When I tell people I’m in a band, which I can’t seem to shut up about, they ask me what instrument I play. But I don’t play an instrument. So then they ask if I sing. Yes, I do sing. But never in public.
Must be some band, they say. Which it is. The outfit is called Nick & Friends, and our many loyal fans are called Nifties. Around Beloit, Wisconsin, everyone knows about Nick & Friends. Or they soon will. My small role in this band is to tell stories.
Like this one, about how I got here. It begins in 5th Grade, the age at which many musicians get their start: the age you choose your instrument and join the school band. By the time I arrived in 5th grade, however, my older brother had just returned his sleek and beauteous tenor sax to the school, his days as a musician already behind him. And now it was my turn. Which instrument would I choose? My parents were supportive but practical-minded people. Armed with the case law of my brother’s failed musical experiment, they suggested I take a pass. Look what happened to your brother, they said. If you join band, you won’t have time for homework. Your grades will suffer.
I never did join band, and I remain today musically unschooled. My grades were decent. Yet here I am today in this slay band, lending one small voice to the ensemble.
This is Nick & Friends, and you’ll hear them play only original music. In other words, they have their own stories to tell. You could say that songs are just stories with a beat. That’s what I would say, but you can see why it’s in my best interest to say so.
You can catch Nick & Friends live the first Friday of each month, from 7 to 9, at Cheezheadz in Beloit, WI.
