MAS: Congratulations Nick Story for the take all in the August Male Solo Contest! Tell us how you got started as a singer and how your recording career began.
Nick: It all started when I was 14 years old. I spent a lot of time alone in a big old empty house – it was just me and my dad living there. I picked up my father’s old Classical guitar and gave the bottom E-string a pluck. I was so amazed by the effect and the resonance that I was pulled towards this instrument. Once I could play a few tunes the songs just started coming (and have done ever since).
MAS: Well, your love of music definitely shines through. How did you develop your sound? Are you the primary songwriter, or is it collaborative?
Nick: I dropped in and out of schools drifting about the city of Auckland where I was from as a teen. During this patch I was an unhappyish sort of angsty type of kid – playing a battered ol classical but influenced by grunge rock (Nirvana, Soundgarden) and also in awe of the Classical Guitarists (Sergovia Williams) – so my verses would be melodic finger plucky things, and the chorus would fly in with chunky power chords and heavy strumming. Heal and Bind is no exception to this! On Heal and Bind there is a collaboration with Anne Marie Sanderson on Cello and backing vocals, Alex Jarman on Drums, and Jean Narwocki on Bass. Like most of my stuff, I write the song and then invite others to contribute.
MAS: What’s the story behind the song you’ve entered in the Make A Star contest?
Nick: It was written while on the road and away from home. It captures how I felt one time when I was disenchanted with the drifter's lot in life. I have also written songs from a more settled place within, romanticising the drifter's way of life. Heal and Bind also speaks of folks back home and how important a part of life they are, and the need to heal the rifts of your past.
MAS: How does MakeAStar.com compare with other websites for music fans and musicians?
Nick: The MakeaStar.com website is a good platform for musicians to gain exposure. As a musician I treat the idea of musical competitions somewhat skeptically; however the makeastar.com formula of a wide panel of judges and public voting seemed to work pretty well.
MAS: Which musical influences have other people compared you to?
Nick: I've been compared to Dylan, Neil Young, Magnet (a Norwegian songwriter) J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) and someone once told me I was like a male version of Ani DeFranco! You might not hear any of these strains in Heal and Bind but my style and stuff changes year to year...
MAS: What sets you apart from other artists in your genre?
Nick: The dynamic of finger plucking and heavy strumming is pretty unique to me from what I've seen. Originality is one of the biggest drivers in my songwriting and performance. After quite some time searching, I was able to find a voice that I'm pleased to call my own.
MAS: Who do you get inspiration from or wish to emulate in music and life?
Nick: I'm based in London and am surrounded by some phenomenal people doing some amazing things. They have thrown ego and self gratification aside and are beautifully focused on what gives life meaning. People like Oz Bayldon, who works tirelessly to help orphaned children in Nepal through his charity music4children, or Martin Harley – who has helped rejuvenate Blues in the UK. I host an open mic night in London and I'm always inspired by anyone who takes the stage for the first time in their life, whatever the age and whoever they are, they are freeing themselves of fear and learning to fly as the free creatures they truly are. Inspiration seems everywhere I look to be honest.
MAS: What are your musical plans for the year ahead?
Nick: To continue to build on my profile, write more songs, play many gigs, collaborate further and to fill my life with music and new musical opportunities.
MAS: Who were your favorite musicians as a child? What was your first album or concert?
Nick: First record was BAND AID (Feed the World). First concert was a strange one: it had SNAP, Meat Loaf, 2 Live Crew, Nilsson Bros – an interesting line up you could say. Meat Loaf eclipsed them all- that guy rages with intensity.
MAS: What is the best and worst part about being a musician?
Nick: I cannot think of a bad thing about being a musician at all. Music is pure joy when created with an open heart and pure intention. Collaborating with other musicians is an amazing way to connect. As with anything, music may become hard when there is a lot of ego involved – but that is more about ego, and not about music itself.
MAS: What is the best and worst part about the music industry today?
Nick: I've noticed a powerful shift back to the live form of music. There is only so much of the experience that can be had via a web browser – and a thirst for live performance is as healthy as it ever was. Festivals sell out within hours in the UK, and any given night of the week people will be out and about to have their ears massaged and their senses tickled by live musical performances. Best and Worst parts of the industry? It's all one big evolving organism really, so I don't want to label things as good and bad – you must take both aspects of it and roll with the changing times.
MAS: Tell us something completely random.
Nick: Every second of every day of our existence, we are creating the world we see, hear, taste and experience. It's a beautiful thing.
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