Interview with Nick Gallant

Let's start with the basics, tell us alil about yourself, how you got into music, where you are from, all the fun stuff.

Well, about me.... I live in Santa Cruz, CA, a gorgeous little beach town small redwood mountains meet the pacific ocean. I moved here for college in 1996, after growing up in Washington D.C. At UC Santa Cruz I got my degree in classical guitar, and after teaching music for a couple years I went back to school at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Once I was done, I high-tailed it back to California (I was getting tired of surfing in 40 degree water in Maine and New Hampshire). Once back in California in 2005 (San Fran at that point) I started working as a staff engineer, producer and studio musician at WaveGroup, a recording studio. Since then, I have been really busy making music for video games, documentaries, and recently a film (called Wrestling Mongolia). WaveGroup is the studio responsible for making all of the cover songs for the Guitar Hero series, so if you have ever played guitar hero, you've heard my guitar playing, my bass playing, and my singing on dozens of songs. Over the last fews years at WaveGroup, I was chipping away at my solo album, which I finally released last March, and since then I have been just trying to get my music out there however I can. Besides pushing my music into video games, college radio, music publications and independent films, I have also been working on two new albums recently - one of the acoustic stuff, one of the funk-your-pants-into a bunch stuff.

Besides your vocals and lyrics, what other contributions did you have to the album?

The album is mostly me on guitar, bass, keys, drums, programming, accordion, spoon, and of course layer upon layer of my vocals. I had some help from some great musicians though - Scott Dugdale played some wonderful keyboards on a couple songs, Sam Ospovat played drums on a couple songs, and my brother Ben Gallant played harmonica, as well as helped out with the writing and production process.

You have a lucid combination of funk and folk in your music, I imagine you have some wide ranging influences, who gets the creative juices going the most for you?

If there is one thing people say to me after hearing my album, its usually something commenting on the wide ranges of styles represented from song to song. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I think that is just a product of me getting inspiration from so many different kinds of music. I've played in everything from a hard rock band, to a acoustic duo, to a Latin folkloric ensemble, to a 8 piece funk band with horns, so my history of performing and writing has really run the gamut. In terms of what blows my socks off and tickles my butt-cheeks, I'd say some of my biggest influences include: Beck, M Ward, Bob Dylan, Prince, Wilco, Jackson Browne, The Beatles, James Browne, Tower of Power, The Pixies, Jeff Buckley, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, Brothers Johnson, and various 80's hair bands that covered my walls when I was 10. What's in my CD player now? Alexi Murdoch, M Ward, Sean Hayes, The Eels, and Beck.

I discovered you on the game "Tap Tap Revenge" on the iPhone, how did that opportunity come about?

Well, having played on/written music for Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Samba De Amigo, Karaoke Revolution, and Dance Dance Revolution, it seemed like Tap Tap was the next logical step in the rhythm game ladder. It has been really fun watching Tap Tap go from a little i phone app to a 2.5 million user game. I get myspace messages, etc from people in Japan, Europe, Australia, etc, because of that game. That has been very fun and satisfying.

I have to admit, I have listened to "Turn Yourself Around" an unhealthy amount of times. The hook is delicious as hell. It grooves very similar to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up", was that by coincidence or a nod to the Motown legend?

Haha, I love the idea of "unhealthy" amounts of listens. I wonder what kind of bodily damage a funk song can cause? Well, it certainly was no intentional nod to Marvin Gaye's classic, but I am always one to praise that guy. I love the feeling that I get when I hear "Got to Give It Up" - it always make me feel like I am at party where the cocktails are amazing and everyone's hair is big and perfect. I hope "Turn Yourself Around" gives the same kind of feeling.

What is that song about? I can't quite decipher all the lyrics (could you include those). I have a few guesses:

1. A friend has gotten himself too involved in selling Amway products (or cocaine), and is pushing the marketing scam so hard on his friends and family that they have now become frustrated and upset with his poor life choices.

2. A vindictive girlfriend buoyed with childish tendencies who responds to only negative behavior.

3. George Bush

The song is about George Bush's vindictive girlfriend who went deep into selling Amway products and almost didn't make it out. You nailed it. No, the song is about someone close to me who was on their way to screwing up their life with drugs. Thankfully, since I wrote that song, that person is doing much better.

(Anyway I could get the a capella to that song?)

As in a recording of just the vocals? Maybe... but it might give away all my secrets. I will tell you that there are about 32 of me singing the chorus, in 4 part harmony across 3 octaves....

What was the inspiration behind "Goodbye Railroad"?

I got the inspiration walking over railroad tracks. On the way to my favorite surf spot in Santa Cruz, you have to cross railroad tracks as you walk to the beach. One day I crossed them and remembered a couple friends that I used to cross those tracks with, but I don't anymore, just because they have moved elsewhere, we've drifted apart, or simply life happened and our paths weren't aligned anymore. Mostly the song is meditation on the fact that some friends in your life will come and go, and this makes me feel both sad and accepting. It also makes me feel love and thankfulness for the times I have had with friends that may never come again.

Guitar of choice...

Good question. I was asked this recently for a guitar magazine article, and the answer was simple: whatever works, or whatever is closest. I'm not much of a gear geek, but i will tell you my most used guitars are my Fender Strats, and my Martin Acoustic. I've been playing a lot of banjo recently too. The bass that was used for the bass line that you could "eat of off" for "Turn Yourself Around" is my Lakland bass. It looks nice.

Do you ever perform live?

I haven't in a couple years, because I have been dong so much recording. When I was in Boston, I was playing live all the time, but that last few years have been much more about writing and recording. That said, I am ready to hit the stage again. I'm starting to think about a mini-California tour.

Being from Santa Cruz, you must eat some fantastic sea food from time to time, what's your favorite dish?

Burrito. Does that come from the sea?

What's better; Salmon or Orange Roughy?

Orange Roughy, because it sounds like a smoothie.

What is a typical day for Nick like?

Wake up, drink coffee. Those two things always happen. The rest: go into my home studio, work on whatever song I'm working on (I tend to have the most inspiration for writing in the morning) for a couple hours, then either go into work at WaveGroup, or work in my home studio. After work, catch a surf at sunset, go home, feed my chickens, eat dinner with my best friend and lover (my wife), and then back into the studio or to do something fun. Beer is always fun.

Your self tittled album "Nick Gallant" is solid and refreshing, Where can your album be purchased?

Well thank you! Please don't tell anyone how much I paid you to say that. It can be purchased many places: i tunes (I suggest getting it there), amazon.com, and lots of other digital distributers. If you get it on i tunes, please write a review, I love going on there and seeing new reviews (if they are good... )

Best of luck with the album and let us know when you drop more material.

Thanks so much. Speaking of new material, I have a new single coming out on December 16th on i tunes, called "Round The Bend". This is gong to be one of the songs on my new album coming out (hopefully) this spring/early summer, and will be coming out as a single so it can appear in Tap Tap Revenge. Check it out, and thanks again Subservient Experiment. You guys win.



MP3: Nick Gallant - Turn Yourself Around


-Morrow