by Kita
Back into the fold of things with Juana Ghani. This week we've talked with more of their members to give you the best complete imagine of this fantastic band. Truly, they are a great bunch of people with an ability to have fun and put on a show you won't forget. I can't recommend them enough!
Tanya:
Tanya is the kind of bubbly person who seems to emit sunlight through every pore. With a shock of golden hair and a smile that could take over any room, she is one of the few who seem to be counted among the truly happy and content.
She can usually be found either dancing around the stage with a tambourine, or banging on a gigantic drum that seems too big for her. Easily, she owns them both, and countless stages have been lit up with this wonderful energy that only Tanya, a gypsy spirit and happy soul, can bring.
Kita: So what first got you into music?
Tanya: Well, I love music, but I'm not really a musician. I've always loved music and I've always dreamed of being in a band. From being a young child, I've always listened to music. My parents played lots of music- usually John Denver, Neil Diamond kind of stuff, but I've always loved it. I go to every concert I can possibly go to. I was never trained in any kind of instrument, so it's kind of funny that I'm in a band, but it's a dream I've always had. So I'm really happy.
In terms of this kind of music, I would say that belly dancing really introduced me to this opportunity and a different style of music than what I was used to, which was more mainstream and pop and alternative.
Kita: How did you get involved with Juana Ghani?
Tanya: Well, the fact that I'm a belly dancer, and my boyfriend at the time, now husband, was talking with Leisl and Brian about starting this band, and I would go to the rehearsals, while they were making up songs as they went, and I got to sing songs, and Brian would just bug me until I would start hitting the bass drum. I was embarrassed and thought there was no way that you'd ever get me to stand on a stage and do something like that since I had no experience with it, but I was there enough that they convinced me to try it. I think I added a little something to it, and no one else would do it, so that's how I got into it. I think I was the fifth member of Juana Ghani.
Kita: Aside from joining, what attracted you to them?
Tanya: I had worked a little bit with Leisl through belly dancing, because she sang with No Blood to Spare, which is a band that played some music for us dancers. Leisl was wonderful. I loved her voice and I loved her attitude about music and dance, and her different fun lifestyle. So that really did attract me to doing something with her. And then being at the rehearsals, I thought the music was really fun and different. If I could be a part of it, and get over the embarrassment, I was definitely intrigued by it.
Kita: Do you prefer rehearsing or performing?
Tanya: Oh for sure the performance side. Rehearsals are fun, but getting on a stage and seeing people dancing and having a great time, it's just this big family. Rehearsals are kind of a family thing too, but there's so many members of this band that there's very few times that we're actually all together. Typically that's more at a performance, and we can hang out before and after. Just hanging out on the stage together is so much fun. Rehearsals are fun for me as a nonmusician, because I'm amazed at all the stuff they come up with on the fly.
Kita: Do you ever get stage fright?
Tanya: The only time I get stage fright is when we are playing a new song and I'm not feeling very confident, and then I just hit the drum very soft and pretend like I'm doing something It's not really stage fright, I'm just a little nervous about something new. The songs we've been playing for a long time, I feel really confident with.
Kita: What's your favorite part of being in Juana Ghani?
Tanya: My favorite part is the family element. I really, again, stemming from the belly dancing side, there is this family feeling of people that relate to one another by sharing interests. It's a different community than anything else. I'm a professional working in education and I'm a mom, and to get together with an alternative community that is not anything I would have ever pictured for me is really cool. I really like it, and it keeps me young. I love the people. The dancers we've had dance with us are just so great. It does feel like a family. I don't know if that's always how bands are, but for us, it's definitely that way. The other part is really going back to having always loved music. I just think it's so cool to be on that end of it. Being onstage and watching people and seeing how happy they are.
Kita: What about the larger arts community? How do you enjoy it?
Tanya: My experience with music is maybe a bit more traditional. I do like many varieties of music, but a lot of the bands that we go and see are somebody that I never would have chosen. People that open for us or that we open for, and the like. It's been pretty cool to get that experience and to see musicians that I would probably not have experienced otherwise. Some of the cabarets we have done, with the aerial performers and the fire performers, have been so different. I love that people have found things they're passionate about, no matter what age they are, or what they do outside of that. Watching them just go for it is inspiring. There is drama, but I'm not really the kind of person to get dragged into that, so I just look the other way and smile. It's not typical in our band, which is great.
Kita: So for you, what have been your biggest struggles?
Tanya: Time. I work full time, and I'm a mom for three kids, and I'm a wife. The time commitment is hard. I've had to give up some other things for it. I don't really dance anymore, I don't have the time to practice. Even with the time commitment that's required, I don't get to that as much as I should. I miss some practices and some performances, because I travel or have other commitments. Also just building my skills and confidence in feeling like I'm actually contributing. When I'm performing, I feel confident and it's great. There's other times, though, where I'm just thinking, "What am I doing here?!" That separates me from the other musicians. Everyone else is legitimate and they've had years of experience. This is just brand new for me.
Kita: What are your goals?
Tanya: My goals would truly just be to get better at drumming and more kinds of percussion. I do want to take some lessons, so it's not just me hitting on the beat. I do play the tambourine as well, but there's so many other percussion things out there that I know I should be able to contribute to. As I get more experience and take some lessons and try some new things out, I think that will happen. I would like to start dancing again, because when I first joined them, that was, I think, part of the appeal. I could dance and play. There are some songs that I'd really like to dance to. Putting the dance back into the music is part of what I do in Juana Ghani.
Kita: If you weren't doing this, what do you think you'd be doing?
Tanya: If I wasn't playing with Juana Ghani? I don't know. I did get a little bit bored with belly dancing, and I needed a bit of a break, so I don't know. I kind of like to think I'd be doing that, but I'm not sure. This has filled that desire to be performing and be creative, and be with an art community.
Kita: What other arts have you tried then?
Tanya: The only other performance art that I've been involved in is belly dancing, and I didn't do that until I was thirty-four. I've never done any other sort of performance. I've always been more of an athlete and sports type of person. It was such a great experience for me. There's no way I would be in Juana Ghani if it weren't for belly dancing, specifically Kismet. Yasamina Roque was our dance leader, our mama belly. She taught me to be confident in dance, and in myself, and being onstage and performing for others. She introduced me to the whole art community, and so many of the people I met through Kismet are now involved with Juana Ghani in one way or another. This includes my husband. I would not have met him if it weren't for Kismet. so I feel very blessed.
Tony:
An intellectual with a heart of gold. Is there really anything else to be? Tony has a mellow demeanor that gives him a flexibility few possess. Any mood seems to suit him, and he can always been found picking away at his mandolin and singing along with every song.
I met Tony years ago as he drummed at the Kismet School of Dance, here in Salt Lake. At the time, I never would have guessed that in a few years I would see him as one of the key members of a premier band in Salt Lake City. Leisl and Brian both tell me that without this man, Juana Ghani would not exist in it's current capacity as it does today. All I can say is thank goodness for his desire to find his bohemian roots once more.
Kita: What first got you into music?
Tony: Well I was young, I was eighteen. I started in a band called Station Identification. I think it was probably fun, and the friends. I played bass and guitar in a guys attic in upstate New York.
Kita: Are you from upstate New York?
Tony: No, no, I was going to college there. I'm originally from Colorado. Denver.
Kita: How did you get involved with Juana Ghani?
Tony: Leisl sang for an industrial rock band that I was in for the Arts Festival. That was in, I want to say, 2009. It was the band called No Blood to Spare, and we did belly dance drums and industrial guitar and synthesizers. She sang for us and then I posted something about how I had just gotten a mandolin and how I was channeling my bohemian ancestors through the mandolin. She told me to come and hear the songs Brian had, and so I went down to Riverton and that's how I got into the band. I love the songs Brian comes up with, I still do. That's probably one of the most amazing things about our band, is the songwriting he does.
Kita: What's your favorite part of working with them?
Tony: My favorite part, well, changes. I like recruiting other members. It started with just the three of us, and we were meeting all these talented and very diverse people these weird instruments. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know the accordion player and pulling him in. That, and learning the songs. It was my favorite thing at the beginning. The mandolin is not my native instrument, so learning the mandolin was a big part of it for awhile. Now, I think, vocals and the audience. The audience is, I mean, you've been to some of our shows. They're incredible. The belly dancers are great.
Kita: So do you prefer the performing or the creation side of things?
Tony: Right now, most of what we do is performing. Brian kind of goes in cycles where he'll write a bunch of songs and we'll learn them. We'll kind of go into show phase then. We've got shows every week, and we played our first wedding, about a week ago. Who knew? Weddings could be fun!
Kita: It can't be your first wedding!
Tony: My own reception, that's right! So yes, it was our second wedding!
Kita: So do you ever get stage fright?
Tony: Not anymore. Not even a little bit. I think the nerve receptors for stage fright burned out a long time ago. I mean, I say that, and then watch, I'll panic one day. But I don't get stage fright at all anymore. I don't know why, but I don't.
Kita: How have you enjoyed your time in the arts community?
Tony: Oh it's amazing! I think it's kind of a well kept secret. Most people, when you say you're from Salt Lake, they think of Mormons riding in horse carriages or something. Or that we're stuck in the 1950's or something. Really, though, we have an amazing arts community here. Juana Ghani plugs into dancers, and a variety of performers and visual artists. It's amazing. and constantly surprising. People like you, people like Wallace, people like Fvorboda, and Yasamina. I never would have expected to meet them here.
Kita: So what first attracted you to this group?
Tony: The songs. I was thinking about this coming over here. Brian has a way of writing songs that, as soon as I've learned them I feel like I've known them my whole life. It's very unconventional composition. Having played in lots and lots of bands, I've gotten used to conventional songs. I was kind of bored with the regular way of doing bands. The music is very original and challenging. But then, once you learn it, I feel like I've been playing it my whole life. It's a very natural feel. He's a very gifted songwriter. I'll be honest, I was ready to go down and meet this lady with purple hair and her husband and think, "Well, that's great, and they're nice people, but not all that musically interesting." I've been just on this wild ride ever since.
Kita: What's your biggest struggle?
Tony: When you add members to your band, the complexity of dealing with artistic visions, and also the logistics of getting everybody to the same show or on the same page, it goes up dramatically. With as many people as we have, there's a lot of organizing and logistics. If it's just you, or a duo, or a trio, it's very different from having to worry about groups. Don't get me wrong, we've got great people, but it's a natural human element that the more people you have, the more time you spend just organizing. Leisl and Brian do most of that, but it's a struggle for everyone. We've had a little bit of turnover in the band, and sometimes you feel like you're going back to square one and getting everyone on the same page. If you want to call it a struggle, then I guess it's a struggle, but it's more of a challenge everyone has to deal with. They're all great people, so the trade off is that you get to meet all these crazy people. I never thought I'd play with a saw player. That's the fun part.
Kita: What are your goals with music?
Tony: I seem to be on this journey away from mainstream pop, which is kind of where I started. The bands that I was in in New York were power pop and. not conventional rock, but more rock oriented. Really the only things that interest me are outside the mainstream now. So whether it's gypsy music, or whether it's African rhythms or world music in general, that's kind of my focus now. And trying to make stuff that doesn't sound like anything you've heard. Juana Ghani really fits that hole in my soul in regards to that. Weird is good.
Kita: Are the people you feel closest to supportive of what you're doing?
Tony: Yes! My wife plays the bass drum in the band, and my young kids scratch their heads sometimes. They're not really sure what's going on all the time, but they're generally supportive. I would say yes.
Kita: How involved are you in the process of writing songs? Brian was saying he would sort of start it and then hand it to everyone else to do their own thing.
Tony: Well, I get input on a couple of levels. I mean, I've never had Brian say, "Play this." I really get to write my mandolin parts. Leisl is sort of on the vocal arrangement end of things, and she'll hear a harmony, she's got a great ear for that. We've done songs with like, twelve different vocal tracks because she has all these ideas. She'll make suggestions too, but I feel like I can really do whatever I feel is appropriate to the song. It's very satisfying creatively.
Kita: It's such a big sound that the band has, being as there are so many musicians and tracks going at any one time. Do you ever struggle to get something you want out there heard?
Tony: Absolutely. There's sound, and then there's sound. By that, I mean, there's the way it would sound in your imagination. That part, usually, I can imagine all the pieces working together and it's fine. But because a lot of the instruments that we work with are acoustic and a lot of the clubs we go into don't have really sophisticated sound engineering and equipment and such. It's a challenge of ours. I should probably go back to your question about struggles. That's definitely one of them. Just with that many instruments, and especially instruments that aren't easy to amplify like the saw, or some of the stuff that Bryan does with percussion that isn't easy to mic. We're on a crash course, right now, figuring out our sound stage so that you can hear it all! At practice, we can hear great. It's absolutely a big issue that a band this size faces and a band that uses acoustic instruments faces.
Kita: If you weren't doing this and going in this direction, what do you think you'd be doing right now?
Tony: Well there's no question that I would be playing music. Even in spite of what I said about unconventional music, I have a big sort of funk, neo-soul sort of thing that I love to do. I love to play guitar in those kind of settings. Even though I like to play off of pop, and I'm in the phase now, there are some alternative pop sounds that intrigue me. It would probably be one of those. It all depends on the people. You find these creative directions and energies that have to do with who you're associating with. It'd probably be something like that.
Kita: What other arts have you tried?
Tony: Well, I'm a writer, for what that's worth. I do occasionally write poetry, and I find certain visual arts appealing, but I'm not very good at them. Brian and Leisl have a big theatrical streak, and our shows are a lot more than just listening to music. They're about watching all this crazy stuff happen onstage, and I've gotten more interested in play writing and such.
Bryan:
A slender, tall man with long dark hair and big inquiring eyes, Bryan finds himself at the heart of a number of musical projects in the Salt Lake area. A true musicians musician, he has a passion for music that seems to find itself all over his life. Bryan is easily one of the smartest people I have met, and he uses this intelligence to master instruments and give life to a fantastically sharp wit.
For Juana Ghani, he can usually be found on some form of drum or another. This is no large surprise, as he also runs local doumbek group, Tabla Arabia, an all drummer group. Those that know Bryan describe him as a genuine human being. I can say that despite his quiet nature, he is one of the most performance oriented people I have come across, and Juana Ghani definitely seems lucky to have him.
Kita: What instrument(s) do you play?
Bryan: With Juana Ghani, I play Middle-Eastern percussion instruments,including the dumbek/darbuka (goblet-shaped hand drum), doholla(larger, deeper version of the darbuka), and riq (Egyptiantambourine). For our past couple of gigs I've been playing my drumset. We recently worked a new song (Mori Shej) into our set; for thatone, I play a tin whistle. I also play guitar, but not with JuanaGhani.
Kita: When did you first start?
Bryan: I started learning percussion in 1997, and started playing a drum seta few years after that.
Kita: What got you to start?
Bryan: I was friends with Graeleaf, who taught percussion for Kismet at thetime. I actually ended up renting the back room of his house for awhile, so it was easy for me to join the classes he taught in hisliving room on Saturdays.
Kita: When did you join Juana Ghani?
Bryan: I joined them in 2011.
Kita: What were the circumstances?
Bryan: Chris Futral was already a member at the time. He invited me to jamwith them at one of their rehearsals. Kelsey Covington (who later wasone of the producers of the Gypsy Cabaret shows) was also telling me Ishould check them out. So I showed up to a rehearsal one Saturdayafternoon, and after that, I just kept going back. I agreed that Iwould play whatever shows with them I could, but I couldn't guaranteethat I'd be at all of them because I was already part of otherprojects. As it turns out, I've probably made it to more than 90% ofJuana Ghani's gigs.
Kita: What other projects have you been/are you currently involved in?
Bryan: I have an all-percussion ensemble called Tabla Arabía. That'sArabic for "Arabic drum". We started playing together in late 2006.We usually play at belly dance shows, and we've opened up for JuanaGhani a couple times (at the Woodshed and at Bar Deluxe).- I first played with Kairo by Night in 2004 at Cafe Med; Raj and Iwere filling in for Angus and Bryce while they were out of town. Iofficially became part of that group in 2006. We play a lot ofpopular Egyptian songs (arranged by our keyboardist Dave Weisenberg),and Dave has written several original pieces.- Raj and Tarek have been playing as a duo for about 20 years at theLiving Traditions festival; I joined them, along with Adnan, to form agroup called Bazeen in 2006.- I often play with Desert Wind when they have a gig that calls forextra percussion. When they're not playing jazz or classic rock, theyplay their own original Middle-Eastern-flavored compositions as wellas popular Jewish folk music with Arabic percussion. It's moreHasidic than Klezmer.- I have several friends that rehearse together once or twice a weekand play backyard "concerts" every summer. We call ourselves the RedEye Donnas, and I'm on lead vocals and guitar.- I also play my drum set with the house band at Keys on Main fortheir "live karaoke" show every Wednesday.
Kita: As an artist, what have your biggest struggles been?
Bryan: Trying to collect instruments and other gear has probably been thegreatest challenge because of finances. And finding a place topractice isn't easy; I hate to disturb my neighbors, so I don't oftenplay drums at home.
Kita: Has working with Juana Ghani changed your interests in music at all? Expanded, perhaps?
Bryan: My tastes in music were already pretty broad, encompassing just abouteverything from Mozart to Megadeth, as well as Arabic, Turkish andGreek music. But I hadn't previously had much exposure to easternEuropean influences. Through my friends in Juana Ghani, I wasintroduced to the music of Gogol Bordello and Firewater.
Kita: Do you typically prefer the process of rehearsing/learning/working on new stuff to performance or vice versa? Why?
Bryan: I'd say I enjoy both about equally. I enjoy being part of acollaborative creative process with musicians who have a passion forit. I like the idea that we're creating something nobody has everheard before (but they soon will). I also like to play music for alively, energetic crowd of people who have a passion for that. Itfeels pretty good when we can get everyone in the place on their feet.
Kita: What were your goals when you first started in music? What are they now?
Bryan: I very first started in music when I was in 7th grade. One of myelective classes was beginning band, where I decided that I wanted toplay the baritone sax. (I was too small for that instrument at thetime, so I started on the alto sax, and later switched to French Horn,though I haven't played either since 9th grade.) I suppose I bandclass because music appealed to me more than any of the other choicesthat were available to me. In December of that same year, my dad gaveme an Ovation guitar and an amplifier for Christmas, and signed me upfor lessons. I suppose I just wanted to make music, because it was apretty big part of my life through the radio.My goals now are simply to learn to play better, and pick up newinstruments like the bouzouki and bass guitar. I'd also like to writesongs; I've written some lyrics, but composing melodies has been achallenge for me.
Kita: When you first started learning music, could you have or would you have ever predicted this was where you'd be now?
Bryan: When I first started, I didn't know much at all. I knew there weresome songs on the radio that I liked, and I wanted to learn to playthem. My father had some friends who were musicians; when they wereguests in our home, they'd sometimes show me a thing or two that Icould play on my guitar. But I had absolutely no clue that I'd everget into percussion. I had no idea that I'd settle down in Salt LakeCity. And I could never have predicted that I'd find a group likeJuana Ghani here and become an integral part of it.
Kita: How does day-to-day life work with everything arts wise?
Bryan: Sometimes I feel that daily life is monotonous. Going to work at thesame time every day, doing the same things, sitting in front of acomputer for hours on end--it really does feel like a "daily grind".It wears me down, clouds my brain, quashes my creativity.But I really can't complain, because it's not a bad job at all. Iwork for a small local business who's not accountable to somecorporate headquarters; I work for someone who cares more about peoplethan the bottom line. And my employer is a big supporter of the localmusic and art scene. The hours are pretty flexible when I need themto be, which means my job has not interfered with my music projectsmuch at all; I've rarely had to miss a performance because of work.In that, I'm very fortunate, because music is the only thing in mylife right now that keeps me (mostly) sane. It gets me out of myapartment when I'd otherwise just stay home alone.
Chris:
A Georgia boy who found his way to Utah, Chris is one of the biggest personalities in the Juana Ghani family. A mop of curly brown hair, a pair of sunglasses, and a drum is all Chris seems to need for a good time. This is a man who likes to laugh, and boy does he.
An imaginative character with a fondness for pushing himself to his limits, musically speaking, Chris made himself a part of the performance in a way drummers seem to struggle with. He has a stage presence and a knack for finding himself getting so into the music, that his whole body seems to move with it. No matter where this wanderer finds himself, I suspect his was a soul made for the stage.
Kita: How did you first get involved in music?
Chris: My uncle played drums from middle school on through college and then with an Air Force marching band. He introduced me to drums at around six or seven. I began taking band in middle school and lessons from various instructors. From then on, I was in band all the way through college and was in all of the concert, marching, jazz bands and pit bands that I could be in as a student. Then of course were the obligatory garage bands and house party bands ever since high school.
Kita: How did you then get into Juana Ghani?
Chris: On Facebook I first became friends with Leisl, then after chatting with her there a bit and her and Brian seeing me with perform with a former band at the Utah Renaissance Festival... they invited me to audition and one thing led to another, and I've been here ever since.
Kita: How did you end up in SLC?
Chris: Moved out here with a friend from north Georgia and fell in love with the West and the SLC belly dance, burlesque and music scene. Now, with three kids here and lots of music and outdoor activities to keep me busy... I never see myself moving.
Kita: What were your goals when you started playing music?
Chris: Get better and better and have fun (and get chicks).
Kita: Have they changed at all?
Chris: Not really, but I do now realize that the ladies don't go for the drummer, so now it's just to get better and better and have fun.
Kita: What have your biggest struggles been as an artist?
Chris: That the better I get, the more I realize how much more there is to learn. And the plateaus that go along with getting better. Sometimes I just seem to get stuck and can't seem to find anything to help me progress with my skills. Often, when this happens though, something new comes along to give me a nudge in the right direction to throw off my frustration. That is what happened when I started playing for belly dancers and then when I started playing with Juana Ghani.
Kita: How has being a part of Juana Ghani changed your perspective as a musician?
Chris: Working with such a large group where there is still so much collaboration is new. I really enjoy that. And being able to imagine taking old world flavors and making them new and fresh. That has really helped me with the the belly dancers that I work with.
Kita: What other projects have you been/are you a part of?
Chris: As I mentioned, I have been a part of innumerable middle school, high school and college bands, both in school and in garages and house parties and all ages venues. Until Juana Ghani came along I played with the gypsy band Yom al Had. I currently spend most of my time outside of Juana Ghani drumming for Kairo in her classes and on any stage we can find. She has really pushed me as a musician. Other girls that I have drummed for have been wonderfully talented, but we would often take the stage with little practice and just wing it. With Kairo, she has resorted to using a cd for a performance here and there, because a piece we had been working on just didn't come together... after hours of practice. So we would put off 'til another opportunity came along and it was more polished. That level of expectation has really added to every other project I have been a part of in the last few years. Otherwise, Juana Ghani keeps me very busy... which I love.
Kita: Do you typically prefer rehearsal/creation or performance?
Chris: Juana Ghani practice is always fun. We all get along wonderfully. Brian and Leisl write most all of our songs. Brian puts together great demos of their ideas, that we get to listen to, and once we hear them we come to practice with your own contributions... and boom... most every time it becomes a part of the song. It is a great way to work, especially with such a large group of musicians.
Of course I prefer the stage more, but our live shows would not be nearly has fun without the practice time.
Kita: What's been your favorite part of your experience with Juana Ghani?
Chris: My amazing band mates. I am a much more disciplined musician for having been in their company these last few years. And how busy Mizz Leisl keeps us. She finds fun show after fun show for us. I haven't been this busy as a musician since I was in school.
Kita: Do you ever get stage fright? How do you handle it if you do?
Chris: Not so much. Maybe a little when something totally new is going on... a new JG song, a new dancer I'm drumming for. I would also say that I come closest to stage fright at big belly dance events like Spring Fest, when I know the audience is full of real enthusiasts that know what is on and know what is off. Also when emceeing a burlesque show, it takes me a few minutes to get into my groove. In most any stage situation... I always seem settle into a groove and forget any nervousness.
Kita: How have you found the arts community in SLC?
Chris: Wonderfully diverse and wonderfully supportive. The Atlanta scene was too big to really get to know anyone, it was dog eat dog. It wasn't nearly as much fun. I like seeing other musicians and performers and rooting for them and know that most of them are rooting for me/us.
Kita: How do you feel you and Juana Ghani have been received in SLC?
Chris: Couldn't have hoped for better. A very pleasant surprise.
Kita: Are there any new things you'd like to try as a musician?
Chris: Nothing immediately comes to mind. My plate is pretty full right now, between Juana Ghani and belly dance. I have a lot to learn to get better for both of those endeavors.
Nick:
There's something to be said for having a signature look, as I'm sure most every musician can agree. Few have mastered the art of sticking out without ever losing a sharp and polished edge like Nick. With passions that seem to include drinking and mastering somewhat rare and obscure instruments, it's an absolute no-brainer that he should fit in with this crowd.
The accordion and the hurdy gurdy seem to be his weapons of choice, not to mention his Derby hat, a part of his aforementioned look. And really, could you have a band with the word "Gypsy" in their description without an accordion in there somewhere?
Kita: How did you first get into music?
Nick: I first started playing music in my teens; I was inspired by Bob Dylan to pick up the guitar and harmonica.
Kita: How did you end up in Salt Lake?
Nick: I was born here in SLC, I have lived throughout the west, and went to school back east in Pennsylvania, then spent some time in the Bay Area in California. But Salt Lake is always home, and one of my favorite places in the country.
Kita: How did you find yourself in Juana Ghani?
Nick: By accident, really. I had responded to a craigslist ad by the mandolin player, Tony, to play in a folk band he was putting together. That fell through, but he invited me to come out to a Juana Ghani rehearsal. The rest is history, I guess.
Kita: What were your goals when you started playing music?
Nick: Just to have fun and learn a new instrument.
Kita: How about now?
Nick: It's about the same, I still like having fun and learning new instruments, but I have a strong pride in the performance aspect; I want to play my best and put on a good show. There's always more work to be done there.
Kita: What have been your biggest struggles as an artist?
Nick: Balancing playing music with the everyday is the biggest struggle, I think.
Kita: How has being a part of Juana Ghani changed your perspective as a musician?
Nick: It's definitely opened me up to different musical styles that I might not otherwise have been exposed to. Also the experience of having to work with so many musicians in one band is quite unique.
Kita: What other projects have you been/are you a part of?
Nick: I also play with Hectic Hobo, a wild west gypsy rock band. In addition, I occasionally perform with my Irish folk band, Bonnie Mad.
Kita: Do you tend to prefer rehearsal/creation or performance?
Nick: That's a hard one. I'm not sure I prefer one over the other; I love both the process of creating and the process of sharing it with others.
Kita: What's been your favorite part of your whole experience with Juana Ghani?
Nick: The opportunity to perform and meet so many wonderful people.
Kita: Do you ever get stage fright? If so, how do you deal with that?
Nick: I used to get stage fright pretty badly when I first started performing, but I don't anymore. I think it's just a matter of repetition; I've played so many shows now that it's not a big deal.
Kita: How have you found the arts community in SLC?
Nick: I think it is small but passionate. I think that if you work at it, you can find the right community that is willing to support and cheer you on in your artistic endeavors.
Kita: How do feel you and Juana Ghani have been received in Salt Lake?
Nick: I think the reception overall has been pretty positive; Juana Ghani is certainly different than the standard rock band, so it is exciting to see people open to listening to different styles of music.
Kita: Are there any new things you'd like to try as a musician?
Nick: There are always new things I'm interested in; learning new instruments, playing music with new people, it's really just a matter of trying to find time for it all.
Check out Juana Ghani on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juanaghani.official?fref=ts
And their website: http://juanaghani.com/
Have anyone else you'd like us to chat with? Let us know with a comment below!
