Explain Nice Bass Productions. How did it begin, and what are your goals for it?
I record a lot of music, and this is the easiest way to organize it. I first started recording camp songs on brother’s computer, then I borrowed a live PA and recorded my high school punk band’s demo with that. Now, anything that I hit the red record button on, from school projects to local band albums to video projects, it becomes a Nice Bass Production. Most of my media is on www.nicebassproductions.com, you can watch videos and stream entire albums!
In terms of goals, I want to keep recording good music, collaborate with friends, and keep my website up to date.
How was the idea of Lowell and Behold conceived?
I bought a pair of Vans shoes at Bob’s when I was in middle school, and right as I was leaving the store, the clerk said “oh yeah, I’m supposed to give you this... It comes with every pair of Vans.” It was an OFF THE WALL SAMPLER disc featuring a bunch of Warped Tour bands like Dropkick Murphy’s, Bouncing Souls, Refused, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. I fell in love with punk music and compilation CDs from then on out, buying every Punk-O-Rama, Fat Music, and Hopeless compilation i could find.
Fast forward to 2008, when Nick Congelosi and I lived together. I was playing in Trip Fisk and he was our manager, so we were talking a lot about local music. We noticed how many awesome bands there were, and how perfect it would be to make a compilation. I felt like we had to make one before someone else did. So we wrote up a mission statement and some invitations and sent them out to our friends, basically saying “give us your music and we’ll put you on a comp. If you don’t have recordings, we’ll record you.” So we got all the submissions, and I recorded Short Fuse Burning, Fantastic Planet, and Big Daddy in our living room. Then it came out, got great feedback, and we made another one! Volume 2 is twice as big: two CDs and 30 bands!
Explain the collaboration between Nice Bass Productions and Audio Park Productions
Audio Park Productions is the name Nick chose to represent his work with live production and other music business related things. So the Nice Bass/Audio Park collaboration really just means a Seth Bailin and Nick Congelosi collaboration. We both worked really hard to create these compilations, and got friends Jason Gibbs and Brett Fermeglia to hop on board and help us with the 2nd volume. I work a lot with the recording side and the musical direction, whereas Nick, Brett, and Jason work on obtaining sponsorships and organizing the live aspect of things. It works really well.
How do you believe that Lowell and Behold contributes to the betterment of Lowell as a community?
We really got to see how it all effects the community during the compilation release party in 2008. We had 12 bands perform in 2 nights, and not one band went over their time limit! There was so much respect for each other, between acoustic artists, metal bands, funk groups, and also the music fans. There was really no separation between genre, actually. Everyone was enjoying the bands for the music they made, not the style of music they made. Also, it got some unknown artists the recognition they deserve. Plus, the recipient of the scholarship award gets a check at the end of this semester for $1,750 to help him through college.
Has the idea been well received by the community?
Yeah! We’ve been selling hundreds of copies of the first volume for the past year. Plus, Lowell High School is really gracious that we’re helping their graduates succeed. But this idea of “Lowell & Behold” extends beyond a CD and beyond the scholarship. It’s about supporting our friends and the music they make. I think bands from Lowell have more soul than any other place in the world. So any well-attended show in Lowell shows that this idea is wide spread. And we’ve been seeing a lot more local shows pop up in the past year. Let’s keep it going.
Where do you foresee Lowell and Behold heading in the future?
Oh man, I don’t even know. I want it to live on, but it shouldn’t be forced. The worst thing that could happen would be to feel obligated to put out a compilation when the music isn’t abundant. The best thing that could happen would be to see this city overflow with music and have more people express interest in helping the cause. Then it will live on naturally. It would be great to see a Lowell & Behold vol. 3.
Lowell and Behold showcase 1: Gemstones, Lowell MA Friday 12/11
Lowell and Behold pre-show: Brew'd Awakening, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12
Lowell and Behold showcase 2: 119 Gallery, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12 (PM)
For exact times/bands playing please click here
