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The
phrase “teenage musician” usually conjures
up thoughts of high-schoolers
endlessly practicing in a basement  somewhere,
with the goal of
sounding as much like the current trend as possible.
Nicholas Megalis (who just turned 17) defies
the stereotype, with his imaginative blend of
blues and punk rock.
Megalis’
piano playing and singing, backed by drummer
Chelsea Simmons (who also turned 17 recently),
might be best described as Cuyahoga Delta
Blues – passionate, earnest, and extremely
catchy. The duo will be performing in a
free show for all ages, on April
19th at Lakewood's Phoenix
coffeehouse (15108 Detroit Avenue), with
Schaffer the Darklord, Coolzey, and Marvin the
Robot. They'll also be performing at
Akron, Ohio's Boba
on April 29th, and Pat's
in the Flats
in Cleveland on May 12th, 2006. I
interviewed Nicholas and Chelsea about their
experiences as young musicians and the
recording of their upcoming debut, “I See
the Moon.”
Kat...
You’ve played a lot of different venues
recently – The
Beachland and
Pat’s in the Flats in Cleveland, The
ECC in
Kent, and Boba in Akron
(pictured). Which is your favorite, so
far?
Nicholas...
"All venues are wonderful in their own
ways. My favorite venue so far has been
the Beachland. They have amazing sound
tech and a very intimate atmosphere, perfect
for our live set. Boba in Akron is
amazing, too. We love their bubble tea
and the management is just superb. Great
people."
How do most adults, especially people in other
bands, react to you being so young?
Chelsea...
"We're having an awesome time, and people
have really responded in a positive way." Nicholas...
"(Being younger) has only brought us
positive things so far. Other bands are
genuine and supportive. It sometimes
shocks people when they find out that we're
still Juniors in high school, after seeing us
live. I never think about what problems
it may cause. I just play music, because
I need to play this music now. I'm not
going to wait until I'm in my 20s to express
myself." How
long have you two been playing together? Nicholas...
"Chelsea and I have only been playing
together for a little over 3 months now." Right
now you’re recording your first studio
album. What can you tell me about that
experience? Nicholas...
"Before Chelsea was in this band, I
recorded 20 songs on an 8-track in my basement
with a beat up guitar, old keyboards, a 1948
harmonica microphone and a snare drum.
The CD was used as a basis for me
to get some small shows in the area. We
were always hearing 'Your CD  doesn't
quite capture the feeling of your live
show. You guys are so emotional and
crazy and intense. This CD is timid
compared to that!' At
our first actual show together with the band Boatzz,
we were asked if we would be interested in
recording an actual studio album. Of
course, we said yes! The studio we
recorded at is Ante
Up Audio
in Cleveland. Our sound engineer was
Steve Begala, a really friendly, talented
guy. Michael DiLiberto and Matt Jauch
from Boatzz helped us with production." Chelsea...
"I really had no idea what to expect with
the studio experience. We were at the
studio and Nicholas said something to me like
'Don't look now, but there's the guy from Bone
Thugz.'
Haha, it was a lot of fun. We're totally
excited." Nicholas...
This new album basically recreates the feel of
our live shows. It is a very intense,
driving album that I think
people who like our shows will really, really
enjoy. It is just Chelsea and
Nicholas. Drums and piano. Raw and
exposed, just like our shows. The album
is called 'I See The Moon.'" You
must have pretty supportive parents to be able
to do this – how do they feel about you
playing out? Do they mind you playing in
bars, even though you’re under-age? Chelsea...
"Our parents are very cool people.
My parents and I kind of have this
understanding. If I can wake up in the
morning, I can play the weekday shows.
Unfortunately, I take the school bus." Nicholas...
"My mom and dad are extremely supportive
of my projects, especially this music.
They are always pushing me to do better, and
they are behind me 100%. Chelsea's
parents are equally supportive. Playing
in bars doesn't really change anything for my
parents, because my dad is usually at all of
our shows. And if he isn't, he knows
that we are there to do our job. We are
there to perform music." When
did you first start playing music? Nicholas...
"About a year and a half ago, a friend of
my father's gave my family an old upright
piano. That's when I started to
play. I taught myself. Up until
then, I had only played guitar. I taught
myself how to play guitar when I was 10 or 11
years old. I took three lessons, if I
remember correctly. Then I just went
home and tuned my guitar differently and wrote
weird songs about animals and my brain." Chelsea...
"I think my parents bought my first drum
set for me in 4th grade. I can't really
remember." You
obviously have a big blues influence.
What kind of music do you listen to?
What are some of your other influences? Nicholas...
"I love, love, love the blues. It
is some of the most important  music
in the history of the world. It wasn't
just pretty to the ears. It told
stories. "I
love Jazz. Jazz music at its best is a
direct connection between the human heart and
the instrument. Thelonious
Monk is
an influence of mine. He locked himself
away from conventional music and developed his
own technique. "I
love gritty, dirty, powerful
rock-n-roll. I love old French theatre
and the vibe of 1930s New Orleans. "I
am mostly influenced by my experiences.
Things I go through usually compel me to smash
away at the keys. And sometimes, an
album comes out of that." What
are your plans for the future? Do you
see yourself pursuing music as a career? Nicholas...
"My plans for the future are to play
music for my lifetime. Music sort of
found me, somehow. I guess it was
hunting me down. And it just grabbed me
and said 'Write songs!' "Of
course I see music as my career. It's
what I have to do."
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