FOR a long time budding Redhead musician Nick Jovicic lacked the motivation to pursue his dreams of releasing a record.
The potential the talented pianist had displayed as the senior band leader back in his days at the Hunter School of Performing Arts was being stifled under a haze of marijuana smoke.
"It's had bit of an impact on my life," Jovicic said. "For so long I'd been talking and thinking about something like this and becoming an artist and I never actually did it.
"My motivational levels were through the ground. Absolutely nothing. I'd always talked about doing it, but never did it and I thought I can't keep on doing that, I need to actually do it."
The 21-year-old kicked the daily habit and the creativity came flooding back.
"Since then, the ball has been rolling," he said. "My motivation has stayed and peaked and actually given me a lot more fulfillment."
The motivational peak led to Jovicic's debut five-track EP Be Honest, released on Monday under the name Nick J Music.
The psychedelic sound of Be Honest is heavily influenced by Inner Speaker and Lonerism-era Tame Impala. Jovicic also cites Mac DeMarco and Lana Del Ray as influences.
Initially Jovicic recorded a demo of the track Let Go with fellow Newcastle TAFE sound production students Aedon Hudson (bass), Felix Bodewes-Leach (drums) and friend Yuri Gore (guitar).
The demo was sent to Studios 301 engineer Liam Johnston, who invited Jovicic to come into the iconic Sydney studio to record Let Go and urged him to write additional material.
"Liam contacted me saying I'd get a lot more value out of my studio time if I did more than one song, like if I did an EP," Jovicic said.
"I basically wrote the rest of the EP in the week and a half leading up to that recording session."
The songs Jovicic wrote and demoed on Pro Tools music software were To Think I Had Time, I Will, Be Honest and I Need You.
"It was fantastic," he said of recording at Studios 301. "It was an exhilarating experience for sure.
"It was the first time for any of us that we felt like we're in the right space of our career and we were doing something we really wanted to do."
PODCAST FEEDING
PODCAST consumption only continues to grow in Australia, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown when the majority of us are confined to our homes and searching for media content to keep us occupied.
Last year it was found by Roy Morgan Research Institute that 1.6 million Australians download a podcast every four weeks.
Newcastle punk band Split Feed are keeping themselves occupied while they're restricted from rehearsing and performing by launching their own podcast.
Record Royale sees Split Feed members Will St Claire (guitar), Adam Lindsay (bass) and Brad McLean (drums) discuss two different albums each episode before declaring a winner.
The first two episodes have covered Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American and My Chemical Romance's Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.
The second pitted Rage Against The Machine's 1992 self-titled debut against System Of A Down's Toxicity.
You can listen to Record Royale on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
CHURCHILLIAN
FORMER Newcastle resident Kim Churchill will release a live album on Friday to raise money for Bega Valley Shire WIRES.
The south coast of NSW, where Churchill was raised in the town of Merimbula, was decimated by bushfires over the summer and much of its wildlife population perished.
One Mic One Night was recorded in Melbourne just prior to the COVID-19 lockdown.
"There is so much to do to help get all our beautiful local animals back on track after the bushfires and the Covid situation has made that work quite difficult," Churchill said.
FOR A RAINY DAY
FANS of Cessnock Golden Guitar-winner Travis Collins should jump on his Facebook page at 8pm on Friday to catch the first airing of his new single Rainy Day.
Collins will perform the track, plus a host of others, for the Country Music Channel at Fox Studios in Sydney.
JETS ANNOUNCE RESUMPTION TOUR
PENCIL in the date March 26, 2021. That's when Newcastle pub rock legends The Screaming Jets will return to Belmont 16s for their first Hunter gig post COVID-19.
The Screaming Jets were in the middle of their Dirty 30s anniversary tour when the coronavirus shut down the music industry.
The upcoming Belmont 16s show will be part of the Jets' Sunshine & Hurricanes Tour, which begins on February 6 at South Morang.
COMP EXTENDED
HUNTER musicians have more time to craft their compositions after the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition extended their entry date due to COVID-19.
Entries originally closed on May 14, but the competition will remain open until October 29. An additional 10 runner-up cash prizes of $1,000 have also been announced to help ease the financial pain suffered by artists working in the music industry.
The long-running Vanda & Young competition has served as a career springboard to an impressive line-up, including Matt Corby and Dann Hume last year for Miracle Love, Amy Shark (2018), Gretta Ray (2016), Husky's Husky Gawenda (2014), The Preachers' Isabella Manfredi (2013), Kimbra (2011) and Megan Washington (2009).
First prize is $50,000 and the runners-up purse is $10,000.
