by Daniel Corey
— Guest Columnist —
Interview with Nicholas Emilio
By Daniel Corey
LA-based rock musician Nicholas Emilio is a seasoned performer and songwriter who has performed scores of shows around the world with his band, Icarus Landing, rubbing elbows with the likes of Exodus, Tesla, Sponge, and Fuel. Now he’s striking out solo with a new song and video release, a cover of the Stone Temple Pilots classic, Kitchenware and Candybars. I recently had a chance to speak with Nicholas about his work and his personal connection to the song.
Daniel Corey: Tell me about Kitchenware and Candybars. You released it on Scott Weiland’s birthday, October 27th, so you must have an emotional connection to Scott and the band.
Nicholas Emilio: Well, there’s kind of a lot to it. I’d met Scott a couple times in LA. And I knew a couple of his solo band members. And I was living in Hollywood when he passed, I believe while he was out on tour with his solo band. It hit hard in the music scene in LA. He was beloved in that community, as far as I could tell. Also, I’ve personally lost some very close friends and bandmates to drugs and addiction. I guess that’s a long way of saying that when he passed, it was emotional for a lot of us, and it was for me as well. And there were many touching STP songs that I’d listened to since I was very young, so the music had already had a deep impact on me. If you combine all of this, yeah, his untimely death hit hard. I remember walking around the streets of Hollywood for a couple days, just privately and quietly mourning the whole situation, thinking about the meaning of life, all of that. I wanted to do a song as sort of a reflection of all of this. Kitchenware is a very raw, emotional song, and not one of the big mainstream hits, so it seemed like a good choice. Also, a good friend named John Hatfield said he always thought I’d be great singing that song, so we started a demo, and it turned out pretty well, so I went on to do a fully produced version.
Daniel Corey: What do you think you brought to Kitchenware? What you unique quality is in this new version?
Nicholas Emilio: Good question. First, I tried to sort of touch on Scott’s tone a little bit, as an homage, but without being too direct, and certainly without trying to replicate. Replicating his take on that song is impossible. It’s so raw, heartfelt, and genuine. It’s about very personal things that he went through. I tried to relate, to tie it to his unfortunate passing, and to tie it to my own struggles. Second, from a musical perspective, we added some fresh elements like piano, organ, etc. Tried to give it a little bit of a modern indie feel. Last but not least, the solo is my own composition, added to it. I didn’t want to play the same solo, I wanted to paint on it a little bit. So far, from the feedback I’ve received, people seem to think the track did a good job of paying homage but still having its own spin/flavor.
Daniel Corey: You have traveled the world with your band Icarus Landing and had good success with your single, Call to You. How does your new way of working feel, now that you are releasing as a solo artist?
Nicholas Emilio: Certainly some things are different, but some things are the same. For example, with Icarus Landing, I wrote the vast majority of that material, including music, lyrics, vocals, etc. And not to sound like a crazy person, but I also produced/engineered a lot of it (which also comes with cons!). So I think I’m pretty used to creating music independently, but now I feel even more free and open to do what I want, my way, without debates or compromises. That feels pretty damned good. If anything, I miss the regular jams with bandmates and the organic creation that can come out of that. But I am in the process of putting together a killer new band to help me take the new solo material out on the road.
Daniel Corey: Icarus Landing was signed with Gotham Records in the UK. What was your experience of working with a label? Are you currently with a label, or self-releasing? Do you have a preference between the two?
Nicholas Emilio: I think the two main benefits of working with that label were 1) they helped us find our way in UK and Europe, and also helped us get more gigs on that continent for our European tours; and 2) they helped with marketing and PR. It actually started as a PR relationship but evolved into the label deal. I have mostly good memories of it, but also a few not so good ones… (lol). I have my own record label and publishing company, and I’m self-releasing for now. I might consider a label again in the future, but it would have to be the right fit and the right time, and I dunno if/when that might happen. I guess, never say never… But I’m pretty content doing it the way I’m doing it now, for the time being.
Daniel Corey: Your video for Kitchenware and Candybars has a very cool feel, a very Michael Mann aesthetic, driving through neon-soaked streets at night. How did you come up with the video concept? How was the experience of working with the director and crew?
Nicholas Emilio: There were a lot of inspirations/influences. The concept is sort of a mix of like a Blade Runner kind of feel, meets Lost Highway, meets sort of a ‘90s-esque grungy kind of vibe. I don’t recall all the details about how this came about, but it was a collaboration between myself and the original video director, Wesley Alley. Wes took our initial conversations and suggested a treatment. He’s also a master lighting tech for film, so he brought a lot of talent, technique, and gear to the table and made the lighting super cool. When it came to the lighting, he shined (haha). Overall, working with Wes in the first round of shoots was great. Really fun. Really creative. We had some tensions later on about some editing and release stuff, but I’ll leave it at that. It comes with the territory when you’re dealing with a bunch of smart, creative, driven people. In the end, productive tension and debate helps make the product better.
Daniel Corey: I noticed that you play lefty. Who makes the best lefty guitars?
Nicholas Emilio: Honestly, I’m not sure who makes “the best” left guitar. But I have both Fender Strats and Gibson Les Pauls and I love them both. They are each great for different things. Deep down, I have an answer about which is truly “better”, but I think I’ll hold that card up my sleeve for now. Again, I love them both. My first legit guitar was a black Fender Stratocaster, which I got when I was maybe 13, and which I still have and play to this day. So many good memories with that guitar. Also, a lot of the early Icarus Landing material was written on that guitar.
Daniel Corey: What are your immediate plans to support the single? Any live shows coming up?
Nicholas Emilio: We’re doing a bunch of press! Look at this, here we have an article! Dig it. Also, some of my great friends in bands and in the music industry have been helping promote which is always appreciated. I will be doing a show in January in LA at the Universal Bar, and then later in 2023, hopefully, some large targeted shows, and hopefully select festivals. Also, this single is a cover, of course… I have about 30 new songs that are near completion and I will be releasing a lot of new material in ‘23, and we’ll hopefully do even more for those releases.
Daniel Corey: What do you see as the future for you as a solo artist?
Nicholas Emilio: Massive fame, wealth, stardom. ;) Hopefully I’ll be able to get my new originals out to a loving and receptive audience in the new year, and then do a handful of targeted shows. Also looking at doing a few touring runs with some bigger solo artists.
Daniel Corey: Where can readers find you and your music online?
Nicholas Emilio: The new single has been released on all the major online music retailers, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more. The video is on YouTube and trending pretty well. I welcome everyone to take a listen and share their feedback with me through any of those platforms. Thank you for your questions and time!
