Nick Curran and The Nitelifes - Fixin' Your Head (1999)

Nick Curran describes his music as a cocktail consisting of the sounds of no less than seventeen widely differing musicians blended together with a cup of broken glass. That only begins to characterize the wallop packed by the 98-proof elixir of this singer, songwriter and monster guitarist who effortlessly carries the past with him as he blazes across the musical landscape in perpetual forward motion.

Nick Curran was born on Sept 30, 1977 in Biddeford, Maine, and grew up in nearby Sanford. He started playing drums when he was three, occasionally pounding the skins for his father’s rock ‘n’ roll band. However, when he received a guitar for Christmas at age nine he had found his instrument. He taught himself to play while following his father’s advice: “Listen to everything that you like and eventually you’ll find your own style within all your influences.”

Curran began accumulating his arsenal of influences early. “My mom and step-dad were listening to rock ‘n’ roll, my father listened to blues such as Freddy King, T-Bone Walker and B.B. King and my friends were into heavy metal.” Today, he cites his songwriting muses as Little Richard, Richie Valens, Chuck Berry and T-Bone Walker. The Ramones and The Misfits particularly inspire him to pen songs outside the box. He also looks to “the real raw, rough blues like Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker—guys singing about messed-up stuff and about falling apart at any second. I also like AC/DC, Hank Williams, Sr. and Gene Vincent.”

Curran began his professional career at age nineteen, leaving Maine to tour with Ronnie Dawson, “The Blonde Bomber.” Although Dawson was primarily a rockabilly musician, many blues and punk fans appreciated his performances. He taught Curran not to get pigeonholed. Curran toured next with Texas rockabilly doyenne Kim Lenz, moving to Dallas to join her backup band the Jaguars for two years, and performing on Lenz’s recording, The One And Only. Nick would stay with the Jaguars for two years. He is also featured on Lenz’s latest CD, It’s All True, and recently toured with her in the summer of 2009.

In 1999 the Texas Jamboree label issued Curran’s debut solo recording, Fixin' Your Head. As he would do on all future CDs, Curran used vintage recording equipment to achieve the feel and sound of old 45s and 78s, and the LPs of the 1950s. To support the recording he formed the band, Nick Curran and the Nitelifes, whose performances whipped audiences to frenzied devotion with their wild ride of retro, yet fresh and edgy rock ‘n’ roll, boogie, r & b, jump blues and a variety of other tasty stylistic devils in the details.

From 2004 to 2007 Curran played with The Fabulous Thunderbirds appearing on their 2005 recording, Painted On. Also during that time, Curran and bassist Ronnie James started the punk band Deguello, saying that it “sounded as if Little Richard sang with The Ramones.”

Curran performed four songs in a scene in the 2008 HBO Series "True Blood," based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, which explores the co-existence of humans and vampires.

1999 - Fixin' Your Head

Recorded live on August 24-26, 1999.

Personnel: Nick Curran (vocals, guitar); Jim Trimmier, TD "Murph" Motycka (saxophone); Matt Farrell (piano); Eric Matthew Przygocki (upright bass); Lisa Pankratz (drums).

Personnel: Nick Curran (guitar); Jim Trimmier (saxophone); Eric Matthew (upright bass); Lisa Pankratz (drums).

Track Listing:

1.  Women and Cadillacs
2.  Boogie With My Baby
3.  Just Love Me Baby
4.  I Want to Love You
5.  Good Rockin' Man
6.  Lonely Nights
7.  Loose Lip Mama
8.  It's My Life Baby
9.  She's Mine
10. Straighten Up
11. Do You Wanna Be My Baby?
12. I'm Waiting for Your Call
13. Get Rich Quick

A friend of mine told me to check this guy out a while back, when I finally did, it blew my mind.  This is some good stuff.  I felt like I was back in the 50's as soon as I pressed play.  I'm sure he's gained some notoriety since appearing on HBO's shitty depiction of Southern Louisiana known as "True Blood".  Even so, I'd say that this guy deserves it.  This album is definitely lots of fun to rock out to.  If any of you dig it, I have a few of his other releases as well.

Check out Nick and his new band The Lowlifes HERE


Start Rockin'