The Portland Press Herald / The Maine Sunday Telegram

March 18

Local Music Q&A

Standout rock howler stands up to bad news

By MIKE OLCOTT

This past Sunday at Venue in Freeport, a gaggle of hard-driving rockabilly soul bands came together to rock for one of Maine's original sons. The Tone Kings, Big Chief, Jimmy and the Soulcats and others shook, rattled and rolled to raise money for Nick Curran, a Little Richard-howler with a punk-rock heart.

Curran used to kick it with a can of Moxie in Saco, so he knows well the long Maine winters and the power chords that bounce through Portland's brick alleys. He was recently diagnosed with cancer, and his response has been a bone-rattling inspiration. With multiple feisty benefits, brave persistence in performing and a cracklin' hot new record called "Reform School Girl," Curran continues to live out loud and undeterred.

GO went to find out how Curran keeps fighting in light of some scary news. (Read more about how Curran came up at eclectogroove.com/artists/nickcurran/bio.html.)

Talk about the moment you first heard the diagnosis. What was going through your mind as far as the future of your music career?

Well, first, before I was diagnosed, I was actually freaking out a lot more than I did when I found out. I kept thinking 'What if I have cancer? Oh no! My singing days are over, or worse.' But actually, you really never know how you are going to react to getting that news until you actually hear it. As soon as the doc told me, 'Well, it is cancer,' I looked at him and said, 'Well OK.' I immediately thought this ain't gonna get me! I knew that I was gonna beat it.

And with some advice of a few friends that had been down this road -- Candye Kane, Anthony Farrell and a few others -- I started doing some natural health stuff and making diet changes. I could actually physically see symptoms reversing within days. I did this until I started treatment, and things are going well. Now they are trying to fatten me up for the treatment. I expect a full, quick recovery for sure.

Can you talk about the music you grew up with? What was the first thing that shook you?

When I was very little, my mom would take me to go see my dad's bands play, so I was seeing and hearing music from the beginning. She said I would dance around to music in her tummy as well. I liked blues and rock 'n' roll because of my dad, so that was always there. As far as the first thing I remember freaking out about, when I was 5, I got Michael Jackson's "Thriller," then I got a Beatles greatest hits, then I got Twisted Sister's "Stay Hungry."

Then I heard AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (stolen from my step-dad's collection), and it blew my mind! When I was 9, I heard "Appetite for Destruction," and that pretty much became the soundtrack of my youth. I was really into punk kind of rock 'n' roll. Then in my late teens, I first heard rockabilly music watching a band called the Memphis Mafia, and that really flipped my wig. It wasn't even a couple years later that I found myself on tour with the great Ronnie Dawson.

On "Kill My Baby," you let the vocals drift into a tortured distortion. Are you purposefully pushing the genre boundaries here?

Yeah, I definitely wanted that one to sound pretty mean, so we did an extra-distorted vocal. Whoever knows me knows I do love to push the boundaries! Always have, always will.

I notice a lot of bright flashing neon on your MySpace page. What kind of look did you want the Lowlifes to have?

Yeah, I wanted it to be very bright and eye-catching. When I was talking to the art director at Eclecto, he knew I was really into old-school punk rock, so he did a mock-up cover with these colors reminiscent of the Sex Pistols' "Nevermind the Bollocks" record cover, and I loved it. I didn't just want this record to just be another blues thing; I wanted it be a roots-influenced modern rock 'n' roll album that could possibly reach more than just one crowd. It really seems to be doing just that.

But I really want to have a look with the band. No bands have a look anymore. I want to have a presence like those bands that come out once every 10 years or so. Great roots rock 'n' roll bands like the Ramones, the Clash, the Misfits, Guns N' Roses, Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps, Beatles, Nirvana -- all these bands came out at a time they were needed for new music by taking roots music and making it their own thing, and they all had a standout look, looking tough and so cool. I think you need to make tough, real, from-the-heart music that nobody can deny and have a look that stands out from everyone else. If you wanna make a splash, you gotta jump in!

What are your childhood memories of Maine?

I love Maine. I used to go camping, fishing, ice fishing, blueberry picking, skateboarding, boating, eat lobster rolls, drink Moxie -- then I got a guitar. Lobster rolls and Moxie stayed, all others exited. Then, off to Portland's music scene 'til I split town for Texas.

I grew up early years in Biddeford/Saco, then moved to Dayton/Hollis when I was 6. Then moved to Sanford and stayed there through high school. Moved to Portland for about a year before splittin' for Dallas.

You sound like Little Richard all over "Reform School Girl." What originally drew you to this manic blues?

I have just always loved Little Richard, and over the years have come to respect him and his contribution to rock 'n' roll more and more. He is just pure soul and that's what I'm about, baby!

How did the people around you, who support you, react to the news of your cancer?

Everyone has been so helpful and supportive. You really find out who your friends are when something like this happens. There have been a few disappointments on that front, but more great than not. Friends, family and fans are the best! I love all of you!

What's your favorite track on "Reform School Girl" and why?

I think it might be the title track, right now anyway. It's different from any song I've written before, and I am so happy with how it came out. It's perfect in my mind. My man Billy Horton is my long-life recording partner, and we just really know how to work together. He's the best.

Where will Nick Curran be 10 years from now?

Hmmmm, tough one. Rockin' and rollin' 'til the break of day. I'll be doin' what I do. 

Mike Olcott is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.