Nicnōs
Fiddler Blake Parks
Southern rockish, folkish, and heavyish, Nicnōs blends together a variety of sounds to create a unique and marvelous musical smoothie. With a standard rock instrumentation plus fiddle, they take the norm and warp it, and what comes out are groovy rock tunes with epic guitar and fiddle solos.
Lead singer Josh Cox sings with the “umph” of a soul singer and the growl of a metal singer, making his voice deeply enjoyable. Added to the mix is Blake Parks’ awesome fiddling, Nick Sigman’s intricate guitar work, and Jerred Bauer’s supportive drumming that holds the backbone of the band. To top it all off, you have Nicnōs’ bassist, Jared Geiser, who performs with more energy than any bassist I have ever seen before, losing himself in the music in an awe-inspiring way.
Before I get too far into the interview, I want you all to watch their newly released music video for their single “Changes.” This way, you’ll get an idea of their musical style.
Lead singer Josh Cox sings with the “umph” of a soul singer and the growl of a metal singer, making his voice deeply enjoyable. Added to the mix is Blake Parks’ awesome fiddling, Nick Sigman’s intricate guitar work, and Jerred Bauer’s supportive drumming that holds the backbone of the band. To top it all off, you have Nicnōs’ bassist, Jared Geiser, who performs with more energy than any bassist I have ever seen before, losing himself in the music in an awe-inspiring way.
Before I get too far into the interview, I want you all to watch their newly released music video for their single “Changes.” This way, you’ll get an idea of their musical style.
Guitarist Nick Sigman Because of their unique instrumentation, I was curious about the Rocklahoman’s reception of Nicnōs.
“When you see us live,” said Geiser, “it translates to a really rowdy, rowdy show. Even though the subject matter maybe isn’t as dark and personal, we’re really just not dark people.
“We love the energy that rock brings to the stage and the way you see bands interacting with the fans,” he continued. “We want to bring that to our live show. And honestly, it’s been well received… Our goal is just to continue to play the music we love, get it out to people, and play live shows.”
There is a large gap between Nicnōs’ live performance and their music on album, which is why they stress coming to the concerts so much.
“It’s more spontaneous,” explained Geiser. “We really like to just play around, free-form, and jam.”
Nicnōs loves to chase the high of performing on stage, and craves that experience every moment they aren’t in front of a crowd, playing their music. This intense energy and enthusiasm really came through after midnight at the Axis stage at Rocklahoma. After a day of amazing live music, including Godsmack and Young Guns, Nicnos close the night with an amazing set exceeding all expectations by a mile.
Here’s a fantastic live recording of Nicnōs performing “Something You Should Know” at the 2014 Chevy Music Showcase. You’ll get a taste of the live experience, but I still encourage you to go out to their next show in your area. In the future, Nicnōs is considering releasing a live album, but that will come with time because of the monetary demands of such an endeavor.
“When you see us live,” said Geiser, “it translates to a really rowdy, rowdy show. Even though the subject matter maybe isn’t as dark and personal, we’re really just not dark people.
“We love the energy that rock brings to the stage and the way you see bands interacting with the fans,” he continued. “We want to bring that to our live show. And honestly, it’s been well received… Our goal is just to continue to play the music we love, get it out to people, and play live shows.”
There is a large gap between Nicnōs’ live performance and their music on album, which is why they stress coming to the concerts so much.
“It’s more spontaneous,” explained Geiser. “We really like to just play around, free-form, and jam.”
Nicnōs loves to chase the high of performing on stage, and craves that experience every moment they aren’t in front of a crowd, playing their music. This intense energy and enthusiasm really came through after midnight at the Axis stage at Rocklahoma. After a day of amazing live music, including Godsmack and Young Guns, Nicnos close the night with an amazing set exceeding all expectations by a mile.
Here’s a fantastic live recording of Nicnōs performing “Something You Should Know” at the 2014 Chevy Music Showcase. You’ll get a taste of the live experience, but I still encourage you to go out to their next show in your area. In the future, Nicnōs is considering releasing a live album, but that will come with time because of the monetary demands of such an endeavor.
Lead Singer Josh Cox Nicnōs operates independently of any record label, and finds that to be a huge asset.
Cox says the best part is, “the freedom to make mistakes—positive and negative—without the repercussions of somebody coming down on you. If we mess up, it’s on us, and we can deal with that. But having other people project their stuff onto you, it makes for really a volatile relationship.”
Geiser added on, talking about the most important thing in being an independent band (*pay attention young artists, this advice is good*): investing in yourself. “We scrape by because we put every penny we make back into the band. Then you have the ability to actually pay for gas and hotels and food when you’re on the road.”
Cox agreed whole-heartedly, saying, “You start to look forward to going on the road because you’re like, ‘I’m good! I don’t have to pay for anything!’
“It’s taken care of, but it’s taken care of by us,” Cox concluded.
Cox says the best part is, “the freedom to make mistakes—positive and negative—without the repercussions of somebody coming down on you. If we mess up, it’s on us, and we can deal with that. But having other people project their stuff onto you, it makes for really a volatile relationship.”
Geiser added on, talking about the most important thing in being an independent band (*pay attention young artists, this advice is good*): investing in yourself. “We scrape by because we put every penny we make back into the band. Then you have the ability to actually pay for gas and hotels and food when you’re on the road.”
Cox agreed whole-heartedly, saying, “You start to look forward to going on the road because you’re like, ‘I’m good! I don’t have to pay for anything!’
“It’s taken care of, but it’s taken care of by us,” Cox concluded.
I asked Parks about his history as a fiddler/violinist, expecting him to have a past of classical training. Despite his fantastic skills, that is not the case.
“I actually took two weeks of classical lessons, and I got tired of the all proper songs,” laughed Parks. “My dad knew Byron Berline, and he makes videos of him teaching…the old folk tunes right in front of the camera, so I kept watching those.”
Be sure to go check out their music the next chance you get, and keep your eyes and ears open for their new album coming out this fall.
“I actually took two weeks of classical lessons, and I got tired of the all proper songs,” laughed Parks. “My dad knew Byron Berline, and he makes videos of him teaching…the old folk tunes right in front of the camera, so I kept watching those.”
Be sure to go check out their music the next chance you get, and keep your eyes and ears open for their new album coming out this fall.
Parks, Geiser, Cox, and Bauer in the media tent
 | Zoe Adler is a music journalist from Long Beach, California. Besides her website, which is her pride and joy, she works with the GRAMMY Foundation and the Long Beach Independent. Additionally, Ms. Adler is a musician, spending half of her time playing the flute, piccolo, trombone, and marching baritone. She has been with TeenView Music since the very start and hopes to make something of it in the future. |
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