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Nick Pagliari - Hard Lessons |
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We have all at some point in life had hard lessons to learn and so we
can relate to the title of Austin, Texas singer and songwriter Nick
Pagliari’s new album Hard Lessons, which was released on July
22nd. You have to dig much deeper into a conversation with this amiable
musician to discover that some of his greatest influences come from his
wife Carmen and the jukebox that was in his parents’ home when he was a
young boy.
Reflecting upon that jukebox he says, “That is where my early influences
in music were from in general. I was probably six or seven years old
when my father had that jukebox. We would sit in the living room and he
would play little 45s on the jukebox and we would dance around and sing
those songs. I was really fortunate and it was really, really cool. My
brother who is about three years younger than me has that jukebox. I
don’t know if it still works, but I would love to hear some of those
songs again someday.
There were all kinds of Motown music and I remember specific artists
like The Four Tops, The Beach Boys’ song “Fun, Fun, Fun,” and “Uptown
Girl,” by Billy Joel. My mom was a huge fan of Huey Lewis, but that
might have been later in her car.
All that music was an influence on me and it stuck with me as an artist.
I think when you are that young, in that stage of your development you
are like a sponge. Musically I soaked that stuff up and it stuck with
me.”
Just as he was about to embark on a month-long residency at Geraldine’s
in Austin, Nick Pagliari took time to talk with Riveting Riffs Magazine
about his album Hard Lessons.
Things like that happen on a whim and I try to capture that when I can.
It doesn’t always happen that way. If I am out driving my car and I come
up with a nice melody I will try and do a little voice memo, to capture
it, so I can come back to it. The songs come in different ways. I have
never been able to sit down and say I am going to try and write a song
now. I have to have some sort of inspiration that excites me.
Sometimes I will go for months without writing a song and then I will
spend two- or three-months writing songs. It just comes and goes. There
are also songs that might take a few months to write and there are
others that might take just a few days. It runs the gamut. I have gotten
to the point when I try to focus on my lyrics more and I can come back
to songs and redraft and rewrite. I really want each lyric to count and
each lyric to mean something. I am a real stickler on that and it has
really helped me, especially with these last two albums.”
In listening to “Down in a Rainstorm,” one has to wonder if there was
just a little bit of Creedence Clearwater Revival in his parents’
jukebox, because this song is pleasantly reminiscent of their music.
“This Time will Tell,” possesses languid instrumentals that at times
remind one of The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” only instead
of a fantasy like, psychedelic lyrics, the imagery is stark, asking
poignant questions about the world in which we live. What does the
future hold? Are we content to accept things the way they are? Can we
trust the images and what is presented as truth?
Nick Pagliari hints at more Beatles’ influences on the somewhat
reflective song, “Sweet Dream.”
”Lyrically it is interesting. I came up with the ending part one
night, when my kids were really young. I was sitting in bed and rubbing
their heads to soothe them until they fell asleep. (He starts to sing)
The rest of the song came later. My youngest brother was going through a
divorce and so a lot of the lyrics were focused on things I think he was
going through. Sometimes I just put myself in the position of someone
who is going through something and then those thoughts come out of how I
might feel in that situation. The song was my interpretation of what he
might have been going through in that particular time.”
The song is introduced by Jon Estes on piano, who later adds a sense of
loneliness and mourning with his cello. Although, the song is about the
loss of a relationship, the latter lyrics point to hope for the future
and healing, complimented nicely by Jeremy Fetzer’s up-tempo electric
guitar.
Two pivotal songs on the album are the second (“Flame) and fifth tracks,
(“Here Comes a Woman”). The latter takes you back to the feel of some of
those slower Eagles’ songs of the seventies.
About “Here Comes a Woman,” he says, “I wanted to give women a pedestal,
because I don’t think we do that enough. I think women are so much
stronger than men. They are so much more compassionate. When you look at
political leaders who are women and the president of New Zealand is a
perfect example (Jacinda Ardern) of a woman in a strong political role
and doing an exceptional job. I think it is fantastic that there are
countries who are willing to lift women up and to put them in a position
like that. Other women, little girls and teenagers can sit there and say
wow this is who I want to aspire to be like. She is a great role model
for me. I think we need more women like that. We need to have more women
in powerful roles and we need to continue to grow that. I really like
the song “Here Comes a Woman,” and I feel like it turned out to be one
of the better ones on the album.”
Nobody is going to be sitting at concerts while listening to the song
“Flame,” this is a two-step song, inviting you to dance to it.
Is “Flame,” another dance song or is it a portrayal of America? Maybe it
is both. This song will resonate with many people. The tempo is quick
and keeps it from becoming dark, but the lyrics are powerful. This may
be the strongest song on Hard Lessons, because the message is so
clear, so powerful and so honest.
Nick Pagliari says that he feels “Flame,” has a reach that extends
beyond the United States, “I feel that it also has a universal appeal,
because there is a lot of instability that we are living through right
now. There are a lot of changes and a lot of sad stuff.”
What we as a society have gone through since the year 2020 dawned “has
made me a better person, and (taught me) to be more understanding, more
empathetic and more of an advocate for people who are suffering in this
world. I hope when people hear the song, they feel like we have to make
a right turn and get going in a different direction. If we continue down
this path, I don’t think it is sustainable. We can’t pass it on to the
next generation, because it is a mess,” he says.
Nick let’s talk about the title track “Hard Lessons,” that opens up this
collection of six songs. Who is the woman in the song and what is her
story?
“I think (the song) walks that fine line between being a folky ballad
and a Rock song. That song is based on a character who has had all of
these events that have unfolded in her life that have not been favorable
to her and she has gone through difficult moments. The older she gets
and the further along in the story she gets you realize she becomes more
guarded. She is less naïve and has more street smarts. She realizes the
place is not the perfect place that she thought it was when she was
younger. You go through those experiences and they shape you, but you
come out on the other end and you learn to mold yourself to take on
those types of things. When things happen to you later on, they are not
as tragic or as difficult to deal with.
When I was writing that song, I wanted to take a character and see the
transformation in the person as they go through life. The older we get
we realize that the world is not as innocent and kind, as we all might
have thought at one point. Unfortunately, there are people who learn
that at a very young age, even younger than her (the person in the
song). That to me is the gist of it.
The reason I called the record Hard Lessons is all these songs
that I wrote were during the pandemic and it was a time that was very
difficult for most people in the world. Things were uncertain and there
was a lot of fear. There was a lot of negativity and darkness in most
people’s heads, but maybe it is time for people to learn from it and
move forward in some way.
Nick Pagliari is years removed from being that fifteen-year-old crooner
in his first band formed with a couple of high school friends. One might
say he was conscripted, because the other two bandmates could not sing,
but played guitar and Pagliari did not play at that point in his life.
They would rent a four tracks music recorder from the local music store
and turn his parents’ basement or his friends’ homes into a studio.
He says, “The first song I wrote was about a girl I was crazy head over
heels with and she wanted to have nothing to do with me (he chuckles).
It was a story of heartbreak. I don’t think I wrote the music. I think
it was one of my two buddies and I just wrote the lyrics. I don’t
remember what we called it, but as horrendous as it would be, I can
still probably remember a few of the words. I don’t know if I ever
played that song for that girl, but there were more songs that came
after that, she certainly heard. We would record all of our songs and
give these mixed tapes to our friends.”
Well, that teenage girl may not have paid attention to him, but another
lady did fall in love with him, later on, his wife Carmen, whom he
describes as being his rock.
“I grew up in a middle to upper class family and I went to private
schools. There wasn’t a whole lot of diversity that I was exposed to as
a kid growing up and it put me in a bubble. I wasn’t really aware of how
other people live in this world and how other people struggle or how
other people deal with everything. I met my wife and I love her dearly.
She really started to open up my eyes to a lot of those things. That was
very transformative for me as a songwriter and a lot of that stuff has
started to come out. I started to be aware of it and make observations.
That is what we do as songwriters. I used to always have a little book
with me, but now I have my phone with me and I can put whatever kind of
lyrical idea I have into my phone. I can sit down with it when I am
ready to write and go from there. I never knew what unconditional love
was until I had kids. That expanded my palette when it came to writing,”
says Nick Pagliari.
If you want to listen to some music that you can sink your teeth into,
visit your favorite online music store or visit Nick Pagliari’s
website
and purchase a copy of Hard Lessons.
The album was engineered, mixed and co-produced by Jon Estes (Nick
Pagliari was the other co-producer) and mastered by John McLaggen. In
addition to the other people we have already mentioned, Jamie Dick is
the drummer / percussionist, Steve Pardo (horns), Sadler Vaden plays
guitar, as does Nick Pagliari (acoustic) / keys / percussion and Alexis
Saski contributes background vocals.
You can follow Nick Pagliari on
Instagram
or on
Facebook.
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“The
song “Down in a Rainstorm,” from the new album (came about) when I was
out for a jog one afternoon and all of a sudden, I was caught in a big
rainstorm. I started humming that chorus part. I got really excited
about it to be honest with you, as I was finishing up my run. When I got
home, I took off my wet clothes and I took my guitar, while humming that
song to myself. I figured out some good chords for it and I wrote the
majority of it right there. 