A direct hit with Near Miss

Heavy-hitting bands aren't hard to seek out these days, but a band with the unique flavor of Christian grindcore, a touch of old-school bluegrass and a smidgen of Tejano are just too rare of a find these days. Local misfits, Near Miss proudly wear the label with smiles and a record deal to boot.

"What makes us different from every other band in Austin?" bassist Mychael Bingham asks. "Well, every band here is different in its own way. I know this is going to come off as cocky, but we have the best drummer in the world. [Max Bechard] is the best thing to ever hit a drum set. Put him up against anybody."

"Austin's kind of like one of those incestuous scenes [for music]. I moved here in '98 and I've been in 12 bands already," Bingham says, remembering his days as a drummer.

He has spent plenty of time bouncing from band to band until he found the perfect match for his style of music. Near Miss was the opportunity of a lifetime. With influences like Helmet, Fugazi, Quicksand and Metallica, one can only think of what kind of show these boys can put on.

Being on Takeover Records, an independent label, things have become a lot easier than recording on their own. They started out in a Storage USA space and ended up in a recording studio.

"With any label, in most cases, no matter what the size of the label, it's better in some aspects because in some way or another you're getting support," said Joshua Portman, lead guitarist. "Financially, you're getting support to get the records out and it's a huge support."

When creating their second album, "Testing the Ends of What They'll Put Up With," Near Miss was only a trio of Bechard, Bingham, and vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Hernandez. When talks turned to finding another guitarist, things just sort of fell into place.

Portman had come to Texas to pursue a position in a band called Staring Back, but unfortunately, the band dissipated before he had the chance. Portman soon, through a long chain of phone calls, became the new guitarist of Near Miss.

"I grew up listening to a lot of metal and, ever since then, it's all I ever wanted to do," Portman said of his childhood music fantasies. "It's all I ever knew since I was a little kid."

Being that music is the biggest part of their lives, the Near Miss crew makes it all about being on the road. Once they round each other up, they climb into a van and take off for a cross-country tour. "Touring is a bittersweet thing," Bingham said. "You have good shows and you have bad tours. There can be four people. There can be no people. MTV needs to give me a film crew and we can show them how a band our size does it, how we survive it."

They're not a huge band, but they definitely have a following in Austin. They even have a fan base overseas.

"We have a lot of requests from a lot of different kids in other countries to come play for them," said Portman of their many Myspace comments.

For the boys of Near Miss, rock is an everyday American dream and they hope to continue doing what they're doing for the rest of their lives.