Nick Chiari, aka Grabbitz, debuts his new album “Things Change” on May 19th and talking with him about his career and what he has created, and listening to his music as well, I got a unique sense of the throwback along with a new sound that is completely him.
“I was really into Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, a lot of Classic Rock, the Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin,” says Chiari. “I listen to their music and I constantly say to myself, this was totally amazing back then.” Chiari says that listening to the music coming from these bands, he hears a lot of what modern music may not be including, but should. Bands that break into instrumental riffs for 8 bars, and then straight back into vocals is something that modern music doesn’t enough of anymore. He believes that the problem is that in trying to constantly churn out different, new music, what he calls “New Music Friday”, contemporary musicians forget to work with the foundations of what past music has laid out, which is what he strives to capture with his vocals.
Grabbitz says a lot of great new music is coming out, and that everyone is going to make what they are going to make at the end of the day. However, there are the true artists, and the ones who do it for the wrong reason. There is a lot saturation of artists out there in the industry, and it makes him long for something more. He believes that as long as an artist keeps true to what they intended to make musically, they can’t go wrong with what they turn out.
“I chose to go with more vocals because we are riding the departure out of EDM, and it is something that is going to be its own thing.” While all of his performances have elements of EDM that come from starting out in the EDM scene, Grabbitz strives to really put his own stamp on the way those elements combine with other elements. He says part of the process is figuring out how to navigate his own music and the music industry. “A lot of people struggle with the question, ‘what kind of music do I want to get into’, but really, It’s about how much effort is an artist really willing to put into the work.”
It’s Chiari’s live performances where his listeners can see where he is going in the evolution of his music. One of his main concerns is showing the depth of what he is actually doing. He wants to connect with the audience, have them see a good show, hear quality music, and to have a different experience. It’s not necessarily going to be a big LED wall with a gate and their favorite DJ in front of them, where they’re going to get sub-bass and a real Rock show.
“My music is very personal and I don’t know if it’s a downfall or a strength, but when I feel something in real life and it goes into a song, it’s as real as it gets,” Chiari asserted. “I lost someone really important to me in the last year, and a lot of the record is about that.” Chiari says he is just one guy going through life like everyone else, but for him, his music is his outlet. More than that though, his music is about his humanity and his life in real-time. His song “Follow Me” is about inviting the people who are listening to his music to literally follow him down this new road of EDM that may not be traditional, or might seem like a shot in the dark, but is nevertheless his own. “‘Don’t Let Me Go’ is about me moving to LA and having to break up with a girl I was dating and loved, but at the same time, don’t ever won’t her to get over it; it’s selfish and dumb, but everyone knows what that feels like.”
Grabbitz says there are two kinds of people who he wants to bring into his audience, the millennial who knows nothing but the modern day and has never dug into the depths of the music he has been inspired by and enjoys, and the older people who have been able to listen to the classics, but don’t get the modern or timeless aspects of those songs. Chiari wants to blend those two crowds together and feels confident that he can do that because of some the older influences that express themselves in his music. While it’s difficult since everyone ingests music their own way, Chiari wants to be able to at least expose those who are really into dance music to a totally different kind of show and experience.
“In terms of my music videos, while the videos are collaborative, my style is vintage,” Grabbitz said when I asked him about the nature of the imagery in his music videos. “I like anything simple and real, and I’m into the cool and dramatic, and even tasteful comedy.” He went on to say that videos like the Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly” was one of his favorite videos growing up. Watching Dave Grohl always belting out and being very serious to seeing the band just be captains on a plane in a silly, quirky setting inspired him and taught him a valuable lesson when it comes to music. “At the end of the day, you gotta keep it light, and you can’t take yourself too seriously.”
What’s kind of unique to Chiari is that elements of his music come from old Western movies. Clint Eastwood films, directors like Sergio Leone, the composer Ennio Morricone, the ‘Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’, ‘Fistful of Dollars’, and like influences were points of inspiration for not only the music, but the videos as well. In fact one of his EPs, “A Walk to the Gallows” was heavily influenced by Midwestern-themed movies, but with a modern twist.
“I’ve crafted the audio to hit the ear a certain kind of way and that is a thumbprint for me,” Chiari mentioned. There are late 80s and early 90s influences in Grabbitz’ music like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, and heavy references to bands that came out in the 70s and early 80s as well, and like what made these bands unique, Chiari wants people to relate specifically to his voice. It’s not about being inauthentic, but he wants people to know who he is and what he is about, and to intrigue people the way the old classics used to. “If you’re a first-time listener and you’re interested in what you’re listening to, go back through and listen to the evolution since 2014, where it started, and where my new album is at now!”
“Things Change” debuts May 19th and a sample listening of the album can be heard on Soundcloud.
