Some may know this mustachioed man from Anti-Social Music, Guignol or The World/Inferno Friendship Society, but most will recognize his facial hair’s devilish curl from behind the keyboards of The Hold Steady. Though Nicolay has been branching out on his own, releasing his album Major General in 2009, and the EP St. Sebastian of the Short Stage not too long after, he has also kept ties with the numerous other projects he has set up camp in. Along with his solo releases Nicolay also put out World/Inferno Presents: Vox Inferne with The World/Inferno Friendship Society and Complicated Gardening Techniques, the first installment of a series of short story collections on Julius Singer Press. His hand in producing The Birth & Death of Meaning by The Debutante Hour showed us that being behind the mic isn’t the limit of our friend Franz’s music savvy.
Additionally Nicolay recorded a version of “It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding” for a Dylan tribute headed by Jack Kerouac’s nephew, and sang on Amanda Palmer & Jason Webley’s Evelyn Evelyn, along with many notable names such as Andrew WK and Frances Bean Cobain. Keeping busy with so many other endeavors has not kept Franz out of the saddle of his own music however- he recently finished demoing songs for a new full-length, which is anticipating a fall 2010 recording.
One may ask, “But what can we expect from this new full-length?” Well, Franz hasn’t divulged any solid details just yet, but judging from the last EP, St. Sebastian of the Short Stage, the answer to that question is “What CAN’T you expect?” Nicolay’s sound is one that dances the dividing line between tradition and non-tradition, coupling catchy vocal patterns and hooky lines with all too often forgotten instruments such as the accordion and mandolin, among others.
In Fact, Nicolay’s voice itself diverges from your average sound, not falling in with the emo whine, indie whisper, or rock gruff found elsewhere, but instead offering a much bigger, truly theatrical sound. St. Sebastian of the Short Stage moves in a quick-slow-quick-slow pattern that offers both toe-tapping tracks such as ‘The Ballad of Holland Wadsworth Mason Jr.’ and ‘New England’ as well as the subdued and slightly aching ‘I Just Want to Love’ and ‘When the War Came’. Though Nicolay’s dramatic flair may not be for everyone, there’s definitely an appeal in the fact that what he’s doing is so different from that of your average Joe. An interesting and unique musician to say the least, our interest is peaked and we’re very curious about what else is to come from this New Hampshirite turned New Yorker.
Franz Nicolay Online:
franznicolay.com
Myspace
Franz took some time from his brilliantly busy music schedule to talk to us about everything from his humble beginnings to a potential covers album, as well as what to look for from him in the coming year.
Reviewsic: How did you get your start in music?
Franz Nicolay: I demanded a violin from my parents after seeing Yitzhak Perlman on Sesame Street.
Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?
F.N: Charles Ives, Dylan & the Band, Charles Mingus.
Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?
F.N: I dearly wish I was a better drummer. Also bandoneon, which is the large concertina played in tango ensembles and is fiendishly difficult - the button layout bears as much relation to musical scales as the typewriter keyboard does to the alphabet.
Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?
F.N: Sparks “Hello Young Lovers”, Tim Fite “Fair Ain’t Fair,” Todd Snider “Tales From Moondawg’s Tavern”
Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?
F.N: I’m always impressed by Joe Henry, as a producer, songwriter, and lyricist. Shockingly underrated.
Reviewsic: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?
F.N: Doc Watson at an outdoor bluegrass festival in New Hampshire. I fell asleep on a blanket. To be fair, I was six.
Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?
F.N: Demander (demandernyc.com),Pearl & The Beard (pearlandthebeard.wordpress.com), Jonathan Vincent aka Thintap Woodsap (www.myspace.com/thintapwoodsapone)
Reviewsic: What’s the backstory on how your project came to be what it is today?
F.N: I grew up in rural New Hampshire, moved to New York when I was 17, had a band of my own, played with other bands, some that people cared about, some that they didn’t. Still do that.
Reviewsic: Tell us about the solo work you’ve been doing- is there a particular concept behind it?
F.N: The concept, especially for the live shows, is to balance songs with a lot of emotional content with a positive and entertaining show, so the audience gets let off the hook at the end. Some sugar with the medicine.
Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities to play?
F.N: New Orleans, always. Birmingham, ever since they opened the Bottle Tree. Portland, because of Powell’s, the world’s greatest bookstore. Anchorage was amazing, and I had a great time at the Milestone in Charlotte when I played there for the first time.
Reviewsic: What are the best and worst music moments so far in your career?
F.N: The first time I played a show that people cared about; and any show where I can tell that nobody cares.
Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any three bands/musicians, who would they be and why?
F.N: Tom Waits, Billy Bragg, and Todd Snider. No guitars, just the between-song stories.
Reviewsic: If you were to put out an album of strictly covers, what are some of the songs we’d find on it?
F.N: I actually have this idea for doing a covers 7″ called “From Aznavour To Zounds”. The first song would be Charles Aznavour’s “I Drink” and the last would be an accordion-driven version of “Dancing” by Zounds.
Reviewsic:. What are your plans for your music in the next year?
F.N: I just demoed a new record, so I’m hoping to record in the spring and have it out in the fall. Guignol is planning a couple film-score projects - a two-reel silent film that we’ll do a live score for in Philadelphia; and a similar thing at Barbes in Brooklyn. I’m doing a west coast tour in April and the midwest in May.
