Interview: NOLAN CURTIS and STATIONWAGON
By: Mark C. Lloyd Aug. 26, 2018
Photo on the left is Nolan Curtis of Station wagon (second from the right).
Mark Reichert on bass, Matt ONeil on drums, and Jesse Raderman on guitar complete the band.
They may be new to me but they've been around awhile.
I suggest you check them out.
Front man Nolan Curtis and I spoke a little during a break.
When Nolan told me the name of the band I thought it was a perfect name: Stationwagon.
I'm a guy who was born in 1962. It's a perfect name for a band.
It brings back great memories of an old car loaded with band equipment on tour.
MCL: What kind of music did you grow up with?
NC: A really wide variety since I was born in 1959 I got to grow up with the Ed Sullivan Show and you would see everything from Elvis to Mario Lanza and Maria Callas The Mills Brothers all that great stuff.
MCL: How has your musical taste changed over the years?
NC: I've been fairly consistent my entire life of being omnivorous when it comes to music I can always find something that I like in almost any kind of music or learn something from it.
MCL: When did you realize you could actually sing?
JC: I don't know it's something I grew up with. Used to sing in church choirs and school chorus. So it has always seemed comfortable.
MCL: How and when did playing the guitar start?
JC: I took music lessons from an early age in elementary school which was cool probably started around 4th grade with violin then play trumpet for a while but the first instrument that I really bonded with was the guitar which I started when I was probably about 14. Always loved that rock and roll. I had a buddy that lived down the street and we would go up in his attic and make all kinds of Racket he played bass I played guitar.
MCL: Talk about some of your past band experiences.
JC: Starting out I got kicked out of a lot of bands cuz I sucked but for some reason I kept plugging away and now I've got my own band go figure I guess it pays to keep your nose to the grindstone. I'm really shocked the people dig the stuff that we do.
But the whole band thing is great and just hanging out with musicians is cool. There's such a good vibe about people that put all that time into bonding with an instrument. Playing music and entertaining people is such an ancient tradition and an enlightening influence on humanity, it's wonderful to be a part of it.
MCL:Now let us in on what is it like to go from gig to gig. The good and not so good of being in a band.
NC: The good is realizing that you can bring some good into your audience's life and take them away from the everyday cares and worries. It's good therapy for me, too. I know nothing else elevates me more than playing a show. I can't really think of anything bad about it. Some people complain about money or small audiences but that is no nevermind to me.
MCL: Your current band is "Stationwagon". How did you come up with the name?
JC: It came from the mood of a song written by a guy that I started the project out with, Patrick Lauerman. It was called, All Night in the Car. It was about a family cross country road trip and of course you would have to be in a station wagon to Take That kind of cruise.
MCL: How would you describe the band's style?
NC: We play Rock n Roll.
MCL: Do you Write for the band? If so, what is your process.
If not, do you plan to?
JC: I write all the music and lyrics but rely on the input of the excellent musicians that I play with to round everything out and make it cook.
I'm kind of a dictator with dick being the capital part of it but fortunately they put up with me.
MCL: Time to promote yourself ... What's coming up for you in 2018/2019?
JC:Super excited about putting out a recording that we recorded at Electric Owl Works with Charles Root. His studio is at beautiful downtown South Wales. We're putting the finishing touches on it and it should be out in a month or so. Our next gigs September 2nd Labor Day weekend at Hot Mama's Canteen the place where you saw us and one of our favorite places to play. Then we're sharing a bill September 15th with the wonderful Noah Gokey band at the Tudor Lounge.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON "STATIONWAGON":
https://www.reverbnation.com/stationwagon8
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