Nick Cleveland

Story

It's my 23rd year alive. I spent my first 18 years hiding, studying, learning, and dreaming, with the latter three being done in my hiding place. My family moved around quite a bit in those years, and so I had a love-hate relationship with friendship and solitude. I was very unsure of myself, especially socially. I didn't think I had much to offer anyone else. 19 brought the start of college, where I studied engineering, fell in love for the first time, and hit rock bottom by the end of my first semester. My second semester, I picked up my Dad's acoustic and started to grow in many ways, but the catalyst for it all was the feeling of making music in real time with my voice and my father's guitar. What you hear on this page are the songs that come from a man still making himself; here's hoping I always will be. Thanks for listening! Nick

Profile

Instruments

Genres

Influences

Equipment

What is music to you? What does it give you?

Music is how my inside gets out. I think that an artist creates because they have something inexpressible in them that they need to try to express. Music is that way for me.

What is your music dream?

I want to sing songs that come from me and touch people in the heart.

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

I'm pretty hesitant to change the world, but if I had to, I'd start with ending the use of slave-labor to mine cobalt, which is in nearly all of our cell phones.

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

Carolina in My Mind - James Taylor. My dad would sing it to us as kids.

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

Bob Dylan, Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Little Richard, Elvis, Johnny Cash, CCR, Queens of the Stone Age, ... I could go on and on. 50's and 60's rock and folk might be the sort of the songs I admire most. It's hard for me to get too narrow when it comes to music.

What inspires you to make music?

I can't define it. I feel an inspiration to write and to play, and so I follow it. Who knows where it comes from?

What is the message you want to send with your music?

I want to share the feeling that comes from letting music flow through me. I want my audience to feel it with me.

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

It's indescribable. Names and labels fall away, time isn't a focus, and there's a spontaneity about the experience.

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

It seems tough to get started from where I'm standing. On the upside, I feel like we're at a turning point in human history; you can feel the world changing. There's so much to write about, and it's all parading by my eyes - I don't have to look for inspiration.

What do you think of Drooble?

Idk man, just signed up. Seems swell so far...

What frustrates you most as a musician?

It's frustrating when you wonder if your stuff is even any good at all. I think I'll always be wondering about that.

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

I love to go to open mics and meet local musicians.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

Beats me.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

Check out Savant. He's an artist with Asbergers, so the name "Savant" is apt. He makes electronic music, and if that's not your thing, you should still give him a listen. He's one of the few artists I've heard that treats the computer like an instrument.