, No Name No Color.

By Steve Gullick

Zack Lopez and Sean Stockham of Middle Class Rut are currently on tour promoting their debut album, No Name No Color.

Sixteen years and counting:�The pair, both 29, have been honing their recording process since they were 13, camped out at Lopez's mom's house. "We were influenced by the rock bands that were big in our time like Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Tool," says Lopez. "But we're really focused on evolving our sound to be unique. And we've been doing this for so long, I think we've achieved that."

Early disappointments:�Like most artists, Lopez and Stockham worked other jobs while they found their footing. The duo's first band, Leisure, broke up in 2003, and for awhile Lopez was in construction in their hometown of Sacramento, and Stockham tuned drums in recording studios in Los Angeles. "We lost touch, but then when we reformed, we decided that the core of the band will always just be the two of us," says Lopez.

Hard work:�The 12 songs on the album are the product of four years of single-minded dedication. "We've been recording music as long as we can remember and we've been making this album since we started," says Stockham. "This album is a mix of our older and newer music and best tells our story."

The process:�The first rule of Middle Class Rut is that there are no rules. "We both do the writing," says Stockham. "Any idea comes up, we start filling in the rest together."

Catch them live:� They're on a headlining tour and new fans can catch them through the spring after which point they'll take a couple of months before the Warped Tour kicks off June 24 in Dallas. "We plan to just keep touring," says Stockham. "It's a lot of hard work, there's a lot of driving. But it's easier to do the work when you know that people are listening to you, so having a song on the radio and people actually coming to our shows helps a lot."

Career highlight:�While there's still a long way to go for the buzz band, the pair is thankful for their success. "The high point has definitely been putting out this record," says Lopez. "There were so many false starts, the release date kept getting pushed around, and everything we have now is due to the fact that we were able to get this record out."

And the low point, so far? "Every day up until then," says Stockham.

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