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Many moons ago, the Byrds sung that ode to intergalactic tourists, "Mr. Spaceman" and, odds are, their travel agent might have been Garfield Heights guitarist Nick Riff. Bending the time/space continuum for his own purposes, Riff is presently out promoting an 11 song compilation disc of his original music that appeared on Delerium Records out of England, among other places. Sit back and relax, as Rod Serling wasn't available, so the questions will be asked by OhioOnline's music correspondent Peanuts. |
| OO: |
And what planet were you born on? |
| NR: |
"I was born on a small planet in the Orion star system. That would translate to a small town near Ashland, Kentucky, just across the river from Ironton, Ohio. I moved to Columbus in 1980. I moved to the Cleveland area in 1982 and live in Garfield Heights now." |
| OO: |
Who was your musical influence? |
| NR: |
"My first influence was my grandmother playing piano and my father was a music major in college. He had an extensive record collection I constantly heard, but the answer anyone from my generation would give is seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, the whole British invasion and subsequent garage band explosion of the 1960's." |
| OO: |
Pick ten acts that have influenced you. |
| NR: |
"Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, the Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, Cheap Trick, the Ramones, Todd Rundgren, Blink 182, the Raspberries and Oasis." |
| OO: |
Quite a range. So what does your music sound like? |
| NR: |
"It is a combination of mushrooms, hemp and wine, turned into structured sounds after the fact and presented as my interpretation of rock based music. I try to write lyrics that present multi-dimensional ideas and music that will stand the test of time. It's music you can roll around on the floor to with a lava lamp on." |
| OO: |
Sounds like a fun mosh pit. Were you with any regional bands before this? |
| NR: |
"Probably best known was the Attitude from 1984-1988. We played all over the state. I formed Freak Element in the mid 1990's. We were psychedelic rock and opened for bands like Hawkwind,Yes and the Moody Blues." |
| OO: |
Any Ohio artists catch your ear of late? |
| NR: |
"Well understand, I've been off the planet for six years and I am performing as a solo artist now. When I do my next incarnation of Freak Element, I would always like to do shows with the New Bomb Turks or Rainy Day Saints. As for solo, Leah-Carla Gordone or some of the space poets in the state." |
| OO: |
What can you tell me about the disc? |
| NR: |
"It is an internet only release titled 'Nick Riff Magick Museum,' available from Aural Innovations site in Columbus, CD Baby and my web page. It is a compilation of rare and out of print material I released on Delerium Records in the UK and Sonic Swirl from Cleveland. It is a perfect introduction to my music if you happen to be unfamiliar with my previous discs." |
| OO: |
I assume the tracks were cut all over the place then. |
| NR: |
"Some were recorded at Oblivion Studios in Zanesville, some were recorded at Magnetic North in Cleveland. All were mastered and co-produced by Chris Keffer." |
| OO: |
Long term plans? |
| NR: |
"I hope to release a Freak Element disc next. We recorded it at Metrosync in downtown Cleveland in 1999 with Greg Zydak producing. I hope to have another solo disc out in 2007. I'll put it out on my own Riffdisc unless I find a more established label in the meantime. Either way, it'll get released." |
| OO: |
Final thoughts? |
| NR: |
"How could you ignore the political situation in this country. For the sake of our children, we must somehow take our country back. Liars and corporate mobs have raped everything this country was founded on. Turn off TV news. Stay human. Make love, not war." |
