J. Nicolás
Portland, Oregon, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2021 | SELF
Music
Press
“Just being in motion and seeing the scenery is stirring… it quickens certain emotions and brings things to light that maybe you weren’t thinking about in your day to day. It’s like hearing your own heartbeat.”
For Portland songwriter J. Nicolás, the open road isn’t the fast-paced, monotonous tapestry seen so often in the road-weary artist. Instead, it is a quiet place, a deliberate place, one that offers Nicolás the space to understand himself and his world around him with clarity. His upcoming album Wild Oak, which he wrote largely while behind the steering wheel, feels like late night driving: an effortless Folk-Americana soundtrack for the final hours of a day. Laden with rich harmonies and a band that carries along the intuitive lyrics with ease, the record holds a sense of peace even while navigating the memory of heartbreak, echoing Nicolás’ own healing process.
“There’s a lot of healing in movement. Not running away from, but moving through the world, seeing other places and things and getting a better perspective on yourself.”
Indeed, Nicolás doesn’t use the road solely as backdrop for his emotional reflection, but instead weaves memory with topography until they become a part of one another, and exhales them in the same breath. Wild Oak serves as a faithful portrait of this process.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the wistful Americana ballad, “Montana Luv,” ahead of its official release on July 30th. Laced with the lonesome sound of a harmonica and quietly hopeful acoustic guitar, the song finds Nicolás singing of a journey home from Flathead County, Montana, and of the little moments of solo traveling that become tender in the presence of memory. With plenty of twangy pedal steel courtesy of Steely Pete, a steady beat, and warm harmonies from fellow Portland artist Ezza Rose, the lyrics explore the nature of leaving people and places behind. Nicolás and his accompanying musicians keep the instrumentation simple and straightforward, allowing the softly gritty vocals and timeless lyrics to shine in this tune that is equal parts folk and Americana.
J. Nicolás describes the inspiration and process behind the song:
"Although the song is entitled 'Montana Luv' and is about traveling through Montana and Idaho, fundamentally, the song is about transitions. Sometimes the biggest impediment to a transition is simply getting going, and I tried to capture this idea with the line, 'the toughest part of leaving is the start.'
"This has applied both to my own sobriety and also with leaving relationships that weren’t healthy, and I wove this idea about transitions into a reflection about traveling through these incredibly stunning places that inspire me creatively.
"I wrote Montana Luv very quickly in December 2020 after a trip to Whitefish, Montana. At the time, I had spent several months recording a completely different album, but the older songs weren’t feeling right, so I decided to change course and instead record an entirely different collection of songs that were inspired by driving and relationships and a general transition in my own life.
"I recorded the album on analog tape, and I wanted it to be a quick, live recording with few overdubs. The entire project was about sincerity and honesty and rawness, and just letting the process be what it was organically without micro-managing the recording or trying to make everything perfect. I wanted an honest, sincere, simple record that sounded like some of the analog records from the early 1970s that I really fancy." - Glide Magazine
American songwriter J. Nicolás releases his lead single ‘Montana Luv’ from debut album ‘Wild Oak.’ The album, written largely behind the steering wheel, feels like late-night driving: an effortless Folk-Americana soundtrack for the final hours of the day. It was tracked to one-inch tape at Singing Sands in Portland, Oregon, and Capricorn Studios in San Diego, California.
The lead track is a wistful Americana ballad, where Nicolás sings of a journey home from the mountains in the American West, and of the little moments of solo traveling that become tender in the presence of memory. The music mirrors this reflective state, weaving memory with topography, and explores how the love for a place can be comparable to the love of a person and how ultimately, leaving either can bring up similar emotions: “Oh, the night / Nothing’s ever easy in the dark / The toughest part of leaving is the start.”
The album is laced with rich harmonies and a band that carries along Nicolás’ intuitive lyrics with ease. The record holds a sense of peace even while navigating the memory of heartbreak, echoing Nicolás’ own healing process. Wild Oak features Sydney Nash on piano and keys, Allen Hunter (The Eels) on bass, Joe Mengis (The Eels) on drums, Steely Pete on pedal steel, and Ezza Rose on harmonies. It was engineered and mixed by Tobias Berblinger and mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.
Nicolás spent much of the last two decades playing in bands in Portland, Oregon, and touring with various projects before recording his debut full-length Wild Oak in the early part of 2021. Follow his socials for the latest updates. - Music Crowns
American songwriter J. Nicolás releases his lead single ‘Montana Luv’ from his debut album ‘Wild Oak.’ The album, written largely behind the steering wheel, feels like late-night driving: an effortless Folk-Americana soundtrack for the final hours of the day. It was tracked to one-inch tape at Singing Sands in Portland, Oregon, and Capricorn Studios in San Diego, California.
The lead track is a wistful Americana ballad, where Nicolás sings of a journey home from the mountains in the American West, and of the little moments of solo traveling that become tender in the presence of memory. The music mirrors this reflective state, weaving memory with topography, and explores how the love for a place can be comparable to the love of a person and how ultimately, leaving either can bring up similar emotions: “Oh, the night / Nothing’s ever easy in the dark / The toughest part of leaving is the start.”
The album is laced with rich harmonies and a band that carries along Nicolás’ intuitive lyrics with ease. The record holds a sense of peace even while navigating the memory of heartbreak, echoing Nicolás’ own healing process. The album features Sydney Nash on piano and keys, Allen Hunter (The Eels) on bass, Joe Mengis (The Eels) on drums, Steely Pete on pedal steel, and Ezza Rose on harmonies. It was engineered and mixed by Tobias Berblinger and mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.
Nicolás spent much of the last two decades playing in bands in Portland, Oregon, and touring with various projects before recording his debut full-length Wild Oak in the early part of 2021. Follow his socials for the latest updates. - Press Party
Having spent the last two decades performing with numerous acts throughout Portland, Oregon, emerging singer and songwriter J. Nicolás is now readying his debut solo album, showcased by the new single ‘Montana Luv’. With its sweet and sweeping demeanour, not to mention heartfelt songwriting, this new release will pull at your heartstrings with its passionate intent. - Rough Magazine
American songwriter J. Nicolás releases his first single “Montana Luv” from his debut album “Wild Oak”. The album, largely written behind the wheel, feels like driving late into the night: an effortless folk-American soundtrack for the last hours of the day. It was recorded on a one-inch tape at Singing Sands in Portland, Oregon, and Capricorn Studios in San Diego, California.
The main piece is a melancholy American ballad, where Nicolás sings a journey back from the mountains of the American West and small moments of solo travel that become tender in the presence of memory. The music reflects this state of reflection, weaving memory with topography, and explores how love for a place can be compared to love for a person and how, ultimately, leave one or the other. other can elicit similar emotions: “Oh, at night / Nothing is ever easy in the dark / The hardest part of leaving is the beginning.”
Watch the video below.
The album is peppered with rich harmonies and a band that easily carries the intuitive lyrics of Nicolás. The record exudes a sense of peace even as it navigates the memory of grief, echoing Nicolás’ healing process. The album features Sydney Nash on piano and keyboards, Allen Hunter (The Eels) on bass, Joe Mengis (The Eels) on drums, Steely Pete on pedal steel and Ezza Rose on harmonies. It was designed and mixed by Tobias Berblinger and mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.
Nicolás has spent much of the past two decades performing in bands in Portland, Oregon, and touring with various projects before recording his debut album Wild Oak in early 2021. Follow his social media for the latest updates. - Heart of American Northwest
American songwriter J. Nicolás releases his lead single 'Montana Luv' from his debut album 'Wild Oak.' The album, written largely behind the steering wheel, feels like late-night driving: an effortless Folk-Americana soundtrack for the final hours of the day. It was tracked to one inch tape at Singing Sands in Portland, Oregon, and Capricorn Studios in San Diego, California.
The lead track is a wistful Americana ballad, where Nicolás sings of a journey home from the mountains in the American West, and of the little moments of solo traveling that become tender in the presence of memory. The music mirrors this reflective state, weaving memory with topography, and explores how the love for a place can be comparable to the love of a person and how ultimately, leaving either can bring up similar emotions: "Oh, the night / Nothing's ever easy in the dark / The toughest part of leaving is the start."
Watch the video below.
The album is laced with rich harmonies and a band that carries along Nicolás' intuitive lyrics with ease. The record holds a sense of peace even while navigating the memory of heartbreak, echoing Nicolás' own healing process. The album features Sydney Nash on piano and keys, Allen Hunter (The Eels) on bass, Joe Mengis (The Eels) on drums, Steely Pete on pedal steel, and Ezza Rose on harmonies. It was engineered and mixed by Tobias Berblinger and mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.
Nicolás spent much of the last two decades playing in bands in Portland, Oregon, and touring with various projects before recording his debut full-length Wild Oak in the early part of 2021. Follow his socials for the latest updates. - Broadway World
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
“Just being in motion and seeing the scenery is stirring… it quickens certain emotions and brings things to light that maybe you weren’t thinking about in your day to day. It’s like hearing your own heartbeat.”
For Portland songwriter J. Nicolás, the open road isn’t the fast-paced, monotonous tapestry seen so often in the road-weary artist. Instead, it is a quiet place, a deliberate place, one that offers Nicolás the space to understand himself and his world around him with clarity. Wild Oak, which he wrote largely while behind the steering wheel, feels like late night driving: an effortless Folk-Americana soundtrack for the final hours of a day. Laden with rich harmonies and a band that carries along the intuitive lyrics with ease, the record holds a sense of peace even while navigating the memory of heartbreak, echoing Nicolás’ own healing process.
“There’s a lot of healing in movement. Not running away from, but moving through the world, seeing other places and things and getting a better perspective on yourself.”
Indeed, Nicolás doesn’t use the road solely as backdrop for his emotional reflection, but instead weaves memory with topography until they become a part of one another, and exhales them in the same breath. Wild Oak serves as a faithful portrait of this process.
In the wistful Americana ballad, Montana Luv, he sings of a journey home from Flathead County, Montana, and of the little moments of solo traveling that become tender in the presence of memory: “Tearing off the cellophane from a packet of cigarettes / I don’t really smoke but one’s alright I guess.” The song unfolds like a classic, with warm harmonies from fellow Portland artist Ezza Rose and a natural pedal steel (Steely Pete) surfacing between the words. “Oh, the night / Nothing’s ever easy in the dark / The toughest part of leaving is the start,” Nicolás sings in an affecting chorus that explores the nature of leaving a person as much as it does a place. “The hardest part of leaving a relationship is starting to leave. It's just getting to having that conversation.”
Nicolás spent much of the last two decades playing in bands in Portland, OR, and touring across the country with various projects before recording his debut full-length Wild Oak in the early part of 2021. The record was tracked to one inch tape at Singing Sands in Portland and Capricorn Studios in San Diego, CA, and features Sydney Nash on piano and keys, Allen Hunter (The Eels) on bass, Joe Mengis (The Eels) on drums, Steely Pete on pedal steel, and Ezza Rose on harmonies. It was engineered and mixed by Tobias Berblinger and mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.
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