Dominic Nicosia plays bass and piano and sings in Estella, a band from central Jersey that treads a line between the slow build and dirge of bands like Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor and the tight, dynamic "emo" of bands like Sunny Day Real Estate. I think they're at their best when they keep it slow, like in "Tourniquet of the Century," but all the songs are quality here, and the interplay of Stephanie Scola's voice with the male vocals (Dominic and his brother Michael) is striking.
Day job: Student, Writer, Retail Manager
What's the worst or most interesting thing that's happened to you at work?
I am a writer for a few music Web sites and one print publication.
The best part about my job is getting to exchange ideas and stories
with people to whom I’ve looked up for so long. I have interviewed a
variety of great musicians including Tim Kinsella of Joan of Arc and
Chris Simpson of Mineral and The Gloria Record. It’s really quite
gratifying to get to write and talk about what I love. It certainly
beats selling pants which is my other, less glamorous occupation.
Does work ever conflict with your band?
I try not to let it. But there are times when it is unavoidable.
Do you have health insurance?
I suppose you can call it that.
Who are the three people you'd most like to have at one of your shows,
in terms of helping your music career?
If I were to choose three, the first would be my brother Michael
for support and advice. The second would be Morrissey on the off-chance
he liked my style and needed a new a bass player, the third would be
engineer and producer, Mark Trombino. I would love to do a record with
the man who lent his talents to the creation of some of my favorite
releases.
If Wal-Mart approached you about putting your music in an ad, for a
large sum, would you do it?
Certainly not. I find their practices despicable and the way they
way they treat music and other forms of art disturbing. I try to avoid
them as much as I can. I have never purchased a sample of the watered
down, censored quasi-musical product they sell. It would be nice if
they could leave the distribution of music to those who care about it
and stick to selling discounted snack treats and god knows what else,
besides.
Any additional thoughts on the conflicts and intersections of work and art?
Plenty. Right now we live in a world where it is virtually
impossible to be materially successful and stay true to your form of
art. It sounds stupid and cliché to say it, but these are serious times
and it bears repeating. In a world so totally dominated by American
Idolatry, we should recognize those in the basements, bars and
makeshift recording studios of the lesser known America as the only
hope for sustenance of creativity. What is unfortunate about their
plight is that these artists get so bogged down by their financial
situation, that they rarely have time or energy to focus on their
craft. The immediacy of their money-problems always wins out.
There was once a group of people to whom none of this mattered. They toured in semi-functional vans, got paid dirt for playing their hearts out for crowds who hated them and were grateful for the opportunity. These people were considered punk rockers and have since been the only breed of people able to circumvent or just disregard the regulations of their society. Now we are faced with further problems across our musical landscape. What we need are those with enough gumption and spirit to go all out for the sake of a more honest and interesting art form. I promise you, if such people still exist, the hacks currently holding our airwaves hostage will have a hard time competing.
On the Web: Estella
Day Job is a weekly column examining the contradictions, conflicts and convergence between work and art.
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