It has been quite a ride for Hinder, the Oklahoma City quintet that scored a radio hit with "Lips of an Angel," a raise-your-lighter ballad that will satisfy any '80s rock craving. Lead throat, Austin Winkler, pushes this song and shows he can write a melody.

Another radio track, "Get Stoned," is about -- among other things -- getting stoned. This song has some snot dripping off it, and some fine guitar work from Joe "Blower" Garvey and Mark King.

Due to mass radio play and relentless touring, Hinder's debut album "Extreme Behavior" is flying off the shelves. Now double platinum, "Extreme Behavior" has set the bar very high for the band. Does that make them nervous? It does not sound like it.

"We're not going to stop until we're the biggest band in the world," says drummer Cody Hanson. "Our goal has always been to make rock and roll the biggest thing in the world, like it used to be."

Lofty and unabashed, Hanson's comment represents a nice change of pace from the mopey, shoe-gazing bands out there. Say what you will, Hinder would not care, anyway.

Hanson recently chatted with OMC about the band's beginnings, and how their newfound fame is treating them.

OMC: First of all, congratulations on the platinum status of the album. How does it feel to be a platinum artist?

CH: Well thank you! It feels incredible and it feels even better being a double platinum artist (laughs). It's unbelievable, we feel lucky and privileged.

OMC: I read you were signed three shows into your career. Is that true?

CH: Sort of, not really. Actually, Hinder has been around for about five years now. Myself, Austin, and "Blower" (guitarist Joe Garvey) are the original members. We played like that a few years, and then we decided to get serious and do some recording. We lost a guy, then picked up Mike (Rodden, bass) and Mark, and played three shows with them.

OMC: How do you write? Do you guys jam or do people come in with ideas?

CH: On "Extreme Behavior," myself and Austin would sit around with an acoustic guitar and come up with the backbone: Melody, guitar progression and lyrics. After that, we would take that to everyone else, and let them put their own twists in the songs.

OMC: You like Aerosmith a lot and you recently got to open for them?

CH: Yeah, we got to watch some guys who have been doing for so long. Everyone can cite Aerosmith as an influence. You get to watch them and learn from them. We got a chance to hang out with them at the last show, and they seem fairly cool.

OMC: Are there any producers you want to work with?

CH: I don't think so. The producer that we used on the first album, Brian Howes, in my personal opinion, is the best there is out there. We're very proud of the album and I think we're going to continue to work with him.

OMC: What are the big differences from playing local shows to where you are now?

CH: The crowds are more familiar with the songs and obviously a lot bigger. But we play the same show regardless, and we're having a great time. It's a bigger party, and the bigger we get, the hotter the chicks get. That works out all right.

OMC: How do you keep a level head during all this? Or don't you?

CH: We just have a lot fun. We don't anything too seriously, except for the songwriting. We like to have a great time, we're happy drunks, its all about having fun at this point.

OMC: So life is good for you right now?

CH: Life could not be any better!