NICK CURRAN AND THE NITELIFES
''NITELIFE BOOGIE''
JULY 10 2001
42:47
1/I'm Glad, Glad
Lloyd Price/2:23
2/Nite Life Boogie
Jimmy Liggins/3:47
3/Let the Daddy Hold You/2:26
4/I Want to Love Somebody
Nick Curran/3:43
5/Low Down Dirty Shame
T-Bone Walker/2:30
6/Close to Midnight
Nick Curran/3:25
7/This Time I'm Out the Door
Nick Curran/2:13
8/Space Guitar
Nick Curran/2:54
9/She's Fifteen
Nick Curran/3:39
10/Juke Box Mama
Nick Curran/3:56
11/You Know My Love
Willie Dixon/3:07
12/Wrong Doin' Woman/2:43
13/Come Back to Me Baby
Nick Curran/3:14
14/Don't Jive Me Baby
Nick Curran/2:47
REVIEW
by Matt Collar
If Fixin' Your Head's grainy, vintage sound turned a lot of heads, Nitelife Boogie will certainly put more than a few blues fiends into neck braces. Utilizing vintage recording equipment and a live performance aesthetic, guitarist/singer Nick Curran reinterprets jump blues classics along with rarities and originals in the exact style of the original recordings. This guy uses Murray's Superior Hair Dressing on his pompadour, wears some snappy vintage threads, and is backed by a tight rhythm section and two tenor saxophones. Scenesters will certainly appreciate his adherence to vintage style, but Curran's chops are no cute trend. Like a mad-blues hungry-scientist's clone hybrid of Little Richard and T-Bone Walker, it's uncanny how much Curran sounds like his post-war blues idols. But rather than coming off as a staid, neo-traditionalist, Curran imbues each track with a fresh urgency lacking in many modern blues releases. In fact, even on his originals like the raunchy and wrong "She's Fifteen," Curran often improves his idols' approach, by distilling and magnifying the catchy and gritty elements that make jump blues so compelling. He takes on Johnny "Guitar" Watson's bizarre instro "Space Guitar," bettering the original with interesting reverb on/reverb off production tweaks. Similarly, there's a rebellious, punk-like exuberance in the way Curran's microphone distorts during the frenzied gospel-shouts of Lloyd Price's raucous "I'm Glad, Glad." If it wasn't a classic before, it is now.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
by Matt Collar Comin' on like a sci-fi hybrid of T-Bone Walker, Little Richard, and Guitar Slim, guitarist/singer Nick Curran is a powerhouse performer who owes a strong debt to blues and rockabilly artists of the '50s. Originally from Portland, ME, Curran began performing in his early teens with his father's band, Mike Curran & the Tremors. At 19, while playing with local rockabilly band King Memphis, Curran met rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson and ended up touring with him for about six months. Soon after coming off the road, he got a call to do a tour with Texas rockabilly queen Kim Lenz and eventually joined her backup band, the Jaguars.
Subsequently, Curran moved to Dallas where he quickly immersed himself in the city's vibrant blues traditions as well as the roots music scene in Austin. It was during this time that Curran toured with retro-country sensation Wayne Hancock. Citing such influences as Wynonie Harris, Otis West, Roy Brown, and many other postwar blues and rock & roll artists, Curran released his solo album debut, Fixin' Your Head, in 2000. Recording live, single takes on vintage equipment, Curran has cultivated an impressive retro '50s jump blues sound that is only enhanced by his predilection for vintage clothes and Nu Nile pomade. Nitelife Boogie followed in 2001 and further solidified Curran's reputation as one of the most authentic and exciting roots musicians of his generation.
In a move that garnered him a slightly higher profile, Curran signed with legit-blues label Blind Pig Records in 2002 and released his third album the following year. Featuring more of Curran's old-school blues and R&B, Doctor Velvet found the still twenty-something artist branching out into Delta blues, reworking the Sonics' garage rock classic "Shot Down," and performing alongside one of his musical idols, original Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Jimmie Vaughan. Further accolades followed in 2004 as Curran received the W.C. Handy Award for Best New Artist Debut and released his fourth album, Player!
Toward the latter stages of the tour promoting Player!, Curran parted ways with his longtime Nitelifes rhythm section of ex-Fabulous Thunderbirds bassist Preston Hubbard and drummer Damien Llanes. Ironically, Curran then joined vocalist Kim Wilson's lastest incarnation of The Fabulous Thunderbirds in time to record the band's 2005 release Painted On.
After leaving the T-Birds, Curran formed the punk-blues combo Deguello with T-Birds' bassist Ronnie James Weber and played in various side-projects before relaunching his solo career. In 2010, Curran released Reformed School Girl on Eclecto Groove Records.
MORE ABOUT CURRAN
By Melanie Creamer, pressherald.com
Maine guitar savant Nick Curran dies at 35
Curran, who played with Texas rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson, died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer.
Nick Curran, a nationally known guitarist and singer from Sanford who played with the Texas rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and numerous other bands, died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer. He was 35.
Curran, who was known for blending punk, blues and rockabilly, was a frequent performer in Portland but spent much of his career in the Austin, Texas, area.
Additional Photos
Nick Curran performs at The Venue on Forest Avenue in Portland on July 4, 2010. Curran died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer.
Nick Curran performs at The Venue on Forest Avenue in Portland on July 4, 2010. Curran died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer. Photo by Matthew Robbins
Curran grew up in Sanford and started playing drums when he was 3 years old. By the time he was 9, he was learning to play the guitar.
As a teenager, Curran played with his father’s band, Mike Curran & the Tremors. He entered Portland’s music scene with talent beyond his years.
He made a big impression on Maine musicians such as Matthew Robbins, a guitarist and vocalist for King Memphis.
Robbins remembers the days when Curran would stand outside Gritty McDuff’s in Portland and peer through the window to watch Robbins’ band play.
“He was young and extremely talented,” Robbins said. “Nick was like a sponge. He could see someone play something and play it right back. He was pretty amazing.”
Curran was a regular at The Big Easy in Portland during its popular open mike nights.
Jimmy Junkins, lead singer and guitarist for Jimmy Junkins and the Soulcats, said he would sneak Curran into the bar and get him up on stage to play.
He compared Curran’s talent Monday to that of music icons Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“He was devastatingly talented,” Junkins said. “There was a level of maturity in his playing at 16 that most guys my age had never accomplished. … The music community is really turned upside down right now. It’s a tremendous loss to the music world and a tremendous loss to Maine.”
Sean Mencher, another musician who moved from Maine to Austin, said Curran played with authority and conviction.
“It’s a tragic loss to the global American roots music community,” he said.
When he was 19, Curran got his first big break and left Sanford for Austin to tour with Ronnie Dawson.
He then toured with the Texas rockabilly singer Kim Lenz. He played with her band, the Jaguars, for two years, including on Lenz’s 1999 CD, “The One And Only.”
He is also featured on Lenz’s 2009 CD, “It’s All True.” He toured with her in the summer of 2009.
Curran played in other bands including Deguello and the Lowlifes. He was also a member of the blues rock band the Fabulous Thunderbirds, from 2004 to 2007.
In 1999, Texas Jamboree Records issued Curran’s debut solo recording, “Fixin’ Your Head.”
He recorded four more albums — all using vintage recording equipment to achieve the sound of old 45 and 78 rpm records.
Curran performed four songs in the 2008 HBO Series “True Blood.”
Later that year, he formed the rock ‘n’ roll band Nick Curran and the Lowlifes, and in 2010 he released his fifth and final album, “Reform School Girl.”
Billy Horton, who played bass with Curran and produced all of his records, described “Reform School Girl” on Monday as “Little Richard meets the Ramones.”
“He wanted the record to sound like your record player blew up,” Horton said. “He loved punk, blues and rockabilly. … He was able to bring in all of those influences he loved and (make) a weird Nick stew. Only he could do that and make it work.”
Curran was a powerhouse in Austin’s music scene and beyond. He lived in Austin, but returned to Maine to visit his mother and play at Portland venues including Empire Dine and Dance and The New Venue.
He was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2010.
Since Saturday, thousands of his fans have turned to Facebook, Twitter and other social media to express their sadness and share memories of him.
He is survived by his mother, Carole-Ann Labbe, and her husband, Mark Labbe, of Shapleigh.
Curran’s father died two years ago.
Curran’s mother said late Monday that she has received an outpouring of love and support from her son’s friends and fans throughout the country.
“Nick made a mark on millions of people’s lives,” Labbe said. “He had fans all over the world and was well respected by musicians. He had a wonderful life in the short time he had on this earth. I’m thankful for that.”
TO THE TOP
''NITELIFE BOOGIE''
JULY 10 2001
42:47
1/I'm Glad, Glad
Lloyd Price/2:23
2/Nite Life Boogie
Jimmy Liggins/3:47
3/Let the Daddy Hold You/2:26
4/I Want to Love Somebody
Nick Curran/3:43
5/Low Down Dirty Shame
T-Bone Walker/2:30
6/Close to Midnight
Nick Curran/3:25
7/This Time I'm Out the Door
Nick Curran/2:13
8/Space Guitar
Nick Curran/2:54
9/She's Fifteen
Nick Curran/3:39
10/Juke Box Mama
Nick Curran/3:56
11/You Know My Love
Willie Dixon/3:07
12/Wrong Doin' Woman/2:43
13/Come Back to Me Baby
Nick Curran/3:14
14/Don't Jive Me Baby
Nick Curran/2:47
REVIEW
by Matt Collar
If Fixin' Your Head's grainy, vintage sound turned a lot of heads, Nitelife Boogie will certainly put more than a few blues fiends into neck braces. Utilizing vintage recording equipment and a live performance aesthetic, guitarist/singer Nick Curran reinterprets jump blues classics along with rarities and originals in the exact style of the original recordings. This guy uses Murray's Superior Hair Dressing on his pompadour, wears some snappy vintage threads, and is backed by a tight rhythm section and two tenor saxophones. Scenesters will certainly appreciate his adherence to vintage style, but Curran's chops are no cute trend. Like a mad-blues hungry-scientist's clone hybrid of Little Richard and T-Bone Walker, it's uncanny how much Curran sounds like his post-war blues idols. But rather than coming off as a staid, neo-traditionalist, Curran imbues each track with a fresh urgency lacking in many modern blues releases. In fact, even on his originals like the raunchy and wrong "She's Fifteen," Curran often improves his idols' approach, by distilling and magnifying the catchy and gritty elements that make jump blues so compelling. He takes on Johnny "Guitar" Watson's bizarre instro "Space Guitar," bettering the original with interesting reverb on/reverb off production tweaks. Similarly, there's a rebellious, punk-like exuberance in the way Curran's microphone distorts during the frenzied gospel-shouts of Lloyd Price's raucous "I'm Glad, Glad." If it wasn't a classic before, it is now.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
by Matt Collar Comin' on like a sci-fi hybrid of T-Bone Walker, Little Richard, and Guitar Slim, guitarist/singer Nick Curran is a powerhouse performer who owes a strong debt to blues and rockabilly artists of the '50s. Originally from Portland, ME, Curran began performing in his early teens with his father's band, Mike Curran & the Tremors. At 19, while playing with local rockabilly band King Memphis, Curran met rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson and ended up touring with him for about six months. Soon after coming off the road, he got a call to do a tour with Texas rockabilly queen Kim Lenz and eventually joined her backup band, the Jaguars.
Subsequently, Curran moved to Dallas where he quickly immersed himself in the city's vibrant blues traditions as well as the roots music scene in Austin. It was during this time that Curran toured with retro-country sensation Wayne Hancock. Citing such influences as Wynonie Harris, Otis West, Roy Brown, and many other postwar blues and rock & roll artists, Curran released his solo album debut, Fixin' Your Head, in 2000. Recording live, single takes on vintage equipment, Curran has cultivated an impressive retro '50s jump blues sound that is only enhanced by his predilection for vintage clothes and Nu Nile pomade. Nitelife Boogie followed in 2001 and further solidified Curran's reputation as one of the most authentic and exciting roots musicians of his generation.
In a move that garnered him a slightly higher profile, Curran signed with legit-blues label Blind Pig Records in 2002 and released his third album the following year. Featuring more of Curran's old-school blues and R&B, Doctor Velvet found the still twenty-something artist branching out into Delta blues, reworking the Sonics' garage rock classic "Shot Down," and performing alongside one of his musical idols, original Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Jimmie Vaughan. Further accolades followed in 2004 as Curran received the W.C. Handy Award for Best New Artist Debut and released his fourth album, Player!
Toward the latter stages of the tour promoting Player!, Curran parted ways with his longtime Nitelifes rhythm section of ex-Fabulous Thunderbirds bassist Preston Hubbard and drummer Damien Llanes. Ironically, Curran then joined vocalist Kim Wilson's lastest incarnation of The Fabulous Thunderbirds in time to record the band's 2005 release Painted On.
After leaving the T-Birds, Curran formed the punk-blues combo Deguello with T-Birds' bassist Ronnie James Weber and played in various side-projects before relaunching his solo career. In 2010, Curran released Reformed School Girl on Eclecto Groove Records.
MORE ABOUT CURRAN
By Melanie Creamer, pressherald.com
Maine guitar savant Nick Curran dies at 35
Curran, who played with Texas rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson, died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer.
Nick Curran, a nationally known guitarist and singer from Sanford who played with the Texas rockabilly legend Ronnie Dawson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and numerous other bands, died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer. He was 35.
Curran, who was known for blending punk, blues and rockabilly, was a frequent performer in Portland but spent much of his career in the Austin, Texas, area.
Additional Photos
Nick Curran performs at The Venue on Forest Avenue in Portland on July 4, 2010. Curran died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer.
Nick Curran performs at The Venue on Forest Avenue in Portland on July 4, 2010. Curran died Saturday after a three-year battle with oral cancer. Photo by Matthew Robbins
Curran grew up in Sanford and started playing drums when he was 3 years old. By the time he was 9, he was learning to play the guitar.
As a teenager, Curran played with his father’s band, Mike Curran & the Tremors. He entered Portland’s music scene with talent beyond his years.
He made a big impression on Maine musicians such as Matthew Robbins, a guitarist and vocalist for King Memphis.
Robbins remembers the days when Curran would stand outside Gritty McDuff’s in Portland and peer through the window to watch Robbins’ band play.
“He was young and extremely talented,” Robbins said. “Nick was like a sponge. He could see someone play something and play it right back. He was pretty amazing.”
Curran was a regular at The Big Easy in Portland during its popular open mike nights.
Jimmy Junkins, lead singer and guitarist for Jimmy Junkins and the Soulcats, said he would sneak Curran into the bar and get him up on stage to play.
He compared Curran’s talent Monday to that of music icons Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“He was devastatingly talented,” Junkins said. “There was a level of maturity in his playing at 16 that most guys my age had never accomplished. … The music community is really turned upside down right now. It’s a tremendous loss to the music world and a tremendous loss to Maine.”
Sean Mencher, another musician who moved from Maine to Austin, said Curran played with authority and conviction.
“It’s a tragic loss to the global American roots music community,” he said.
When he was 19, Curran got his first big break and left Sanford for Austin to tour with Ronnie Dawson.
He then toured with the Texas rockabilly singer Kim Lenz. He played with her band, the Jaguars, for two years, including on Lenz’s 1999 CD, “The One And Only.”
He is also featured on Lenz’s 2009 CD, “It’s All True.” He toured with her in the summer of 2009.
Curran played in other bands including Deguello and the Lowlifes. He was also a member of the blues rock band the Fabulous Thunderbirds, from 2004 to 2007.
In 1999, Texas Jamboree Records issued Curran’s debut solo recording, “Fixin’ Your Head.”
He recorded four more albums — all using vintage recording equipment to achieve the sound of old 45 and 78 rpm records.
Curran performed four songs in the 2008 HBO Series “True Blood.”
Later that year, he formed the rock ‘n’ roll band Nick Curran and the Lowlifes, and in 2010 he released his fifth and final album, “Reform School Girl.”
Billy Horton, who played bass with Curran and produced all of his records, described “Reform School Girl” on Monday as “Little Richard meets the Ramones.”
“He wanted the record to sound like your record player blew up,” Horton said. “He loved punk, blues and rockabilly. … He was able to bring in all of those influences he loved and (make) a weird Nick stew. Only he could do that and make it work.”
Curran was a powerhouse in Austin’s music scene and beyond. He lived in Austin, but returned to Maine to visit his mother and play at Portland venues including Empire Dine and Dance and The New Venue.
He was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2010.
Since Saturday, thousands of his fans have turned to Facebook, Twitter and other social media to express their sadness and share memories of him.
He is survived by his mother, Carole-Ann Labbe, and her husband, Mark Labbe, of Shapleigh.
Curran’s father died two years ago.
Curran’s mother said late Monday that she has received an outpouring of love and support from her son’s friends and fans throughout the country.
“Nick made a mark on millions of people’s lives,” Labbe said. “He had fans all over the world and was well respected by musicians. He had a wonderful life in the short time he had on this earth. I’m thankful for that.”
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