The Nico Blues: never the same thing twice

The Nico Blues is a band from New York that is proud of its DIY approach to making music. The members of the band discuss the creative process, bands they would like to play with, and how they would occupy themselves if they weren't making music.

Complete the sentence. The Nico Blues is...

5 guys who have a serious appreciation for music, and want to create fresh, exciting songs for music fans.

Take us inside the creative process. Give an example of how a Nico Blues tune might come together.

This happens a number of ways. Eric or Evan may come to the band with a song on guitar and a vocal melody, and then we build layers onto that. Other songs come entirely out of jams, often remaining very close to their original form when they're first jammed out. The reason our songs hit on such a range of different styles is because they are never written the same way twice.

What can we expect from the upcoming album?

It's a huge step forward. We're more competent engineers/producers/mixers now, so without regard to the music, it will just sound better. About the songwriting, it's more varied than ever. There are folk songs, post-hardcore songs, alternative rock songs, and some that lack a description entirely. We've embraced alot dirtier distortion this time around, and modeled our guitars after bands like Dinosaur Jr and other indie pioneers. Overall, it's just exciting. 9 new songs, and we promise that we never repeat ourselves.

If you could have a beer and a conversation about music with anyone, who would it be? Why?

Evan: John Frusciante, though he doesn't drink. He has a great sense of what music is about.
Reed: Craig Finn of the Hold Steady. He is the smartest frontman of our generation, and has so much to say.
Skylar: A normal dude at one of our shows. Maybe he'll have something cool to tell me.
Eric: Jack White, I want to hear about what music he's listening to.
Danny: Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, to learn more about his unique guitar techniques

You get to put a bill together with three other artists. Who do you get to fill the bill with you?

The Hold Steady
Modest Mouse
Dinosaur Jr.

What would you be doing if you weren't making music?
Reed would be wallowing in his own shit. Evan would be climbing trees. Skylar wouldn't even be able to look in the mirror. Eric would go into hibernation. Danny would work at the gas station.

Check out videos of The Nico Blues.