Nickybaby
It’s a dog’s garden.
transcript provided
nickybaby - i digress 127
Pam Haasen: [00:00:00] First off, hi Nikki, baby. Hey, thanks for coming on my show. Happy to be here. Where am I talking to you from?
Nicky Baby: I am sitting on my couch in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in St. James. It's, uh, area in the west of Winnipeg.
PH: Okay, and is it, um, nice weather there today?
NB: Oh, it's a gorgeous day. I spend most of the day in my garden.
PH: That's what you were saying when, when we were texting earlier. What do you like to garden? Veggies and flowers and everything. Or what do you, you know,
NB: I can't do vegetables cause my dog will get into them, so I just do flowers and whatnot.
PH: Nice. Do you have a favorite flower?
NB: I really like
PH: tulips. Yeah. I know that I love tulips, but they're so, I, I like they're so short lived.
Yes. And I find that like even up here now, it's like it gets too hot to have two lips all year. But I love tulips.
NB: Yeah. They definitely are short-lived. I think that's probably why I like them cuz they're, Such a short pleasure.
PH: Yeah, that's a good, yeah, that's true. I guess, tell me a little bit about yourself and [00:01:00] your music as well.
That's what we're here
NB: to talk about. All right. Uh, when I was 21, I moved into a house with a bunch of musicians. I never played, uh, music before. I guess when I was a really young, I played piano, but, um, just being around musicians, I, they'd always have guitars around, so I taught myself some guitar with their help.
And then throughout my twenties I just started writing songs. My songs would generally be about my mental health. I, I had some addiction issues or my addiction issues and, um, occasionally the songs about aging, being an aging millennial and love those songs that I wrote throughout my twenties became this album.
And I actually recorded this album with one of the people that I lived in that house with when I was 21. A lot of the people from Living Hour were helped me out with this album. And I've lived with them and been friends with them for as long as I can remember.
PH: Oh, very cool. Uh, you know, I'll tell you something.
I love when people tell me that they like [00:02:00] started writing music or really got into music, like later it, I'm gonna say like quote later in life. Um, because so many people are like, oh yeah, well, you know, like I took piano lessons and then I took this, and then I da da, da da da. And they had this whole musical childhood.
But, um, I find it really inspiring when people say like, no, I just, I, I decided enough was enough. I liked music so much, I just wanted to start playing. So, was that, I mean, you said you were living with musicians, but was that kind of what it was, was that like you were seeing lots of music, you figured I could do
NB: that?
You know, I always wanted to write songs and I didn't really have an instrument, so I, I decided I'd learn guitar as kind of a method for writing songs. Mm-hmm. So guitar, I'm not like, I'm not even great at it, but I, I just want, I wanna get better, but I just wanna be good enough to use it as a tool to write songs.
And that's what it started off as. It was like, um, okay, if I can learn enough chords, I can, I can write a song. And then I was like, okay, I, I got it. First song. Now I can write, learn some [00:03:00] more chords again, another song. And it just, from there kind of spiraled. But as long as I can remember, I want to write music.
And being around the musicians, it was really, um, empowering to, to give it a try.
PH: Yeah. Cuz I think it's, it's quite a step to take where, you know, a lot of people are music lovers, but they don't know how to play any instruments. Um, but a I think that it's pretty common too for people who, especially if you like music, to just kind of feel like you're writing music all the time, but, You know, a lot of people, they really just don't really put pen to paper.
So you mentioned mental health and, and addiction kind of informing some of your music. So was it kind of maybe like at, at a point of clarity that you figured that you wanted to put your energy into something creative like that? Um,
NB: I, you know, it was a long time ago, so I couldn't tell you exactly why, but I think it was more so being around these musicians.
Um, It was so daunting to, to start writing, to start [00:04:00] learning music, but it was like, I kind of felt like it was now or never. So I started learning and I actually, when I started, I, I wasn't in a great place, but when I started making the album was what it was like a point of clarity when I wasn't in a good place and whatnot.
But when I started the music itself, um, I was not in a great place with my mental health and whatnot.
PH: Um, So your releases, at least on band camp, your releases are all from this year from 2023. So is that, is that accurate or is this, this is, this is the year that you were putting your releases out.
NB: It was a covid project we wrote, we, um, recorded the album during Covid, and then the mixing and mastering took some time after that.
But th that is correct. All these out, all these songs are out for the first time in 2023, and I've actually never played a live show. So I'm hoping to do that in June.
PH: Okay. I mean, you know, that was gonna be one of my questions, but uh, we could just go there now, which I guess was that, um, these [00:05:00] songs are, I'll describe them as fun, intimate, sweet.
Like they're not all like, wow, what a blast, what you're talking about, because you are dealing with some very serious, uh, some of the lyrics. You know, it's, it's serious and it's, it's nothing that needs to be made more fun because you're speaking your truth. But, um, I think this would be such a great performance to see, like, on an outdoor stage somewhere.
So what would it, what, what do shows this summer look like for you? You said you have one in June. What's that gonna look like for you?
NB: Well, firstly, that's very kind of you to say. I appreciate it. Um, well, in June, it hasn't been announced yet, but I'm playing a, uh, small bar in Winnipeg and then I'm hoping to do a show later in the summer with another band.
So that would be a show that I, what I'd be. A, uh, opening act on. So I'm not quite sure what that venue would be, but I'm hoping to do that in, uh, August. Okay, cool. Yeah. Who's
PH: the, who's the band?
NB: Or can you not say? The band is Marin. They're actually a really [00:06:00] awesome band from Winnipeg. They have some fantastic songs.
Um, recommend them to anyone.
PH: Okay. What is the music scene in Winnipeg like? Like it's. Like, is it a university scene or like what's the Yeah, what, what I guess musically is happening or, and what are kind of the styles that stand out for you? In, in Winnipeg,
NB: we have a pretty great, uh, pretty great music scene in, in my opinion.
Um, I just think it's continuously getting stronger and stronger in Winnipeg. There are some fun festivals over the summer. A lot of great folk musicians here. Um, some great indie bands. Um, Uh, some of my favorites are Living Hour. I love Jay Wood. Um, I'm drawing a blank, but there's so many good bands. Lev Snow's a fantastic act.
Warming's a great pop band in Winnipeg. Um, just lots of, lots of great bands in Winnipeg. Um, pretty strong scene. Lots of good shows on a regular basis. We get a decent amount of [00:07:00] touring acts considering we're a pretty, uh, small city. Mm. I think, I think we're pretty lucky to have the music scene we have here.
Yeah. I,
PH: you mentioned kind of pop music. Do you feel like there's like a style that stands out that like, oh, that is the Winnipeg sound. If you asked me
NB: like 10 years ago, I'd say folk, but now I think it's pretty diverse. Um, I was naming bands. I'd be, I, I wanna mention Mica Ehrenberg, who goes by the Secret Beach.
He used to go by Mike Ehrenberg, which is his name now. He goes by the Secret Beach. He's a fantastic musician, went to who I've been listening to since high school. He's, uh, recommend his music to anyone. Cool. Yeah, I'll, um, pop folk. It's very cool.
PH: Pop folk. Okay. Yeah, no, I will definitely be, um, I'll, I'll probably put together like a playlist as well to go along with this podcast so that people can listen to the, uh, the people that you've mentioned.
NB: Awesome. That's, that's fantastic.
PH: Um, so, uh, Can you remember and share an [00:08:00] early musical experience that you had something that kind of really stands out to you, and that could either be playing or listening or, um, watching a performance. But is there kind of any moments musically early that stick out in your life?
NB: I remember when I started playing guitar, I wanted to learn the song Queen Bitch, by David Bowie. And to this day, I haven't learned it this day. I haven't learned it, but, um, That was like, okay, this would be such a fun song to play and sing. I'm gonna pick up a guitar and learn it. And it was a lot more difficult, uh, than I anticipated, especially as a beginner.
So I ended up learning some, uh, simpler songs. One of my favorite musicians is, uh, the Silver or Bands is the Silver Juice. Mm-hmm. And David Bourbon has a great quote, um, whereas I'm paraphrasing here, I'm gonna butcher it, but, um, just pick up the poor, bare nose and, uh, strum. So I just kind of took that as, you know, you don't have to be the best at guitar or whatever your instrument is.
Just, just do it. And for me that when I heard that quote, I'm like, [00:09:00] K enough waiting. It's time to actually
PH: try. Yeah. I, I love that. And I think that that's something that is, so I still find it to almost be a rarity in people because, so you can watch. People do, you know, amazing songs and covers and duets or whatever on like TikTok and Instagram and YouTube, and it's just like, God, it's so daunting, right?
Because people
NB: are so good. That's the word I always wanna use. Daunting. Yeah. There's always someone who's been playing for longer. There's always going be someone who's better. And um, when you haven't done it before, daunting is the great word. It's hard. It's hard to start.
PH: Yeah. Oh, for sure. Yeah, exactly.
There's always a reason not to start it. But then once you do, Like you've started that ball rolling. My friend Alicia, you know, we always talk about she's my life coach, where she gives you such great advice all the time, but it's just, we talk about things like trying to keep good practices and doing something like music is just like practicing yoga or uh, or [00:10:00] gardening where it's like, you know, it, it just gets better when you put a little bit of energy into it and then after you feel like you're giving something to it, you realize that now you're getting
NB: from it.
For sure. And I've been, I've been, uh, Hoping to take some guitar lessons this summer because I feel like I've kind of plateaued with my playing and I'd like to improve. And I've been putting, putting that off. But it's like a, it's never too late to enjoy something and get better at, get better at something you have fun with.
PH: Totally. Um, so I kind of described your music to you, but would you walk our listeners through maybe some of the. Sounds and experiences of putting the album together and what they should expect when
NB: they listen to it? Well, I'm not great at describing the album overall, I'd say it has a pretty melancholic feel to it, although a lot of the melancholic lyrics are, um, countered by upbeat music, whether it's guitars and drums.
Some of it is matched by, um, pretty [00:11:00] low sad music. But overall, I'd say it's kind of a mix of, um, Or not a mix, I'd say it's basically sad pop music, sad indie pop music is the way I'd summarize it. Mm-hmm.
PH: It's a good pocket to be in because like, there's no, there's no promises being made in the music sonically that you don't keep with your lyrics.
Like, I, I feel like the, the music really accompanies the lyrics that you've written as well, and it, um, it's just, it's a really nice pairing, but, And I think too, maybe it's, you know, it could just be my like, um, overtly and almost aggressive, upbeat personality, but that I actually find that it's like, it's like, I, I think it's actually kind of happy music too.
I don't know, I think, but maybe I just like hearing people speak their truth, and that could be something that I find like really refreshing about it
NB: For sure. Like, I, I, I think Sikh, which is, um, blanking on where it is on the album, but [00:12:00] Sikh has some sad lyrics, but overall it's a happy song. The music is upbeat.
I think it's kind of about accepting mental illness or sickness in general. And I think that, uh, there's also like, turn It Around, which is the last song on the album was probably the last song, was one of the last songs I wrote, and that was about overcoming challenges in life. So I put it last because the album has a lot of sadness to it, and at the end just turn it around, be happy, have, have fun, have a good life.
Mm.
PH: Um, So what are you, what are you listening to now? Well, I
NB: haven't been too active on discovering new music. Unfortunately. I've been a little lazy. Um, but right now I am listening to a lot of Whitney, the, um, I like Sonny in the Sunsets. I recently saw a, a Savage, who's the lead singer of Parquet course play a concert in Winnipeg.
He played at the Goodwill, which is a great, great spot here, and it was a fantastic show. One of the best I've, I've seen, [00:13:00] can remember seeing. I recommend he is. Um, yeah, I think he only has one album out right now, but I'd recommend that to anyone. Elliot Smith is one of my all time favorites. Mm-hmm. Silver Jews and Purple Mountains.
They're both David Berman's bands. They're probably my biggest musical inspiration and girls. And Christopher Owens. Christopher Owens is the main singer in girls, and his solo act is just Christopher Owens. That's a huge musical inspiration to me. I'm always listening to his albums. Are you
PH: more of a podcast person or are you someone who doesn't have headphones on?
A lot?
NB: I, I do have headphones on a lot, but I tend to go back to things I've listened to in the past. And yeah, I, I, I'm a big record collector, so I, I tend to play all my records over and over again. Mm-hmm.
PH: Actually, that's kind of a nice segue into, um, uh, another question that I had, which is that, uh, so Nikki Baby, you can purchase it digitally or listen to it, but also that you have it on.
CD as well. So what are your thoughts on, on physical [00:14:00] media and I guess, um, and CDs especially. Do you still collect CDs? Do you have CDs?
NB: You know, I col collect. I had a great collection of local CDs of my favorite local bands, and I had them all in my car in a binder and someone broke into my car and stole them.
Oh my God. So I, so I just stopped collecting at that point because I had so many, and I wasn't gonna start from scratch. But I collect cassette tapes and I collect vinyl. I'm a big fan of physical media. I wish I could have printed vinyl for this album. I just didn't have the resources for it. Um, CDs are great.
I think if physical media is great in general. Also, it's just in terms of supporting artists, an artist gets a lot more financially from a purchase of a physical media, whether it's vinyl, cassette, or cd, than they do from streaming. So I all, I try and support, uh, artists by buying vinyl, cassettes and CDs, but my big collection is vinyl.
And then second would be cassettes.
PH: Are there good music? Uh, I mean good record stores in Winnipeg. [00:15:00]
NB: You know, we have a great bookstore, McNally Robinson, that has an unbelievable record section. Cool. Um, there's a few good ones. There's one into the music, which is in the Exchange District in Winnipeg is pretty darn good.
And I think there's a new one, but I'm blanking on the name that I hear is phenomenal. I'll message it to you on Instagram when I'll check with a friend. I'm blanking on what it's called, but I hear there's a new good one.
PH: Yeah, no, that sounds great. Do you have a favorite record store? Like anywhere in the world that you just like love to go to, or if you're a place that you travel to where, you know, like, okay, I gotta leave space in my suitcase cause I'm gonna go to this record store.
NB: Unfortunately, I don't get to travel much. Uh, I just don't have the, the financial resources for it. And I work a lot. So between working and music, I'm, I'm stuck in Winnipeg a lot, which I don't mind. I love the city.
PH: Yeah. Uh, do you mind me asking, what do you do for a day job?
NB: I work as an educational assistant at an elementary school, and then I have a part-time job helping adults who have disabilities.[00:16:00]
PH: Oh, nice. Was that work that you were really like excited to work with, with kids and, and also adults with, with special needs as well? Oh
NB: yeah. I love it. I've been working with people who have disabilities for close to over a decade now and really is a passion of mine. Um, and then, Working with kids was just kind of a natural segue to that.
Mm-hmm. Um, I've only been doing that for about three years, but I really like kids. They're just, they're, they're good people. Yeah. And I work at a good school with supportive staff, so I'm, I'm, uh, I'm pretty happy with my work. Look it, I just wish I, I just wish I could make music. My main thing.
PH: Well, I mean, you, you're starting to do it though, right?
Like, I mean, you know for sure. I'm a bc you're in Manitoba here. We are talking about music that you've made. So I guess I'm also
NB: exactly glad I have shows coming up, so hopefully that'll be a step in the right direction.
PH: What's, what's next for you? Or like, uh, what would be the most exciting step for [00:17:00] you musically to, to do next?
NB: I think a tour would be really cool. I think I'm, uh, quite a bit away from that. I have people that I play with consistently, but not like a. Full-time bass. Um, so that's a little bit away, but I'm, I'm working on a second album and I'd like to start recording that soon. And I, I'm pretty excited to start that.
The whole recording process is really empowering and just awesome and I've been lucky enough to work with some very gifted musicians who also happen to be great friends of mine and kind people, and, um, I'm excited to work with them again. So, I guess backtracking. Recording another album is what, what I'm hoping to do next.
Yeah.
PH: Do you have a distri, like a distribution manager or something like that? Or were you sending out things kind of far and wide to the mailer system for community and campus radio stations? I did
NB: send out some stuff to community and campus radio stations, but I also, uh, um, slow Shine records helps with me with distribution.[00:18:00]
Mm-hmm. So, uh, I've been lucky enough to have them help me get my music out there.
PH: Okay, cool. Do you listen to your community radio stations? We were talking before, kind of in the pre-interview that there's C K U W and um, fm. Do you listen to those like in your car or, or anywhere? Do you
NB: kind of, there are a few shows that I try and check in on, on those radio stations.
There's, um, one on, um, M F MFM that I really like and there's two one C K D W that I try and tune in on every
PH: week. Okay, cool. Um, Do you remember the names of any of them? Um, I
NB: listened to Space Cadet at C K U W. Mm-hmm. Um, let's play DJ at C K U W, although I think that show is taking the hiatus over the summer.
Okay. And then Kohl's, I believe it's called Kohl's Notes on the U M F M.
PH: Was there anything that I didn't ask Nick, that you think is important for people to know about what's coming up for you? Or maybe even just where to find you online?
NB: Um, I'm on Spotify, apple Music. [00:19:00] YouTube, um, Bandcamp, of course. Um, if you buy my cd I'll ship it to you.
I'm, I'd recommend anyone to check out the music coming outta Winnipeg. We have a lot of talented musicians and hard workers here. Um, that's, that's about all I can think of.
PH: Okay. Well, thanks so much for speaking with me.
NB: Oh, my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. Cool. And can I do that? Um, That thing again, where I say I.
Okay. Ready? Yep. Hi, I'm Nikki Baby and you're listening to C I C K, Smithers Community Radio, 93.9 fm. Awesome. All right, thanks so much. I'll send you that right
PH: away. Okay, thanks a lot. This will probably air like, um, yeah, so it's not, it's not next Monday, so it's likely two weeks that this one will air.
Very cool. Okay. Thanks a lot man. You have a great day.
NB: Bye.