Meet Nick : Boogiemoonband

Meet Nick

Guitarist with BoogieMoonBand

From a cheese grater guitar and student discos, to playing jazz clubs and packed dance floors, Nick talks about his musical journey and how BoogieMoonBand became a live disco, soul wedding and party act.

So actually ... how did I get here?

I’m driving home late one night after another fabulous gig, and they’re playing that Talking Heads song on the radio. You know the one… “And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile… and you may ask yourself… How did I get here?”

And I’m thinking, well yes… so ... how did i get here?

From first guitar to Completely Funked

Thinking back, my journey with the guitar has been slow and started relatively late. As a child I learnt piano and violin, neither of which really gelled, but I always loved the sound of a guitar and found it much easier to get music out of.

In my teens I could play a few basic chords – Mull of Kintyre and Albatross, on a knackered cheap Eko six-string that was like a cheese grater to play. And then as a student I loved disco music and doing the DJ bit. This is me aged 21 and those trousers were so tight I couldn’t sit down!

Then in my twenties, my wife Anne’s housemate Karen let me play her Ovation round-back guitar. Wow. So slick and a wonderfully rich, raunchy sound. On her record player was one Stevie Ray Vaughan, which got me hooked on blues – particularly the jazzier side. And then came Robben Ford, Kenny Burrell and ... "Wes Montgomery Plays the Blues" . I wore that tape out and from that point onwards I’ve never stopped wanting to learn to play.

During my working life, I joined a soul-funk band called "Completely Funked" and we played a few gigs. But I used to get so nervous about performing. Jazz though, has always been a magnet and still inspires me to learn, often driven by curiosity about 'how are they getting those sounds'? That’s how I discovered that a big part of Nile Rodgers’ sound comes from his use of jazz chords – 13ths, 9ths, diminished etc. Eventually, while I was working in Birmingham, I took the oppportunity to get some lessons from a jazz student at the Conservatoire and later attended Jazz School UK in Northampton.

And I started gigging again with a sax player in "The Lounge Club" jazz band – garden parties, charity events, cafés, pubs, anywhere really ... but it wasn’t until I retired from work that I finally had the time to organise a band and get regular gigs. And one day we landed ourselves a gig at The Terrace Bar in Leamington and everything changed.

How BoogieMoonBand found it's sound

"We soon realised that mellow jazz wasn't really what the punters wanted, they wanted to dance!"

So we built the set around soul/ funk tunes from the 70's 80's and contemporary dance ... and the whole thing took off!

What do you love about performing?

Well I’m not a natural performer but I have found that my love of the music carries me away and blots out the nerves. It’s also an incredible feeling being part of that whole sound going out through the PA. I particularly love accompanying the singer and weaving a call-and-response part around the vocal line. And there’s something very powerful about locking in with the drum and bass groove too.

What does it feel like playing live?

It’s such a huge thrill playing to an audience that’s going nuts. It takes me hours to wind down afterwards! But there’s another side that I love just as much. Sometimes there might only be a handful of people in the room but you sense them really listening and being moved by the music. And when a song means a lot to someone, it’s an incredible way of sharing emotions and memories.

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Up close and personal ...

Which BoogieMoonBand songs are your favourites to play?

Nile Rodgers grooves, Tyla's Water, Calvin Harris How Deep Is Your Love

Memorable live gig moments:

Biggest: jazz clubs at Kenilworth, Leicester and Kettering Stirrup Cup.

Worst: stood in a puddle of water after somebody kicked over an ice bucket and wondering if I was about to be electrocuted, breaking strings mid-set, drunk people hassling us to play Oasis!