Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Nick Everett & Everybody is a Folk/Spate Rock group. Before taking off for their transcanadian tour, front man Nick takes the time to talk with us about NXNE, the bands album, Rocky Top and some of today's methods of getting the music from the artist to the ears of the fans.
You guys just finished playing NXNE, what did you think of the festival?
It was enormous! I couldn’t believe how many people I’d worked with in the past were there, how many folks I’d been meaning to meet, how much bigger the Canadian music community was that I’d previously imagined.
Do you feel that its essential for indie bands located farther away from the major cities to travel to showcases like NXNE?
I can only speak from my experience. Like I said, it’s big. We had a lovely crowd out for our showcase, but I’m not sure that any of our attempts at inviting label/publishing/radio folk panned out – there’s just too much to compete with. Not to mention, we only had only one showcase, one chance to get people out. Had we several, like some friends I knew had, I’m sure we would’ve met more folk, engaged a bit more with the festival.
How do you feel about the state of today’s folk scene in the Maritimes?
I really don’t know. I suppose it depends on what you mean as folk. I can’t speak for a scene, but I know there are specific people doing an excellent job with folkish music, like Willie Stratton and Heartwood Slacks.
Your album, Rocky Top, is for sale on your site as pay what you will. This is a model that more and more artists are starting to use. Do you think that unconventional methods of selling your records like pay what you want are going to be more pre dominant in the future?
I think it’s the only way to get people to give you anything for a record. The record has been completely devalued since it’s free to share, so letting someone put a price on it – put their own worth on it – will probably be the only way an artist will see any income with digital sales. This model will become more and more commonplace, I imagine, but say without a shred of certainty.
Also along with the purchase of your latest album, you offer a four free downloads in either MP3, 320 of FLAC, which is something that not so many bands offer. Do you feel that more and more people are starting to want high quality FLAC files where available, or do you think most people are still content with the lower quality mp3?
That’s just a standard setting on bandcamp, them thinkin’ folk. People will be happier with FLAC if they’re overly particular about tonal quality, like me. Peolple’ll be content with MP3 if it’s about an emotional response to the song, rather than something inane like the clarity of the 3k range.
What does Nick Everett & Everybody have planned for the future?
A transcanadian tour, starting in about a week. I should be posting the dates later today – we’ll be traveling from Sydney, NS to Tofino, BC to St. John’s, NL in the span of just over two months. Also, we’ll have a single out soon if I can finish it – ha.
You can check out more of Nick Everett & The Everybody at their link below, and you can watch their video for "Fake Conversations" right here.
Interview By Jesse Read
