Nick Hogg is the bassist and founder of the Nottingham based melodic rock band Nitrate. His band recently released one of the year’s best albums: ‘Feel The Heat’, which is a must listen for anyone looking for a great rock album with hook-filled songs. We caught up with Nick to discuss the new album, his band, and some of the pros and cons of the music industry.
Rob: Good evening Nick, thank you for talking with The Rockpit. How are you?
Nick: I am good Rob, Thank you for the interview.
Rob: You’re very welcome! I read that you are the founder of the band, Can you tell us about the origins of Nitrate?
Nick: It started back in 2015. I had a band many years ago and wanted to record some of the songs from back then and do professional recordings. I teamed up with Rob Wylde and instead of recording old songs we wrote new songs together. It all started as a bit of fun, But one song became 12 songs and I sent it off to a few record labels just on the off chance. I got signed to Melodic rock records and the rest is history.
Rob: Rob is fantastic! I’m a fan of Midnite City. He’s collaborated with you off and on throughout the years in this band, how long have you guys known each other and what is writing with him like?
Nick: I went to school with Dan Chantrey (ex Vega drummer) and he was in the band I mentioned previously, He got me in touch with Rob in 2015 as he had played in Vega for a while. I’m also a fan of Rob’s music and song writing and we have very similar music influences, So we get on well. He’s easy to work with and knows where I am going with the songs I write.
Rob: You’ve had varied members in the band over the years, Some that have played in other established bands in the melodic rock scene. I think you definitely have the best line up yet, how did you meet the other guys?
Nick: Tom and James Martin were in Vega and I met them from hanging out backstage with Dan at Vega concerts, They contributed the song “Bad Girls” to our second album Open Wide and came on board to help develop a more AOR sound for Renegade and Feel The Heat. Our guitarist Richard Jacques has been in the band for a while and we met through facebook, He is in a Def Leppard tribute band playing the Phil Collen role which made him perfect for the look and playing style I had in mind for the band. Alex Cooper I met on a covid pub zoom meeting with lots of musicians. He did the videos for Renegade and then took over all the artwork duties as well as joining as the drummer. He’s actually a singer in his own rock band: Devilfire. Alexander Strandell has been the singer for the last two albums. I contacted him during the pandemic and I think I just timed it right as he wasn’t doing much with his own bands at the time, I was really surprised he agreed to sing on the albums as he’s such a talent, But I guess timing is everything.
Rob: It’s got to be a balancing act for Alexander to be in three bands at once, Considering he’s got a new album out for each of those three bands this year how do you guys balance that in terms of recording and touring?
Nick: It’s been hard. He had deadlines and was finishing Crowne and had already got back with the original guitarist/founding member of Art Nation, So they were recording a new album all at the same time we wanted vocals done. Not sure how but he fit it all in. We have had the conversation and we are hoping to sort some gigs around his schedule.
Rob: You’re one of the primary songwriters in the band, Although you’re the band’s bassist do you play any other instruments as well?
Nick: I’m not the best musician, I would say I am more of an amateur. I write the songs on the guitar and can play a little on the keyboard, Mostly for ideas and melody lines than anything.
Rob: That’s very modest of you, But I think considering the quality of your songs you should give yourself more credit. Congratulations on signing with Frontiers by the way, I think for different eras there is that one label that stands out above the others and for me Frontiers is the one to beat right now. I’d love to know from your perspective what the function of a record label is in the age of streaming? What do they bring to the table that benefits a band verses putting out an album on your own without a label?
Nick: Signing to a label like Frontiers gives you good reach and exposure, Gets you onto a few good playlists and gives you good distribution. There’s also help behind the scenes if needed. I did consider self releasing this album, I actually also considered and made enquiries about taking over my previous label (AOR Heaven) and owning a label at one point. The thing that put me off the most is all the issues around postage & taxation (sending and receiving goods in and out of the UK) When it’s £20 to send a vinyl to the USA and it goes missing in transit or customs just hang onto it, It’s not much fun. Brexit hasn’t helped this. I guess regarding distribution leave it to the guys that know best.
Rob: You guys recently released your new album Feel The Heat and as I mentioned in my review this album is in my opinion your best, This is just a massive album with top notch performances by all of you. I have been playing this record a TON and it’s just incredible! This being your first album since signing with Frontiers Records, Was there any pressure to start out strong with them?
Nick: No, Not at all. We had finished the album and artwork, Recorded the videos etc. before we considered labels. The pressure comes from the band wanting to always do better than on the previous album. It was Tom and James first ever album mix so there was a lot of pressure on them as they had a lot to prove to themselves. They devoted a large amount of their time on the production of the album and I think they did an amazing job, We are really proud of what they achieved. All the production/mix credit goes to those two. The credit for the visual side of things goes to Alex Cooper, I told him what I wanted and he delivered every time.
Rob: They really did a fantastic job! The album sounds absolutely flawless, Every performance shines on the album. I was actually going to ask a question about that, If anything had been done differently in the mixing because as great as Renegade sounds, This album is immaculate.
Nick: They demoed up the songs on Renegade but this time they mixed the album, Adding touches along the way until they were satisfied. They couldn’t leave it alone at times and I think we had Mix 14 on some of the tracks where they added in something each time. The album is a proper labour of love for them as well, Lots of research and lots of Mutt Lange influences on how it was produced. They are very talented musicians.
Rob: I can definitely see that. Mutt brings a big sound to the albums he produces, The difference in Def Leppard because of his involvement was huge. There’s a lot to be said of a well produced and mixed album.
Nick: Yeah definitely, A good production can make a good song a great song. The keyboards and sound effects are a big part of that and you just would not believe the layers of keyboards on this album, They had to upgrade their computers during the making of the album as the songs had so many layers the computer couldn’t handle it. That’s before we get onto backing vocals!
Rob: Oh I believe it, The keyboards really added to the rich sound quality of the album. There is so much going on in these songs, I love immersing myself in albums that are as rich and complex as this one is. I imagine a lot goes into writing songs like these, How do songs come together in Nitrate?
Nick: I usually write a song on my acoustic. I think I’ve got about 900 ideas on my phone. The majority are terrible, But I send over the good ones to a co-writer whether it’s Tom and James or Rob and they then work on them. I’ve always had one song on each album that I didn’t co-write to add a bit of variety but on this album Tom and James added 4 of the 11 tracks. They were writing a lot during this period and there were a few certain songs I loved and thought would be great for Nitrate. One of them was “stay” a song which they originally wrote for Vega a few years back with Bob Mitchell. (The guy that co-wrote the flame for Cheap Trick) you know that number 1 USA smash hit. The rest of Vega weren’t keen on it and it was shelved. I heard it whilst having a few beers with the twins in York and instantly wanted it for Nitrate, I actually think it’s one of Alexander’s best ever vocal performances.
Rob: I think I would agree there, That song really lets him flex the control has on his vocals. I think a good singer can stand out on a track but a great singer sings in service of the song and they balance what they do accordingly, He does that in spades on that song.
Nick: Yeah, he really has a unique voice and gives an emotional performance.
Rob: Take us through the recording of this album, When did you start and how did it all come together?
Nick: It’s always a continuous cycle, As one album ends, The next starts. It’s the writing and seeing how the songs develop that I love the most. There’s plenty of song ideas ready to go again, It’s just a matter of all the musicians having time from their day jobs and other projects to add their input. So we started the process towards the end of 2021 and finished early this year, We had to wait a while for Alex’s vocals but it came together pretty easily. (Although if you asked Tom and James they might say otherwise) It’s mostly done remote these days, Musicians doing their parts in their home studios and sending them over. This is pretty standard these days. Bands can’t afford to rent studios for weeks on end. What it does though is give you time to work out parts in your own time and reflect on them. I did manage to go up to York a few times though and spend a few days with the twins, We wrote a song together on one of those occasions which you might see as a bonus track in the near future.
Rob: Most of the people I’ve interviewed record remotely, I imagine that really gives you the time and space to achieve your vision as opposed to what bands had to do in the studio back in the analog days.
Nick: Yeah, You can record it again and again and again and edit it until you’re happy. Definitely an improvement over analog with each take costing a fortune.
Rob: When you really think about it it’s interesting to think of how different the classic albums might have been if they had the options available that modern musicians do.
Nick: Definitely, Although the money was there and funded by the record labels. Wasn’t hysteria something like 10 million to make? These days a band is expected to record, mix, and master the album themselves and pay for professional pictures before a record label will consider the album. Very different times. Unfortunately there is no money in it now and it’s a passion (expensive hobby) rather than a career.
Rob: That’s one of many reasons I’m such an advocate for the modern bands, They do more with less support and recognition. I think in several fields with the industry it has to be about passion, That’s pretty much what entirely drives music journalism. Especially when you want the freedom to promote the music you love as opposed to selling your soul to something like Rolling Stone.
Nick: Yeah definitely, It’s all for the love of the music.
Rob: Speaking of music I love, One of the highlights of the album for me is “One Kiss (To Save My Heart)” which is an absolutely stunning power ballad duet, How did working with Issa come about? I’d love to know what doing that song with her was like?
Nick: Issa is married to James. She actually sang every demo and the majority on the last album, I am very lucky to have her helping out. She also sang backing vocals on the album. She has an amazing voice and it would be great for the Nitrate audience to hear some of those songs with her singing, She definitely has an influence on some of the melody lines. She’s been a massive help and part of the process. I had mentioned a duet a few times to Tom and James and James picked the ballad as one which would work and rejigged the song to make it work as a duet. Also, I’d like to thank Leon Winteringham, Alan Clarke, and Paul Laine for their help. A proper bucket list moment for me was having Paul Laine on our album.
Rob: He’s great, I like his work with The Defiants. That’s fascinating about Issa doing the demos, I’d definitely love to hear alternate cuts with her vocals. She’s a fantastic singer. I thought I could hear her in the mix on the backing vocals but I didn’t know for sure.
Nick: Yeah, Not many vocalists can follow her. Alex being one of a few. Imagine having a vocalist with a limited range following her?! There would be nothing but disappointment from hearing the original demos. Both vocalists have an amazing range. I’m a proper fanboy of Paul, Bucket list for me having him contribute and also the other lads are massive fans.
Rob: With a song like that ballad you really need a jaw dropping vocalist to pull it off or else it would fall flat, and with it being a duet it’s a real treat that you get to hear two vocalists of that caliber who also compliment each others vocal styles.
Nick: Yeah definitely, I always thought they would make a perfect duet pairing.
Rob: What musical background did you come from? What types of music were you raised on and what artists made you want to be a musician?
Nick: I was brought up on Classic rock: Queen, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits (my dad’s influence) alongside 80s pop music. I was a big Roxette fan which definitely influences my ballads and Bon Jovi but I was obsessed with Guns N’ Roses in my teens and got sucked into hair metal. Poison, Motley Crue , Danger Danger, Mr. Big, Warrant, etc. Slash and Duff were major influences. I wore what they wore, Bought a Washburn copy of the guitar from November rain and took up the guitar etc, Even smoked Marlboro lights for a while because Slash did. None of my parents were musicians but they supported me playing the guitar and funded lessons and really got behind it.
Rob: Sounds like we have similar backgrounds, Slash is one of my all time favorite guitarists. Have you seen GNR live? I saw them back in 2017 and they were incredible. Slash did this solo medley of the godfather theme and Johnny B Goode, It was amazing.
Nick: No, I saw Duff live in 1993, Slash live loads of times, Snake Pit, with Myles Kennedy, and with Velvet Revolver. I also saw Gilby Clarke on his solo album tour, I’ve seen Izzy Stradlin live, All of them but Axl. But I’ve never seen Guns N’ Roses live. Not sure I would be bothered now. I used to watch all the live illusion videos over and over.
Rob: How old were you when you started playing?
Nick: Maybe 12 or 13, My memory is hard to gauge these days. Never practiced enough though, Writing was and is more my thing.
Rob: As a songwriter do you ever feel like you achieve the vision you have in your mind for a song? And how often with the songs you keep archived do you come back to them later and complete them in a way you’re finally satisfied with?
Nick: I’m not much of a finisher, I start loads that I never get far enough to really send them over. Some I write a full song in ten minutes like “All The Right Moves” some I have a great chorus and pre chorus and just can’t match up the verses. Using a co-writer has the advantage of them seeing what you’re trying to achieve and getting the song there, Tom and James help give the song ideas a touch of class. I had the chorus, chords, and a pre melody for “Needs A Little Love” ages ago but just couldn’t match up any verses, James took that idea by the scruff of the neck and put a lot of love into that track. I get a lot of credit for Nitrate but I recruit and bring on board very talented musicians, They are the real talent music wise.
Rob: You definitely surround yourself with a lot of gifted artists, I would argue that if they didn’t see something great in you as well they wouldn’t be along for the ride.
Nick: I’m not sure on that, but Nitrate is definitely on the up at the moment which helps.
Rob: A Rockpit staple is that we end interviews with two questions: First, if you could be there to witness first hand the recording of any album ever recorded which one would you pick and why?
Nick: Def Leppard – Hysteria, or Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction, I’ll pick Hysteria as I bet recording Appetite was like a drug den. Why? Because it was a perfect album and I’d have loved to watch Mutt work and the creation of the songs and the sounds. Hysteria still holds up today as one of the best sounding albums of all time and is a massive influence to Nitrate. Bryan Adams waking up the neighbours would have also been cool.
Rob: Great choices! All three of the ones you mentioned are among my top favorite albums ever. As for the last question: what is the meaning of life?
Nick: Music!
Rob: I won’t argue that hahaha! Nick, thank you very much for your time. Congratulations on a phenomenal album, It was a pleasure talking with you.
Nick: You too mate, Thank you for taking the time to listen to our album.
Rob: You’re very welcome.
