Since their 2007 debut put Framing Hanley on the map, they've built a career on passion and fearless genre-blending. They’ve given us catchy alt-rock songs, emotional anthems, and post-hardcore bangers — even a gold-certified cover of Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” — and somehow it all still feels unmistakably them. After a brief hiatus in 2015, they returned and are hitting harder than ever. Their latest single, “Poor lil Me,” blends raw vulnerability with an edge in a way that only Framing Hanley can.
I caught up with frontman Nixon to talk about their evolution, what’s next for Framing Hanley, and finding their voice again.
MSM: Since your debut, you have consistently evolved. What's been the key to staying creatively inspired after all these years?
NIXON: I mean, I guess life will kind of do that for you. I think a big part of it for me was kind of getting away from music for a while. That probably helped quite a bit, actually, in terms of creating and writing. But yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say always, but most of the stuff I write about is just life stuff that I'm going through. But that said, a lot of the stuff that I've written also is about television and different movies. So yeah, I don't know. I mean, I don't think that. I guess there's no one-size-fits-all answer other than the stuff that I think our newer stuff that I've been working on is more about just what my life has been in the last 10 years or so.
MSM: So, the new single, “Poor lil Me,” has been described as brutally honest and cathartic. Are there any emotions or moments that inspired it in particular that you want to share?
NIXON: I think, probably, a lot of it has to do with just the grumpy old man side of me now. But I think just realizing what we've all devolved to as far as a species, I guess, just how, literally, what that chorus talks about, just being wrapped up in our phones and computer screens, all while life is just kind of passing us by. We start to realize that sometimes maybe when it's a little too late, and that's where I feel like I've been the last couple years. It’s just, especially as a father, I see my children and just how carefree they are. And obviously, growing up and becoming an adult, there are more responsibilities, so you're going to lose some of that regardless. But I just think that at times we probably all miss that innocence and just really the wonderment of life in general, if that makes any sense. And yeah, I mean to me, this is truly one of the most honest songs. It's kind of about the unraveling of someone who's been shouldering the quiet heaviness of a disappointment, and longing for what's now gone. It's the kind of tired that sleep doesn't fix. So yeah, that was the way that song came about; it was truly just kind of spilled out onto the paper, if you will. So yeah, it's a special one.
MSM: So, with the visuals for “Mean It,” and then the vibe of this one (“Poor lil Me”), it all seems to reflect a possibly darker or emotionally intense era.
NIXON: Yeah, I think that's fair to say. Well, I don't know I guess I would let you be the judge of that. I know that's a terrible answer for someone that you're interviewing, but yeah, I guess that's kind of not my place to make those assertions.
MSM: So, your lyrics touch on a lot of, like you said, life: things like mental health exhaustion, and modern disillusionment. Do you feel that you have a responsibility to speak to that through your music, or is that more of a therapy thing for you?
NIXON: Yeah, it's more therapy than anything. I don't feel like it's my responsibility to do anything other than be a good human and raise good humans (my children.) That's my responsibility. But yeah, I think it's getting away from music for the time that I did. I found my passion and love for it all over again, and I kind of gravitated back, if you will, for all the right reasons. It was truly therapy again, and I'd kind of gotten away from that for a bit. So it feels very good to be back at that point because it helps me deal with a lot of my shit.
MSM: On that note, what songs would you say (past or present) have been the most healing for you personally?
NIXON: I mean, I would say for sure this song ("Poor lil Me"). There's another song that I think will probably see the light of day in the coming six months or so, too, called “Sweet Tooth.” That was also just about truly probably the lowest point in my life. I think also being able to reflect back on things after the fact, too. There's growth in that. There's something that can be learned from those moments. So yeah, what I'm writing now, I feel like, is the most vulnerable and honest songwriting that I've ever done.
MSM: And you've also you've gotten to grow up alongside your fan base, which is really cool.
NIXON: Yeah.
MSM: Do you feel like that's influenced just the stories that you decide to tell in any way?
NIXON: Maybe a little bit, yeah. I think maybe I've always been a bit of an old soul, but I remember early on when I would—I don't want to say try to invoke any wisdom, or that's not really the right way to put it, but when I would write about lamenting about life or anything like that, I would work with producers who sometimes would—European bases are young. You don't want to be that old guy. So yeah, I mean, I think knowing that a large majority of people out there have gone through the same shit, I'm not special. We all go through the same shit, really. That's one of the craziest things about life—all the different walks of different paths that we have. We still, a lot of times, are going through the same shit. And yeah, I think knowing that there are people out there that can identify with a lot of the stuff that I write about or that I'm going through. It keeps me honest, and I think it also makes it almost feel like there's some safety there in that vulnerability. So yeah, there's no reason to run away from it, I guess.
MSM: Yeah. So how do you feel like Framing Hanley in 2025 compares to the version of Framing Hanley that debuted in 2007?
NIXON: Other than being older and our bodies falling apart on us at this point? No. I mean, there is no comparison. I often think, "Man, if I could go back and know what I know now and be the musician and the songwriter that I am now back then, my life would be pretty different right now," I think. But we all take different paths right after just saying that we all take a lot of the same paths; truly, the destinations are how I got here, I guess. And it's the summation of everything that I've been through. So, I don't regret any of what I've gone through, I guess you could say. And it's made me the artist that I am, and I think that's why I'm not afraid to wear my heart on my sleeve. And so, the vulnerability that we're showing now on these new songs. But, as far as just I'm concerned, I'm a much better songwriter now, and I'm having a lot more fun doing it as well. This collection of guys, this ensemble of musicians, is the best that Framing Hanley has ever been. And we just all click way more than any iteration of Framing Hanley in the past.
Framing Hanley’s cover of “Lollipop” (2007)
MSM: Did you ever have a moment during your hiatus that you didn't know if you would come back?
NIXON: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we call it a hiatus now, but when we called it a day in 2015, it was permanent. I had no intentions of playing music again. And then I had success in a career outside of music that I still do outside of music, and it made me go back to music, like I said, for the right reasons. I wasn't trying to write singles to take care of my family or to pay the bills. I was writing music to deal with my shit. So yeah, I truly, when it was all said and done in 2015, it was all said and done. And then Ryan and I got back together, and Ryan and I were really the principal songwriters from the moment he joined the band for A Promise to Burn. And before that, it was Tim and I, who left the band back in late 2007/early 2008, which led to Ryan joining the band. But when Ryan and I started writing music again, it was just like, I think initially we had intentions of it being more Americana, even rooted in country. And the more we kept writing, I realized, like, yo, these still sound like Framing Hanley songs because we are Framing Hanley. We've always written the Framing Hanley stuff. So it just felt natural, and fast forward 10 years later now, which is crazy. I'm glad we made that decision because I'm in a much better place in life now because I have that outlet again.
MSM: And then, I mean, genre-wise, who knows what'll happen, right?
NIXON: I would say the Flowers EP that we put out, that we released just for the tour that we did back in April and May. Across that entire thing, I would say that it is very adventurous in terms of genres. I don't really think there's one song that sounds like the next on there, and the song “Sweet Tooth” specifically that I was just talking about, is almost an eighties goth synth-pop song with a very, very, very, very, very heavy subject matter, which I love because it's about, like I said, going through some of the toughest shit that I ever went through in my life, being at my lowest point, not knowing if I could do it anymore, and almost making the worst decision I could ever make. But it still has this vibe to it, musically, that you just have to nod your head and want to dance to. And I love that dichotomy.
MSM: Yeah. So you wrapped up the ‘Flowers’ tour with a set at Sonic Temple. How did that go?
NIXON: Oh, that was so sick. Yeah, especially a lot of the cities that we went to, we hadn't gone to in 10 years. It's tough to tour consistently out west when you're from the Southeast, just because when you're not pounding these same markets over and over again, so it's easy for people to forget about you. And as I said, we all grow older, and we have responsibilities. So a lot of these markets that 10, 15 years ago we were going to and doing 500 plus a night, we went to on that tour, and it wasn't anywhere close to that in some of these cities. So, I would say that I got a little pessimistic about that. And then to end the tour with Sonic Temple and to play in front of, I think, about 25,000 people in front of our stage. By the time we had finished our set, it was like one of those, "All right, now the tour's over, now we can go home." I felt fulfilled. And that's not a shot at the cities where the turnouts weren't as great as what they had been last time we were there, because the people that came had a good ass time, and we made sure that we gave them that. But Sonic Temple was just, yeah, I mean, it's been a while since we played the festivals in America, so to do it again was a blast, and I'm hoping that there's more of that to come next summer.
MSM: Yeah. Did you get to have any memorable fan interactions where it was like OG fans?
NIXON: Yeah, I mean, there were definitely a lot of people that I haven't seen. Are you talking about at Sonic Temple specifically?
MSM: Yeah, the tour in general.
NIXON: Oh, yeah. Yeah. The tour in general, for sure. And then at Sonic Temple, there were a lot of people right up front that I saw wearing shirts that we printed back in 2008 and 2009, just OGs. And then as a fan myself of other artists, it was standing side stage watching Three Six Mafia looking over at the end of our set, and my buddy Colin, who's now the drummer in Linkin Park, was standing there watching our set. Yeah, it was a good-ass time, for sure, the entire tour. And then, like I said, to end it with Sonic Temple was kind of the cherry on top of everything.
MSM: And I'm sure that's just one of the many things to come.
NIXON: Yeah, I mean, I think that the strength of this music that we are creating right now, I think is going to not only remind people of Framing Hanley, but introduce a lot of new people to Framing Hanley.
MSM: So, in a time where everyone is curating perfection online, how important do you feel it is to show the "broken" side of things?
NIXON: I think that, again, there is no fooling people at this point. We all know what life is. We all know that we put on our shoes the same way, and I guess the pants the same way, one leg at a time. So it's like, yeah. I mean, I don't think—I guess the best way to answer that is I think that as a society, we were smarter than maybe 10 years ago when the Kardashians and shit when looking perfect was all the rage. There's beauty in the imperfections, and I think that the vulnerability of an artist sharing that goes a long way with connecting with an audience.
MSM: So, if someone were to stumble upon your latest single, "Poor lil Me," and they were going through a dark time, what do you hope they would take away from it?
NIXON: Just a reminder, that sense of wonderment about life is still there. It's just maybe the responsibilities in life and the weight of all the shit that we all go through. It's easy to let that bury it down sometimes, and then it can become this passenger that we forget we're even carrying around anymore. But there's so much out there still to remember that we should be thankful about. And sometimes it's best to take— not just for the sake of your relationships, but for your mental well-being as well — it's probably best to take a break from that screen every now and again.
MSM: Yeah. So looking back on your journey, which has been quite a while, do you have one decision or a risk that you're most proud of?
NIXON: I think walking away when we did was for what ended up being a hiatus instead of a permanent vacation, I guess. I think that was so crucial to my well-being, to my mental health, and to the strength of the music that Framing Hanley is creating now. I'm glad that we did that. I did it originally because of my kids. My oldest son was starting school, and I wanted to be more present, and I don't think that I would be as fulfilled in my life as I am now if I hadn't made that decision. I've never been the ‘everything happens for a reason‘ type of guy, but there was so much positivity that came from taking that break, including, and not to be overshadowed, the fact that this ensemble now is me, Nick, and Matt. And, like I said and I already touched on, I've just never clicked with artists and musicians like we do. And I'll also throw Richie Wicander’s name in there. He plays drums for a band called Fire from the Gods, and he was instrumental in a lot of the writing, co-writing, and production on the EP with me. And I think he helped me explore a lot of that vulnerability that I had kind of closed off maybe for a while. But yeah, and I heard your question after that — I have one kid that just turned eight today, one that turns 12 in a couple weeks, and one that turns 16 next February. Those are my three boys, and then I've got an almost eight-month-old daughter.
MSM: Oh, so you have been busy. So, my question for that is: do your kids know how cool you are?
NIXON: Oh, absolutely not. I will say my two youngest sons, definitely, especially my eight year old's age, they think I'm cooler than my high school sophomore son does. He might not admit that his dad has had at least had cool moments in the past, but he just hit me up an hour ago asking if he could borrow my Doc Martins to wear to some concerts one night.
MSM: He'll come around.
NIXON: Yeah, we'll see.
MSM: Yeah. And then you've had so many milestones. Do you have a goal now, like a bucket list, or is it really just to keep doing your therapy through music?
NIXON: I would love for this to grow even bigger than it's been in the past still, especially just knowing that I'm writing music that is not just honest, but that I think a lot of people can relate to, especially, like you said, the fans that have kind of grown with us. So, I would love for that audience to grow even more. That said, I am not great anymore at playing the social media algorithmic shit, and I know that that's a big piece of it. So, I guess I need to get better at that if I truly want this to blow up again. But I just want people to listen to the tunes, and if it connects with them, I think everything else will kind of fall into place. I think that I've never written music for other people, and I think that maybe is why a lot of these songs are so relatable, because I was just writing about the shit that I was going through and, like we said a thousand times in this interview already, at my most vulnerable state. And I think in that kind of honesty and openness, there's going to be a natural connection with other humans just because, like I said earlier, we might have different paths, but we're kind of walking through the same scenery. So, I think while it might not be the same, there is familiarity in a lot of these stories, probably for a lot of people.
MSM: So, what would you say fans could expect next? If there's anything that you can talk about maybe more singles to come, an album, a tour?
NIXON: Yeah, we're about to drop a music video for “Poor lil Me” either later this week or sometime next week, I think. And then we got a couple more singles in the chamber that we're ready to drop. It is cool, the contrast from this song, which I think is one of the more ballad-like songs that we've ever put out, and then we have a song coming out, probably, I would say, before the end of this year called “I'm The Reckoning,” and that's, hands down, the heaviest song that we've ever released. So yeah, the plan is to just continue dropping songs, and I think probably ultimately it leads to an album, but the way that things go now in the music industry, artists are just regularly dropping content and songs. And what I want to do is just to make sure that we're staying consistent and busy.
MSM: And then I just have a couple fun questions for you. So, we got the hard stuff out of the way. Are there any fun facts that people may not know about you?
NIXON: No. I mean, I'm obsessed with American football and English football. I love football and soccer. My love and passion for football and fantasy football is right up there for my love and passion for music.
MSM: Who's your team?
NIXON: Unfortunately, the Jacksonville Jaguars—it hasn't been an easy almost 30 years now of my life supporting that team. But yeah, I am a sucker for the punishment, and I stick around as a true fan. So yeah, my 12-year-old Landry, he is a little badass at soccer, so that's really rehashed my love for soccer, especially over the last five years. And that's something that he and I connect with—that's our thing. Just like when he's with his mom, he'll text me news during the week about different transfer moves and stuff for players going to other clubs, and he always tells me that when he's playing in the English Premier League, he's going to make sure that I have a place over there to to live with him. So yeah, I'm holding him to that.
MSM: Yeah, absolutely. If you were an animal, what would you be?
NIXON: Man, I guess an eagle just because America, right? No, but I mean, they can fly. And they’re hunters. And they’re protected so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting shot down or anything.
MSM: Two more questions. First one's really easy, hopefully. What have you been listening to lately?
NIXON: Let's see, Jean Dawson dropped a new album last year. That's one of my favorite albums that I've heard in a while. I don't even know how to describe it. Originally, when I discovered him a few years back, I just would say he's a hip-hop artist. But there are parts on this album that are so Prince-like that, yeah, I just think that that dude is special. So, Jean Dawson, and then Medium Build is another artist that I love. He dropped an album last year called Country that I think was one of the best albums of the last 10 years. Obviously, I think everyone loves Sleep Token, but also the Jean Dawson album, Glimmer of God, and Country by Medium Build, too. When I have a long road trip, if I'm not listening to fantasy football podcasts or MMA podcasts, I'm listening to those two albums, at least.
MSM: And then this one's a little tricky — if your music (2025 Framing Hanley) was an ice cream flavor, what would it be?
NIXON: I could say like a rainbow sherbert, maybe. Just because I think there's something for everyone. It's a little all over the place.
