With Blackberry Way Recording Artists SWING SET
Where are you from and could you tell us a little about your upbringing?
Mike Nilles:
I grew up in St Paul, MN. My mother’s family were Italian immigrants and music was always part of our lives. My uncle, Mike Continelli, formed and recorded in Minnesota’s first rock ‘n roll group in 1954, The Augie Garcia Quintet. My life changed when I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Both my parents were very supportive of my music making. I started writing songs when I was seven.
Dan Prozinski:
I grew up here in Minnesota and like Mike, there was a lot of good music around me. My father and his father both loved to sing together; old barbershopper stuff! And my Dad’s younger cousin is Tony Andreason, the leader of the Trashmen of Surfing Bird fame. In fact Tony took me to a little music store when I was 17 to help me pick out my first good guitar.
Whats your favorite genre of music to make and what inspires you to create?
Mike Nilles:
I love music from both British invasions, the mid-1960s and the late ‘70s punk/new wave. This type of music influenced me greatly, especially The Beatles way of writing with surprising chord structures, diverse instrumentation and adventurous melodies. I’m inspired to create music from melodies that regularly come to me while lying in bed in a semi-conscious state. I love to flesh out the best of these in my home studio.
Dan Prozinski:
I grew up listening to the pop hits on the AM radio stations in the 60s and 70s. Neil Young’s Heart of Gold was a big influence on my use of harmonica to create counter hooks to song melodies.
Could you tell us about your latest project?
Mike Nilles:
I’m writing a high-school rock-opera style musical about the pressures kids have to decide what to do “for the rest of their lives” right after high-school.
Dan Prozinski:
I have a patent on a harmonica device I call the Harparatus and they’re selling well on the internet. It replaces the traditional harp-rack with a mount that holds your harmonica on a mic stand just under the vocal mic. I run the harp through a separate microphone and into guitar effect pedals for added processing: eq, overdrive, reverb and delay type effects, etc.. Harparatus.com for direct sales!
Who are some of your favorite musical influences?
Dan Prozinski:
Bob Dylan, of course. Neil Young. but I also listen to a lot of folk-rock, bluegrass, some jazz.
Mike Nilles:
I adore Jangle Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Baroque Rock and most any rock from 1966-1969. Later there was punk/pop, such as The Elvis Costello and The Buzzcocks, and the post-punk rock of the late 70s and 80s.
Dan Prozinski:
Yes, guitar hook-driven jangly 80s stuff like the Church, Pretenders, Psychedelic Furs …
Are there any notable people that helped you along the way?
Mike Nilles:
Other than a few guitar lessons from a cousin and an older hippie friend, I pretty much taught myself.
Dan Prozinski:
I mentioned my cousin Tony, but also my sidekick here, Mr. Nilles. I was a hack when he started the group and took me under his wing!
Mike Nilles:
Not true -- Dan came in as a folk-rocker and I only encouraged him to play a little louder and dirtier! In almost no time at all, he became a seriously tasty lead guitarist, with a unquenchable thirst for the perfect tone and part.
Besides music what are your hobbies and fun things you like to do?
Dan Prozinski:
Just music it seems! I play my guitar belting out songs throughout the day; old songs and new song ideas. I keep three guitars on stands around the house so there’s always one within reach.
Mike Nilles:
I enjoy cooking and traveling, and travel every year to Italy to visit relatives. But composing & recording are my only real passions. As a kid I wanted to be Beatles' producer George Martin almost as much as I wanted to be George Harrison!
Are there any changes you would like to see in the music industry?
Mike Nilles:
I wish that songwriters could directly access artists that they think would be interested in covering their songs. And of course, streaming revenue for artists is so unfair.
Dan Prozinski:
I think there are clearly instances where band members have added musical hooks to songs that helped make those songs big hits and they deserve a royalty share for it. But that’s an issue that would be hard to mediate and administer if it’s not done amicably within the band.
What can we expect from you in the near future?
Mike Nilles:
I hope to have the rock-opera “It’s Just the Rest of My Life!” finished in about a year.
Dan Prozinski:
I intend to get out and play live with the Harparatus more. Maybe some solo shows to give it a workout on stage with a sound engineer.
Any last remarks
Mike Nilles:
I believe that our album Life Speeds Up is a fabulous album because we had three songwriters, each trying to outdo the others, but the album sounds very cohesive. I have heard several people say that it has no filler, and I agree!
Dan Prozinski:
And the band members are all still good friends. Also, we’re all very grateful to Mike Owens at Blackberry Way Records for his support over the years, and his artistry remixing Life Speeds
Get Info & Buy Music: https://blackberrywayrecords.com/album/2892212/life-speeds-up
YouTube: “Blackout” https://youtu.be/196y6pncKg8?si=23ZRsoM_VmNhRWJV
YouTube “Knock Knock” https://youtu.be/M42_GEVdHuk?si=Jd_0XZie63FtMCLS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackberrywayrecords
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4RmKTzvUb7KWdUqqDIeJL4?si=TgZccno2SImJA2tPMLtxHQ
