Nick Cody

Working on the “Covering these tracks” project

Next week we’ll be signing off on the audio and artwork for the first part of the “Covering these tracks” project. This is a new departure for me as previously I’ve only recorded and released original music, five albums to date, through three different ensembles and a remix project.

Choosing material to record

This project has surprised me in many ways. Previously I’ve been an avid “no covers” individual, not because I don’t like or appreciate covers, but because I want something new. One of the big surprises is how much I have enjoyed recording these tracks and its given me the opportunity to explore many songs that inspired me over the decades. The first single will be released on September 1st, a classic Fleetwood Mac track “Dreams” written by Stevie Nicks. I’m mindful that I want to create new versions of these tracks and avoid “Nick does karoke!”, and I’m pleased to say we have achieved that goal.

Here’s the running order for the first release

Covering these tracks.

by Nick Cody, featuring Towse, Corwin Zekley & Harry Orme

Dreams (Stevie Nicks) 4.14

Willin (Lowell George) 2.58

Speed trap town (Jason Isbell) 4.04

That old time feeling (Guy Clarke) 4.22

Heart like a wheel Anna McGarrigle) 2.56

Come up to the house/I don’t wanna grow up (Tom Waits) 7.18

The “Covering these tracks” ensemble

I’m delighted to once again be working with Towse aka Grace Fellows and Corwin Zekley. These are extraordinary professional musicians who continue to inspire great creativity. Even when engaged in an extensive tour across the USA they still find time to submit their parts to many tracks on this project. They are joined by the terrific Harry Orme, which was recommended to me by Fergus Quill. Harry is a superb musician and will be contributing almost all the guitar parts on this project. I say “almost all” as on “Dreams” I recorded the guitar part with the Larry Pogreba reso guitar. We also have great artwork for this project from Silka Guy.

The next part of the project in 2024

The second release of songs will appear in March/April 2024 and we are already working on some of the material that will include covers of Steve Earle and Nick Cave. This project has given me a fascinating insight into how other songwriters write and perform material. We’ll be showcasing some of this material in 2023 at the Music for Head & Heart showcase in the UK. There will be more live events in 2024 to showcase the “Covering these tracks” material.

Towse with Nick Cody

The Joys and perils of hosting live music events

During covid I realised how much I missed live music both as a player and also as an audience member. I also realised as a band leader that there is a huge variation in the quality of live venues. My good friend and fellow artist in my first band Jessica Bowie once wonderfully commented “Nick, there atr lots of shitty little gig opportunities out there…” Only later did I come to truly appreciate the wisdom of these words and that lead me to running my own events. This means a lot more investment in time and money, BUT it means that I can create an experience which is for music lovers, with great sound and facilities and where artists receive fair payment for their work.

Selecting the right artists and venues

I live in Leeds which has a music college, so there must surely be a ton of great music venues for artists? Well, not really in my opinion… I’ve asked to help out with filming and photos for some album launches which have been beyond terrible in terms of a listening experience. Two memorable ones were where the lighting was so bad it was impossible to get any decent video and another time where the sound was terrible as the venue wasn’t right for any kind of musical entertainment. In my Small Change Diaries and Caravan of Dreams ensembles, we’ve played many of the local venues and now have a great idea of what makes for a good night out.

I’ve seen many excellent artists play such local venues (often for free or a minimal fee) to have to battle against an unattentive audience, who are not really there for the music. Its in my view pretty soul destroying and these days I’m super picky about where I go to for live music. I’ve seen endless examples of artists playing half empty venues with no actual stage or proper PA or capable sound technician, so the whole experience is pretty poor.

Working with true professionals

A few years ago I started to host Music for The Head and Heart showcases where we would feature evenings of music from 2 – 4 artists. These were different to standard gigs and many attendees only knew one of the artists. To date they have all sold out and we’ve had great feedback. This means really thinking about the whole experience for an audience and making sure the audience and the artists get the best value for money. It also means being really selective about who is involved in any events, so that we are on the same page. I’m pleased to say that to date nearly all those involved have been brilliant and of course this means building long term relationships where everyone benefits.

I’ve always capped numbers for these live events at around 200, which in my view is a great sized audience. To date I’ve mostly used two venues, one which holds 80 people and another which holds around 200 seated. The above video shows some of the artists to date that have provided great entertainment.

In the last year I have decided to expand the MHH/Green Eyed Records showcases and bring in more established artists like Jon Gomm and Martin Simpson. I need to plan 12 – 15 months ahead if I want the best venues on a weekend rather than mid week which is less attractive for audiences. Special thanks to all those who have embraced the spirit of Green Eyed Records and who have made this live showcases so special.

These are true professionals and the increased investment in securing such entertainers has been more than worthwhile. Both have been very generous in assiting with promoting events and I’ll certainly be working with both in the future. In 2024 I’ll be running more GER/MHH showcases, and of course next month we still have a terrific 2023 event with Towse from USA, Harry Orme from the UK, and my ensemble “The Heartache” appearing on Sept 23rd and HEART in Leeds. Tickets available HERE

One off leather guitar straps

I’m an instrument collector and always on the look out for great gear. In recent times I came across the most amazing guitar straps from One off leather that are quite unlike anything else I have seen on my travels across the globe in many of the finest music stores. Charlotte Wainwright who creates the designs is well known in the high end shoe industry and her work is quite extraordinary.

She offers custom designs for artists and the creative work and quality of straps is really superb. Here are some examples of the items already in my collection.

Larry Pogreba reso guitar with custom strap

Danelectro baritone with bird strap

Moses hardtail strat with custom Heartbreak strap

Larry pogreba guitar with one off leather strap

Shimo electric tenor with custom strap

Working on two very different projects

I’m currently working on two very different projects, “Covering these tracks” which is the first time I have ever recorded material written by other artists and the second Heartache album. This means a huge amount of planning, organisation and time management to create the final products. Carl Rosamond remains my go to producer and I have a terrific ensemble of artists contributing to these projects.

The benefits of a superb home studio setup

In recent years I’ve increasingly appreciated the benefits of having a really great home studio setup and this has become central for all the recent and the forthcoming albums. I’ve invested in buying the best equiptment, including a number of excellent Austrian Audio mics, UAD Apollo interfaces, Synergy preamps and a stack of great tube amps from Supro, Fender, Marshall, Two Rock, Anderson, Egnater, Henriksen, Groove Tubes, Soldano and Mesa Boogie.

All the vocals are done using the Austrian Audio OC 818, which is in my view the best possible vocal mic. I have a permanent set up for recording with a giant 55 inch 4k monitor that is terrific for recording. I’m recording on an almost daily basis and during covid I devoted a great deal of time to using Reaper as a DAW which is perfect for recording.

Once I have locked down the vocals, I send the multi tracks over to Carl Rosamond at RRS Studios. He then sends the stems to other artists from all over the globe inlcuding Michael Ross from Nashville. Laurent Zeller from France and Towse from California. We’ve also recorded percussion and backing vocals live in the studio. Its a brilliant process that is proving highly effective in creating really excellent work.

Planning distribution and marketing

The recording, mixing and mastering is of course only part of the creative process. Next comes the challenge of planning distribution and marketing. This means radio promotion, social media promotion, hard copy magazine advertising, video creation and other mediums. I have a number of excellent professionals on retainers to assist with ensuring that there’s the very best quality for all released material on video and audio. This all requires a serious amount of financial and time investment. To date I’ve avoided crowdfunding and 100% funded everything myself with 100% ownership and control over the creative process.

The music “business” is like any other business

I come from a business background and these skills have been invaluable in figuring out the best ways to get my music to a wider audience. Despite what is taught in music schools and suggested on social media, the music “business” is like any other business and :music marketing” is like any other marketing. I find it hilarious that some aspiring artists complain that social media platforms won’t market their material for no charge and seem to forget that all such entities are business concerns and exist like any other business to make a profit!

I set up Green Eyed Records as a resource to share information about how to reach a wider public and in some instances to directly help fund other artists. Those who understand the concept of “creativity through collaboration” appreciate that in these tougher economic times, this is a better strategy for success. Green Eyed Records also sponsors live events and to date we have hosted Jon Gomm and Martin Simpson, two superb artists. This has allowed me to help showcase great support acts like Towse and my own ensembles to reach new audiences that would not previously been possible.

The power of Agi, queen of harmonies…

We just finished a session in the studio working up a new track for the 2nd Heartache album due for a 2024 release with Agi, a terrific UK singer. I have known Agi for almost five years and worked with her on the last three albums, for “The Caravan of Dreams, “Code E1” and “Nick Cody & The Heartache”, released via Green Eyed Records.

She was also a key member of “The Caravan of Dreams” and is a terrific pop artist in her own right, having released a number of singles over the years.

Layers of perfect harmonies

We spent today layering harmonies for a new track originally recorded by Towse, another exceptional artist. I can with total confidence that Agi has been a total gamechanger for improving my own vocal skills. I’ve had 1 – 1 sessions with her on a weekly basis for close to five years and its been quite a journey. The initial lessons were like a baptism of fire and I coined the “This is proper work!” slogan as I began to appreciate just how much work was needed to develop great singing skills.

Not only is she a brilliant teacher, but she also has great technical insights and all of these were unleashed today in the studio.

Below is one of the first tracks we recorded on the Caravan of Dreams album “Tales of Dark & Light” which really shows her superb vocal range.

Agi

The power of encouragement for inspiration

Over the last five years, Agi’s encouragement has been a total inspiration in becomeing more ambitious in my own writing. Our weekly meetings are now mostly recording sessions for new projects. During covid we started and continued to do a lot of work over zoom, which has worked amazingly well. I recorded 42 tracks in an 18 month period and I could not have done this without her input.

There are many highlights over the years including when she encouraged me to create the multi harmony title track for the Caravan of Dreams album which at the time was a massive creative leap. Both my producer Carl Rosamond are blown away watching her work in the studio, superb musical instincts in action and an absolute joy to work with.

The Caravan of Dreams

I am truly grateful for all the vocal assistance and encouragement over the years. I can honestly saw that that she has transformed my thinking on many levels. I’ve recommended her to a number of my students in my other life and they all sing her praises. Its rare to find such warm hearted talented individuals. Our live Caravan of Dreams appearances were fantastic fun and this was truly a super group with Fergus Quil, Jed Bevington and Rich Ferdi all part of the live ensemble. At present we are working on two new albums, the first is an album of covers which is highly unusual fro me out this Sept. Following that in 2024 I’ll be releasing the sencond Heartache album with Agi on many tracks inlcuding “Slowtime” and “Can’t Stop”

Agi

My hope is that she achieves all her musical aspirations and I suspect one day she’ll be quite famous and I’ll be able to say –

“I knew her in the early days!”

Video shoot and rehearsal at Eiger studios in Leeds

I just got back from Eiger studios in Leeds where we spent the day shooting video and rehearsing for the Sept 23rd Green Eyed Records/Music for the Head and Heart showcase.

I chose Eiger as it had by a mile the best facilities for this work and also was really central in Leeds. Mal Williamson came over from Hull to do the video work and Towse came up from London before their two month USA tour starting next week.

Planning makes for a productive day

I’ve long learned that the best video shoots require proper planning. The right equiptment, right space and right people all contribute to making such an event a success. I’ve seen some disasterous video shoots where there was lack of attention to using the best gear and properly organising time. A big mistake is to focus only on the visual aspect and not pay attention to sound capture and I’ve seen many examples of album launches where hours of video are rendered non productive because there wasn’t proper audio capture! Fortunately Mal Williamson is a seasoned film maker and has superb attention to detail and attention to detail is essential to make a success of any video shoot. I picked Mal up at 10.24 from Leeds station and we has a good 90 minutes before the other artists landed at Eiger studios.

The space at Eiger studios

I booked the main studio space at Eiger as this was by a mile the best location for any filming. There were three separate rooms, the main space for playing, the studio and a separate booth that we used for green screen work. This gave us a variety of excellent options and crucially there was no sound leakage from other rehearsal rooms. Unlike some other spaces in Leeds, Eiger is manned by actual human beings who were really helpful with all our needs. Food and drink were supplied by my wife Sue who has become the designated catering manager for such events! She provided a great spread for all involved. Such details are often missed and when people have proper nutrition, concentration is always improved!

Working with Towse and Harry Orme

Its an absolute pleasure to work with Harry Orme and Towse on a new project which will be revealed at the showcase on September 23rd in Leeds at Heart. These are exceptional professional artists with great creative skills and are easy to work with. I’ve learned to only work with professionals in such projects and we’ve already recorded a number of really superb tracks which are very different to anything I have done to date. Of course Towse was featured on the “All is fine ’til the world goes pop” album described by Jim Glennie founder member of James as

“NIck Cody continues to write great songs that span genres and sound fresh, vital and relevant.’

‘Nick and Towse’s new album is a must have for your next long car journey.

Taking you from the Yorkshire Dales to the US prairies and back again.“

Harry Orme has been a game changer in terms of working up new material, a superb guitarist with a great musical brain. It was great to see him playing with Corwin Zekley from Towse and I am in awe of their musical skills! This is a great example of creativity through collaboration, the central theme for the Green Eyed Records platform. I recorded two great inteviews with both artists which will be released in the near future.

Shimo tenor electric guitar

This is the Shimo electric tenor guitar build for me by Takahiro Shimo from Tokyo.

Here is the spec

Body : White Limba, Neck : One Piece Hard Maple / Bolt On Pickups : Fender Style Hand Winding Single Coil x 2 / Alnico 5 Magnet, AWG 42 Wire Made in U.S.A. in 1959 Bridge : Hand Made by Steel Base with Brass Saddle Control : Volume x 1, Tone x 1 Pick Guard : Gray Tortoiseshell 5 ply Tuner : Schaller M6mini Body Shape : Shimo Original Peghead Shape : Shimo Original Body Color : Doghair Neck Finish : Matte Case : Original Hardshell

There are four pickup options, each giving a very different sound, so there are a lot of superb options. Previously I’ve bought Shimo’s acoustic instruments, this is my first electric one and I’m blown away. It both sounds and plays brilliantly. I’ll be using this both in the studio and for live work with my Supro amps.

Here’s Martin Simpson looking at it for the first time and putting it through its paces

The best kept secret, Edwards guitars from Japan?

A few years ago I came across Edwards guitars, made by ESP for the Japanese home market.

The pickups are made by Seymour Duncan and the hardware is by Gotoh. The wood choices are really good and the Japanese quality control is excellent. I finally managed to get my hands on an Edwards 335 in Tokyo and was not surprised to hear that this was one of the last instruments that is filled with the such top notch hardware and in the future, the prices will crank, the pickups will no longer be Seymour Duncans.

The black Edwards 335 seen below is made in Japan from carved maple, with the great hardware choices and a superb hardcase. The quality is better than most Gibson 335s and the playability is excellent. A Gibson 335 would start at an absolute minimum or 2300 and there’s nothing else that would remotely match the Edwards price point for such an instrument. On reverb second hand versions retail for 1400+. Price for the one below is sub 800 sterling, including the hard case. There are many “335| shaped objects, but nothing that comes close to this build quality, so this one is a great deal for any player

Are people losing confidence in attending live events?

In recent times the subject of people losing confidence in attending live events has come up in many conversations. A well established local artist commented that since covid, many people are wary about events being cancelled and so wait until the last minute to book, which creates a nightmare for promoters. I also notice a number of festivals struggling and pleas going out for people to book tickets early as they had failed Arts funding bids. I’m a longterm lover of music and in recent years started to explore “the music business” and how best to promote my own work and other superb artists. No one person has the answers, but here are my latest thoughts and observations.

Factors creating a loss of confidence

Covid is just one of the factors that have created a hesitation in booking on live events. With many gigs and festivals being cancelled, many people are wary about buying tickets in these tougher economic times. One friend and colleague was not best pleased in hearing that a niche music festival had indicated that one of the main international headliners announced last October, now would not not be playing. She can’t get a refund and the festival still has not announced the artist line up for an event that is just a month away. Such actions don’t inspire confidence in future bookings and in my view its not smart business. Yes, there can be situations where a change of artist has to take place, but the same event approached another international artist and wouldn’t confirm the booking, so they kept their options open, which is in my view pretty disrespectful for the artists as the festival approached them in the first instance…

Funding challenges

In recent years I’ve noticed that a number of niche festivals have had a heavy reliance on obtaining arts funding. The key word here is “reliance” The challenge for any promoter is surely to market the event in a manner where they can cover all costs. Idealisma classic risk/reward situation in business. Lets remember that “the music business” is like any other business in that its a case of supply and demand. Promoters take the risk on funding and event, but also have the chance to financially benefit from the event being a success. I’ve run numerous music events and always taken the view that the buck stops with me personally in terms of the funding. All artists will be paid as promised regardless of how many tickets are sold. At times this can be a reasonable financial outlay, but that’s what’s needed to maintain confidence from both artists and attendees. I have massive respect for any promoter, it takes real nerves of steel to engage in such activity.

Idealism v reality checks

I come from a business background and this is invaluable in figuring out how to run events. As previously mentioned its a case of risk v reward. In the theatre business its generally accepted that you need to sell 80% of tickets to make a profit. When running music evenings and signing contracts for known artists, I’m aware of exactly how many tickets we need to sell to break even and always ensure that the marketing is on target to make any event successful. I don’t claim to know everything about promotions, but all events to date on the Music for Head and Heart and Green Eyed Records have sold out.

Not everyone appreciates the benefits of sustained momentum in marketing. I agreed a few years ago to run support for a local artist and to fund half the cost of the venue and let him have 100% of the door, even though I was paying my band out of my personal finances. I also ran a good online marketing campaign again at my cost. I started to notice that with 6 weeks out from the event, the headliner wasn’t really pushing the event and although all his superfans had booked, we could still generate another 50% in attendance and reach a wider audience which he’d always complained about not having. When I voiced my opinion on this and pointed out it would also be a big financial bump for him as well as bringing in new interest, I met with massive resistance. Some people just don’t understand the basics of promotion and are so stuck in their own idealism that they will never reach a wider public. The tragedy is that they will endlessly complain about the lack of public interest in their work, even though their own limited thinking is the cause of the problem!

Collaboration is the key

When I set up Green Eyed Records, I realised that the best results come from collaboration. I’m massively grateful to established artists like Martin Simpson and Jon Gomm to be hosted at the Music for Head & Heart showcases. I’m also grateful to music heavyweights like Tim Booth and Jim Glennie as well as world class journalist Sylvie Simmons for discussions and advice. To quote a classic Japanese proverb – “No one of us is smarter than all of us”

Hosting and choosing live music events

Less is more

During covid I decided that I was no longer going to play local events mid week and instead host and run events myself. The reason for this is that I’d rather not play at all than to an audience that is not really there to listen to music. Don’t get me wrong, past years of playing the local circuit has been fantastic for building up playing skills and becoming at ease in such situations. My producer always said “one live gig is worth ten rehearsals” and he’s 100% correct!

These days I organise live music events on either a Friday or Saturday night and make sure we have a great venue and excellent sound. There’s nothing worse than attending an event where the sound is terrible. Even some well known venues can have horrible acoustics and/or sound systems. I’m done with fighting against the playing environment and so “less is more” in such matters – better quality events. The other consideration is that I am finding that people are more picky about what they attend, which is no surprise in these tougher economic times.

Work with great artists who are true professionals

I set up Green Eyed Records and Music for the Head and Heart to promote and share great music. There’s a lot of great music out that that in my view deserves to reach a wider audience and these platforms assist with making this happen. At times it can be a serious financial undertaking, but I’d rather work with professional artists who can bring a great live show to an audience. Pre covid I hosted two Music for Head and Heart events with local artists before deciding to crank things up by working with more substantial artists who have established audiences. The first event was last year with the brilliant Jon Gomm which sold out. I was also pleased to invite Towse to be a support act along with my own Heartache ensemble. This was a fantastic evening and everybody brought their “A game”

This May I am hosting Martin Simpson at The Old Woollen with my band The Small Change Diaries running support. I’ve been doing substantial promotion for the event and Martin was good enough to agree to shooting a video promo and interview which is helping to drive interest. Tickets available here

Quality control and pricing for best value

As soon as you start to run live music events for hundreds of people, quality control over who you host and pricing become crucial. I hosted artists in the past who are nice folks, but totally lack the skills to work to create a great evening for a more diverses audience beyond their own limited fanbase. Some artists are terrific to work with and I’m delighted to share all my promotional contacts, marketing skills and other benefits. In contrast some are a nightmare to work with and have the unique ability to “snatch failure form the jaws of success!” You can always spot such folks as they are endlessley complaining about their lot and how unapreciated they are by the wider public!

Pricing events is also a real art and its really important to pay attention to the figures. Its important to me that everyone is financially rewarded and the audience get best value for money. Added value like free parking can really help attract an audience and I have learned that pricing will simply filter who attends the event. To date all the events I have run have sold out, but that’s no reason to take one’s eye off the ball in such matters.

This year I am running a second music showcase with the brilliant Towse and Harry Orme, where we’ll showcase a great new project. More details soon and tickets available here