"We played a couple of shows in Milwaukee," said Spill Canvas lead vocalist Nick Thomas.,”With its latest album No Really, I'm Fine and a bustling touring schedule, alternative rock group The Spill Canvas returns to Milwaukee at the Turner Hall Ballroom Friday.

"We played a couple of shows in Milwaukee," said Spill Canvas lead vocalist Nick Thomas. "We played with Motion City Soundtrack, OK Go, and the Plain White T's in one of the Rave's bigger rooms and that was amazing."

Thomas, joined by drummer Joe Beck, bassist Landon Heil and guitarist Dan Ludeman, started The Spill Canvas in his hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D.

"[Sioux Falls] is not the most functioning machine of music, but now there's a new wave, a new generation of young kids that are starting to play music, and even just new bands with older musicians that have been living in Sioux Falls for a long time," Thomas said. "It's good, but it's more of a local thing."

Thomas said musicians must realize when it is time to move out of a situation and spread a band's music. He said a band should accept its origins and push its way into mainstream audiences and west coast hot spots.

"[Leaving Sioux Falls] was almost out of necessity," Thomas said. "You have to play at as many places as possible and now we're constantly touring."

However, The Spill Canvas hit a minor speed bump when former bassist Scott McGuire left the band in 2006.

"Scott was at that natural point to move on," Thomas said.

The band picked up its current bassist, Heil, as a temporary musician to help record No Really, I'm Fine. Thomas said that Heil is an incredible musician and harmonizes magnificently with the band. As Thomas' former elementary school friend, it's no surprise Heil fits with The Spill Canvas so well.

"We're still testing the waters with Heil," Thomas said. "He's one of our best friends, though. Every day it gets closer to what he's going to become in the band."

Thomas said Heil's contributions to the band are apparent. Heil did not impair the band because, according to Thomas, No Really, I'm Fine had significantly better first week sales than the band's last album. While he is pleased with the album's critical and financial successes, Thomas is not too concerned about the numbers game.

"We're not really interested in shooting straight to the top immediately," Thomas said. "We want to build something organically and want to have more longevity. We want a career out of this rather than go straight to the top, and then fall to the ground on a loyal fan base we've made over the years."

Fans shouldn't worry about The Spill Canvas transforming into something else like a hip hop group, just to bring in financial gains.

"It's all about getting and keeping the old fans, but also appealing to other people as well," Thomas said. "I think we're doing our best in that."

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