Victory Kid

I got a chance to ask Harrison of Victory Kid a few questions.... Enjoy




Punk Globe: Thanks so much for the interview can you give us some background on Victory Kid. In what year did you form?

Harrison: We have been playing together for a few years, but we only fairly recently named the band and put music out. Tuck Frump is our first release as a band! So we put the

date around January 1, 2018.

Punk Globe: Where is the band located?

Harrison: We all live on the westside of Los Angeles

Punk Globe: Tell us who is in the band what they play?

Harrison: Harrison is the singer, songwriter and guitarist, Nathan the bassist and backing vocalist and Carlo is the drummer.

Punk Globe: How did you come up with Victory Kid for your bands name?

Harrison: Victory Kid is actually a Star Wars reference, which is a significant influence creatively for Harrison. A Victory Kid is from the generation of children born after the Rebels defeated the Empire during the battle of Endor. These kids lived without the tyranny of the Empire, a vision we have for the generations after us.

Punk Globe: Tell us some of Victory Kids influences are?

Harrison: Victory Kid is a fusion of many different types of rock, with specific sonic influences from ranging from the nineties to modern day. We knew going into recording we wanted to have a very modern sound, which we think you can especially hear in the drums. Stylistically, the biggest influencers on our songs are Sum-41, Blink-182, Sublime, and Goldfinger. Of course the list is way longer than that, but a combination of those four gives you a good idea.

Punk Globe: You recently released a single Tuck Frump.. A fun play on words although I prefer FUCK frump... Give us all the details about the release?

Harrison: Harrison wrote “Tuck Frump” a week after the 2016 election, so it contains the raw emotions that many of us were feeling at that time. We felt it would be a strong first release because of the message of hope that people are looking for. It’s depressing how many reasons people lose hope now, from the school shootings to the threat of nuclear war, etc. While we also are scared and pissed off, the message of the song is actually to find a better way of living together to find a solution.

Also, if more press was willing to publish “Fuck Trump” we were heavily considering that so way to be on the modern side of censorship!




Punk Globe: Any personal advice that you would give the tangerine terrorist?

Harrison: In the words of the great Michael Jordan… “Stop. Get some help.” All joking aside, think about the world you are creating. Put the power aside for a minute, since clearly that is a big deal to you. Fine, you won the election, you have the arguably the most power of any man on the planet.You did what you set out to do. But now you’re blundering around because you don’t actually have any ideals or morals, everything you have done has been for corporations. You have to do something to reunite the country that you have polarized so heavily, and it’s not going to be a military parade. Listen to your advisors, only the great presidents do.

Give us a call man, we’ll get you there.

Punk Globe: Did you play a release party for the single yet?

Harrison: We had a listening party and jam session at Carlo’s Place in Culver City, and it was lit! We actually showed everyone the video for “My World”, which is coming out soon, and listened to the entire unreleased album as well! We have incredible base of friends who have been such huge factors in getting us to where we are now. To be able to plan shows, music videos, parties, and know that you’ll get a good crowd there and it will be a good night is so crucial for our content and keeping us in the right headspace!

Punk Globe: Will you be doing a tour to support the release?

Harrison: We are planning on doing a West Coast tour to support the album release which is in May, and will be short stints to a few other cities before then. Our eyes are set on places like San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Sacramento.

Punk Globe: How about a video? Maybe have Stormy Daniels make a cameo in it.

Harrison: The video is taking longer than we thought, since we’ve had some editorial changes. We are stoked about the new direction and the new level of production that we are working towards with it, so the release of that will be announced soon.

As of now there’s a very real lack of Stormy Daniels in our video, but it’s not done yet so who knows!




Punk Globe: Favorite venue to play at?

Harrison: There are tons of great scenes in LA, but honestly we’ve had some of our best experiences playing college house parties, particularly a couple we did at UCSB. We set up our own sound, just plugged in and played anything we wanted for hours and people were losing their minds. Jumping off roofs, breaking fences, a toppled stripper pole… Some great times at those shows.

Punk Globe: Any bands that you enjoy playing with?

Harrison: We’ve played with a lot of great bands. Bristol To Memory from OC, Raised on TV, Bah Ram You, Lost Puppy, Mechanical Roots. These are all bands we’re pretty close to and we book for each other on a regular basis. And obviously cause they’re killer.

Punk Globe: What is in store for Victory Kid for the rest of 2018?

Harrison: We’ve got so much in the works that we’re insanely stoked about, but for now our public focus are on these dates:

My World Release 2/21 on The Undiscovered Sound- Idobi Radio

‘My World’ Video Release 2/22 on Idobi Radio- First Listen

Opening for Alien Ant Farm on 3/9 at Whisky a go go

‘Clownin’ Release with video in Mid-March

‘Tuck Frump’ Music Video release 4/6

‘illenials’ album release 5/11

Punk Globe: Do you have any Internet addresses you would like to share with the readers?

Harrison: Check out our website www.victorykid.com, and be sure to follow us on social media for free downloads, event info and to hit us up!

Punk Globe: Describe yourself in three words?

Harrison: Fun, Intense, Tacos

Punk Globe Last words for Punk Globe readers?

Harrison: Keep listening to great music! Punk is growing in a big way, regardless of our role in it, so be sure to support all the bands you like to make that happen! - Punk Globe

Victory Kid is a pop-punk band from Los Angeles with some ska and politically induced tracks. I got the chance to talk to them about inspirations, lyrical content and show. Check it out now!


Your newest single, “My World” is a catchy track with a fun video. You said to idobi, the game in the video is something played at your parties, what other inspirations from your personal lives do you incorporate into your music?

Most, but not all, of the songs on the record are very personal and draw from life experiences. We’re heavily influenced by surf culture, other bands and artists, movies… anything in our personal lives can be something that we shine a light on and look at with music. A big inspiration to the style is how we interact with each other. Being close friends as a band means that you can take that feeling of being with them and collecting awesome experiences and feed it to the music. Hopefully you can hear it, that’s the goal!

“Tuck Frump” is a lyrically powerful song. With listeners interpreting songs all different ways, what’s something you hope a new fan will take away from that track?

The song’s takeaway is really about hope. We have strong opinions about how we got to the situation we’re in politically, and everyone has different ideas, but the message is that our politics need to start with our citizens and work towards a solution that is best for them. Instead of working towards finding solutions to problems, our legislators have been trying to “win” bills for their voter base AND their lobbyists, instead of just the people they are representing. We think by having a well educated nation we can find the root of problems and work to solve them instead of thinking about issues with the lens of republican or democrat bias. We are proud of the high schoolers from Parkland and encourage people to make their voices heard, and to think carefully about their beliefs and values. So, yea, all of that and that energy you feel when you listen to a badass punk song!



With Illenials dropping on May 11, what is something you’re proud of on this record?

Pretty much everything about it. We are so stoked with the performances, parts, and production of this record. Finding Allan Hessler (our co-producer) was such a huge game changer, and every person that worked on that record rose to the task and made it as incredible as it could be. We’re excited about developing more of a skate punk sound, since the first half of the record will be more in that style, and a great place to jump from moving forward! We’re so happy with the responses we’re getting, people have been incredibly supportive and that’s the best way to start a following!


Your songs have a Ska meets Punk feel to them, what influences you to create such a unique sound?

California has produced some great rock music and culture, and we are lucky enough to be influenced by such amazing bands like Sublime, Blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goldfinger, etc. that captured different aspects of California music. Harrison and Nathan grew up in California and have lived here most of their lives, and Carlo was all over those same bands growing up in Switzerland, so the similar cultures have a huge impact on our identity as a band.

You’ve played some smaller shows, what was your favorite venue to play so far?

I don’t think there’s one venue that’s our particular favorite, we’ve had different experiences different nights. Two shows that stand out would have to be one at O’Briens, where we raged in a packed back room with some incredibly rowdy Venice Beach locals until the neighbors called the cops (that happens a lot) and a house party at our buddy Ryan’s house near UCSB, where a similar situation happened but with more destruction and prettier people!

Which song gets the best crowd reaction?

Really depends on the crowd. When we play with punk and more hardcore bands, they gravitate towards Clownin’, Adrenaline, and Tuck Frump, but if we’re playing with alternative or other ska and reggae bands it’s definitely My World, Stepping Out, and Clownin’. Clownin’ was a song that we were so excited about, we went back into the studio to record it, along with Tuck Frump, after all the other songs on the record were already in the can. It’s the most unique (in our opinion) in the blend of styles and content, and we’re really excited to move more in that direction.

Who would you want to tour with you if you could choose any band?

That’s harder than asking what our favorite movie is… Reel Big Fish would be incredible, since they are such huge influencers for ska and it would be fun to tour with Matt who recorded all of our horns and absolutely killed it. Knuckle Puck is a band that was in the studio the same time as us, and they are one of the sickest newer bands out there right now, along with Neck Deep. Any of those bands and of course the other bands we talked about would be insane! Plus we’re opening for Alien Ant Farm on 3/9 at Whisky A Go Go, so if they’re feeling it we’d be honored to hit the road with those guys too, they’re so talented! Sorry, it’s a long list but that’s an impossible question! - All Punked Up

LA pop-punk outfit Victory Kid have released new single My World off their much anticipated debut LP “Illenials“, set for release on May 11th. ‘My World’ offers a deliciously savvy take on the state of affairs, with Victory Kid speaking exclusively to Idobi to discuss the release. Check out the video below.

Victory Kid balances the best of ska and punk; something to like here for fans of Millencolin, Goldfinger and Masked Intruder. From protest anthems to high-energy hits about the SoCal lifestyle, anticipation is rising for LP “Illenials”. - Punkanormal Activity

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Harrison is the singer, songwriter and guitarist, Nathan the bassist and backing vocalist and Carlo is the drummer.

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Victory Kid? How long has the band been around?


Nathan and Carlo both make a living as hired guns, so they have worked as backing musicians with a ton of bands, including Heffron Drive and Saint Motel. When it comes to bands that they were a part of, Carlo has played in the feminist LA underground band WASI, Warped-Tour veterans Westland and a curious Swiss band called the Dorks. Nathan has played with dynamic rock collective The Ten Thousand, americana river-rock group AMBL, and his own jazz-fusion project. Harrison was a solo artist with a different producer, and was looking for a band to transition his sound away from pop and back towards his first love of pop-punk and ska. Victory Kid is actually his first band! In middle and high school he travelled the world with the Ragazzi Boys Choir.

We have been playing together for a few years, but we only fairly recently named the band and put music out. I’d put the birth date around January 1, 2018.


What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Our friend Keaton from Raised on TV was musing about what to name his band one day while driving from Las Vegas to LA with Carlo and mentioned the name Victory Kid. Carlo fell in love with the name and got the permission to use it for his own unnamed project, while Nathan and Harrison cowered in submission.

Victory Kid is actually a Star Wars reference, which is a huge creative influence for Harrison. The Victory Kids are the generation of children born after the Rebels defeated the Empire during the battle of Endor. These kids lived without the tyranny of the Empire.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

While they come with different levels of completion, Harrison brings the bones, Carlo and Nathan make the meat. Harrison uses his colorful lyrics to paint pictures and scenes, while using the interaction of the melody to the chords to evoke sincere vocal performances. Carlo as a drummer is responsible for a lot of the structure and rhythm, keeping the beat and song progressing in complexity and energy. Nathan is an incredibly melodic bassist, since his main instrument is actually Sax, and will often use his bass parts to reinterpret the voicings of the chords to give them a different meaning.

The songs range in topics, from current events described the way we see them in Clownin and Tuck Frump to very personal experiences that convey Harrison’s state of mind at the time.


What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

We are so disappointed to hear that 2018 will be the last Warped tour. It’s such a stepping stone and growth experience to so many mid-level bands looking to get to the next level. Some of the bands making music now we look to for inspiration are Neck Deep, Knuckle Puck, The Dirty Heads as well as the OG’s Rise Against, Blink-182, Sum 41 and Green Day. A more in depth list of inspirations can be found on our spotify playlists!

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Not so much a single event or artist. But for Harrison, playing shows and releasing music as a solo artist made him realize that he needed to be in a band. When you have other people to stretch your imagination and challenge your opinions the ideas in the room are at a higher level, and it’s so much more rewarding than to do that by yourself.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

Carlo’s flexing consists of setting up the drums and warming up a little bit (with or without sticks) in the car. Harrison likes to surf that morning, do some yoga and then warm up to singing as loud as he can. Nathan lifts his bass amp a couple times and is ready to go.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

We’ve recorded our debut album with Allen Hessler and we think it sounds stellar! Harrison co-produced it with him, and we really feel that this record has potential to go far. Harrison and Allan found a working rhythm that allowed them to come up with some great creative ideas. Allan also mixed and mastered, which kept the vision and sonic quality that was developed during recording intact.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

We’d love to open for Blink 182 or Sum 41- I think their audiences would understand our music immediately. It would be cool to tour with Sublime with Rome, because they progressed reggae and ska by incorporating rock elements and it would be interesting to see if the direction we took those genres would be accepted by their circles.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for reading this interview until here. You seem really invested in our band! Check out our website victorykid.com for more in-depth information and news! We have three music videos and three singles coming out between now and April and our full length debut record ‘illenials’ drops in May 2018! - Kill The Music

LA based pop punk trio Victory Kid have posted a video for their latest single "My World", a track that will feature on the band's upcoming full length Illenials. For their debut LP, the band teamed up with producer Allan Hessler, who has worked with the likes of Goldfinger and The Used in the past.

Check out the video below. - Punk News

Pop Punk band, Victory Kid is proud to share more information about its debut album, "Illenials", to be released on May 11th.

And today you can stream a brand new song titled "My world." Stream it below and let us know what you think!! - LoudLight News

LA pop-punk outfit Victory Kid have released new single My World off their much anticipated debut LP “Illenials”, set for release on May 11th.

‘My World’ offers a deliciously savvy take on the state of affairs.

California’s very own Victory Kid follows up debut single ‘Tuck Frump’ with “anything is possible” single, ‘My World’. Upcoming LP “Illenials” is the band’s debut full-length, a calling to a time when anything was possible.

Victory Kid balances the best of ska and punk; something to like here for fans of Millencolin, Goldfinger and Masked Intruder. From protest anthems to high-energy hits about the SoCal lifestyle, anticipation is rising for LP “Illenials”.

The Los Angeles trio worked with producer Allan Hessler, (The Used, Avenged Sevenfold, Goldfinger) for “Illenials”, creating a multi-faceted and refined brand of punk-rock for their upcoming collection.

“Illenials” is set to release on May 11th. - Punk Online

Hailing from Northern California, San-Carlos native Harrison Nida relocated to Manhattan, set about defining his sound. He draws influences from Weezer, Jack Johnson, Blink 182, and Nirvana. Growing up riding motorcycles, skateboards, and surfing, this artist creates carefree music, reminiscent of his childhood. Harrison has been songwriting since age 12.

After the single “Celebrity Crush”, Harrison Nida has now released, “Ocean Skin”, the second single from his critically acclaimed debut Ep “Harrison”. Nida has a unique power pop sound, mixed with an alternative rock flavor and vivid, inspiring lyrics. His tracks are also filled with catchy hooks and sweet melodies.

Well-crafted both lyrically and melodically, “Ocean Skin”, just sounds like a great song done by an artist making good music without pretension and having a fantastic time doing it. Nida comes across as being very sweet and humble too. And that’s no mean feat, considering the booming egocentric-induced music flooding the mainstream market.

Everything about this single works beautifully, combining Nida’s signature pop-alternative sound with subtle nuances and production flourishes that build on what’s come before on “Celebrity Crush”.

“Ocean Skin”, is less ‘anxious’ and ‘urgent’ and more ‘relaxed’ and ‘sprawlingly inviting’, yet still maintaining a biting edge to its delivery; the absorption of this track parallels being submerged in a musical pool of bliss. It’s a hard emotion to describe. Something like being equally excited and powerfully relaxed at the same time!

To cut to the chase – this single is excellent. From beginning to end Harrison Nida shows off music talent. His vocals are smooth and melodic and the music is such a groove you won’t even know you’re jamming until you find yourself dancing around your living room. His lyrics are precise and meaningful as he hits the points home that matter most to him in this mid-tempo song about desire and longing.

Harrison Nida’s songs carefully craft the elements of rock and pop as they present a pleasant break from an exhausting music scene that too often lazily recycles overused aspects of everyone else’s songs, lacking any true ingenuity and substance. All in all, it won’t take more than one rotation of “Ocean Skin” for you to fall in love with Harrison Nida forever! - Soundlooks

When I first learned to play guitar, the very first song I learned to play was What's My Age Again by Blink 182. Back in those days, I couldn't get enough of bands like Blink 182, Green Day, Nirvana, and Weezer. In fact, I still can't get enough of those bands, because I've always truly enjoyed their sound and have tons of nostalgia from listening to them in my youth. This is true even as my musical tastes have evolved and changed through the years. The only problem is that it's difficult to find new artists still producing decent work in this genre.

Enter Harrison Nida.


Nida's sound is a refreshing reminder of the uplifting power of pop rock music. Varying between minor and major modes of the major scale, his chord progressions take us through a sentimental journey of romance and power. His vocal cadence speaks to anyone who loved the classic vocal style accompanying this genre in the 90's, too. Sometimes I can almost hear Mark Hoppus when listening to his hit single Celebrity Crush:


In addition to Celebrity Crush, Nida showcases a more pulled back and relaxed sound with his other popular single, Ocean Skin. As an avid surfer with a strong appreciation for Green Day and Weezer, I entirely understand Nida's purpose in writing this song. Here again he touches on the theme of romance while delivering to us an easy-to-watch video, and it's hard to suppress feelings of jealousy when watching him travel through a carefree day at the beach in Puerto Rico with a beautiful girl! Whether you're married or single, we could all use this type of escape: taking a pause from our busy lives to venture to an amazing part of the world, where we may reenact the playfulness of our youth and rediscover our ability to tune into the emotions of the opposite sex.


Nida is a free spirit and those that know him understand that he loves excitement. At any given moment, his adventuring spirit makes it seem as though anything might happen. In truth, Nida is an adrenaline junkie and fills his quota riding motorcycles, snowboards, skateboards, and the like. It's clear he shares and fully embraces the attitude of his primary alternative rock influences, exhibiting passion with a hint of dutiful recklessness. Hey, what's life without pushing the limits from time to time, right?

Given the pleasurable and emotional journey Nida takes us on, the only big complaint I have with his music is the lack of more of it! Now we can only hope that he will get back to work in the studio, producing more great hits and continuing to inject new life into a genre that's still hot two decades after its prime. Stay tuned on Nida's Facebook page and Soundcloud.

-Steven Fies
Founder, CreativeEdgeMusic.com - Creative Edge Music

With the release of his debut single "Celebrity Crush," Harrison Nida will soon be the object of said crushes rather than just singing about them.

The song pokes fun at society's obsession with pop culture and is Harrison's brainchild, co-written with his producer Lynn Verlayne.

"Harrison has all the elements it takes to make it in this business," she said. "His talent was evident almost immediately when we embarked upon the making of this project."

This first single is being released ahead of Harrison, a collection of six songs due out later this year. The project was funded by Nida's army of fans through Kickstarter and showcases his diverse musical talents and pop sensibilities.

His music reflects his vibrant take on life as well as his distinct musical influences and training. The 22-year old is ready to share his new sound rooted in 90's alternative rock like Radiohead, Weezer and Blink 182.

"Celebrity Crush is available for purchase on iTunes. Watch the video for "Celebrity Crush" here.
For more information on Harrison Nida visit www.harrisonnida.com.
Check out Harrison Nida's video for "Celebrity Crush" here: http://harrisonnida.com/celebrity-crush/ - Empty Lighthouse Magazine

After three years of writing, recording, mixing and promoting, the Ep “Harrison” by Northern California, San-Carlos native Harrison Nida, was released on iTunes the 24th of March 2015. This comes in the wake of the successful releases of two critically-acclaimed singles, namely “Celebrity Crush” and “Ocean Skin”. The two aforementioned tracks can now be found together with “Until The Stars Die”, “Home”, “Let It Bleed”, and “Alienist” on the 6-track “Harrison”, which can be purchased digitally on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/harrison-ep/id973253540 or physically through http://harrisonnida.com/store/.

Harrison Nida’s debut Ep is good, solid pop. Some of the songs are foot-tapping catchy, and others are earworms that are hard to not sing while walking around. If you’re looking for songs with lots of emotional depth and substance, “Harrison” will work for you. But if you’re looking for catchy music to energize your day, I’d highly recommend this too!

Nida writes songs about feelings and experiences that are universal, but expresses them in a voice that is uniquely his own. I doubt there is anyone out there who can’t relate to at least one song on “Harrison”.

Harrison Nida writes songs for sunny afternoons that on the surface sound like pure pop, but after further inspection of it proves to be much, much more. The Ep is driven by Nida’s lyrics. The instrumentation is solid, but it’s the words and craftsmanship of the songs that make an impact.

As an artist, Harrison Nida has savored diverse influences and fields of training. From his start and classical training in choir singing to Jazz and on to his garage bands, his music is seen as alternative because of the blending of these influences to create new sounds.

Lyrically the songs on “Harrison” cover everything from introspective to uplifting, and comforting. Invoking emotions that you forgot voice and song could still do. Musically it will make you tap your feet and bob your head, even in public places.

“Harrison” is an Ep that you can listen to all the way through and rediscover each time. Nida creates Alternative Pop that really connects with many of the issues that plague the ‘twenty-something’ collective.

The melodic chord changes and cool vocals is what first caught my attention, right from listening to the single releases “Celebrity Crush” and “Ocean Skin”. Add that to the fact that Nida’s music is never ambiguous, and that the emotion in his voice explains all the convictions that he sings about, and you’ll be hooked.

Harrison Nida no doubt has the ability and talent to gather a wide fan base and captivate them with his sound. Maybe he isn’t the first to offer his work to the alternative-pop world, but certainly he makes no difficulty blazing new trails.

This debut release demonstrates a well-rounded, consistently high caliber of work throughout all the tracks. If “Harrison” is representative of his work, I expect we will be hearing from Harrison Nida for a long time to come. If you’re not able to remember all the words, then happily, you will certainly have the tunes in your head long after the music has ended.

Musically, there are so many directions Nida’s future endeavors can expand into; hopefully, this, his first big venture will give him the confidence to explore more alternative avenues in future sessions. If “Harrison” is this polished and profound, imagine what is yet to be! - Jamsphere

6) Harrison Nida “Celebrity Crush”

Growing up in California, Harrison Nida was influenced by the sounds of bands like Blink-182, Weezer, and Nirvana. The Pop-Punk he creates now draws a heavy influence from those bands. - A Journal Of Musical Things

My personal definition of success is…
Success is health and happiness. We’ve convoluted the idea of success so much that we focus it on our work, how much money we have, etc. but all of those things all are only important in how they relate to keeping you happy and healthy. I’ve played a lot of shows. Some good, some okay, some bad. I played a show at The Bitter End in the Village, which was a ton of fun and one of my dreams to play there since I was a kid, but that’s not the best show I’ve played. I grew up in a small city called San Carlos, which is south of San Fransisco and north of Silicon Valley. My mom is a teacher at the middle school that my grandma, her, and I all went to. I have really good relationships with the teachers and faculty there still. One day we opened up the gym and invited all my fans, friends, and family for a free show. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, I didn’t have a band so it was just me and an acoustic guitar. We packed this gym. Every song I played the crowd listened transfixed, and as soon as it was done they cheered like I just won the Super Bowl. We had 20 people help set up chairs before hand, and one of my friends since early childhood was running a table where we sold over a thousand dollars of merchandise that night. I wish it was a longer set, because for every song the electricity was palpable in the space, and there was a deep connection between me and the people listening that I’ve only experienced in bits and pieces before. That show has kept me going through some of my tougher times.

My overall goal for my life and career is…
To be able to support myself doing what I love. I love what I do now, and I’ll always write, but I also love the business side of it. I have some ideas for careers that I’d like to start later, but for now I’m having way too much fun doing this.

The three ways that I challenge myself are…DFPStareDown
1) Don’t be a slave to technology. It’s the other way around.
2)Write all the time. Don’t judge it until after it’s done, at the very least it will be good practice.
3)You’ve got one shot. Use it doing something productive with what you love.

I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
Rivers Cuomo from Weezer. I think he is truly one of the few geniuses in music for our time. He has written an incredible number of songs, has a very high level of education, and every time I listen to a Weezer album I hear something new. “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” talks about cockiness and overcompensating confidence, and slowly transitions into a sample of “Simple Gifts”, illustrating that the greatest man that ever lived is humble. I think it’s brilliant. It didn’t do as well as other songs like “Say It Ain’t So” and “Buddy Holly,” which I love too, but it’s so interesting in the way that he showed that point through the music and not just the lyrics. I don’t idolize many people, but he’s one of the few.
11. Do you find that there is too much emphasis on being current and trendy or Is there a balance that you have found helpful in your artistic decisions?
I think people get sucked into it too much. I tend to think about that when I’m choosing covers, but I’ve come to the realization that you’re either going to be retro or be trendy and it doesn’t matter so long as the song is a good one. Every time I play “What’s My Age Again?” by Blink-182 at a show at least 25% of the audience loses their minds and starts headbanging and singing along like it’s a primal chant. I’m realizing more and more that what you play and how you play it is more of a game of the heart than the mind.

You started singing…
when I was six years old with the Ragazzi Boys Choir in the San Fransisco Bay Area. I sang with them for 10 years, going on tours around the country, and the world. When I was twelve, I started playing guitar so I could write songs, and then I realized that I wanted to do what I was already doing with the choir, just with songs that I had a deeper connection to than classical music.

The story behind “Celebrity Crush” is…
I worked with producer Lynn Verlayne for many years. We wrote a lot of songs together when I lived in New York, but we also messed around and had fun. One time we were talking about how messed up it is that we, as a culture, idolize these celebrities that are photoshopped and groomed to be more than human, and “Celebrity Crush” was born out of that.

The back story behind “Celebrity Crush” is…
I was messing around playing power chords after our conversation and started singing the first two lines of the song. Lynn was like “whoa, that’s awesome! Keep going.” I threw out some other ideas and then finished it when I got home. It was a pretty easy one to write.

We can expect from your music…
What I love about my music, and people have told me this too, is that it’s very self-aware. A person can only truly see from their own perspective, even if they’re empathetic or understanding of someone elses. In my EP “Harrison” I wrote songs that really show how I think about things. “Celebrity Crush” is a parody like, daydream type song, but it’s how I see the situation of irrational expectations of celebrities today. My other songs, like “Let It Bleed” and “Alienist,” are much more psychological and theoretical, but still very much illustrate how I see situations. Because I put my own thoughts into my music, people seem to be able to relate to it more than some songs that have the goal of relating to a certain demographic.

The music scene where you live is..
Well I just moved to Los Angeles so I’m still new to it, but so far it’s been incredible. Hotel Cafe is an awesome little venue, and I went to Social State House the other night which has a cool upstairs stage. For me it’s all about the 15 minute drive on Sunset, which is awesome, since in New York it would take me a lot longer to get to shows typically.

Other than music you like to…
I love being out in nature. I grew up camping and going on hikes all the time, and it’s been awesome to explore the hills and beaches around Santa Monica.

The music business is…
one of the most unique industries right now because it is shattered. I truly believe no one knows what to do. We have major artists that are releasing record breaking albums without labels, releasing entire albums with music videos at once, and more labels than the world knows what to do with. No one can tell you the “right way” to go about it, the way that managers did twenty years ago. I think it makes it incredibly exciting. Having a business degree and looking into the chaos, there’s a lot of opportunities to find different objectives that work, often in ways that no one has explored before. While it’s terrifying and exhausting, it’s also pretty fascinating.

The pros and cons of the music business is…
The pro is that there is a culture, especially in Brooklyn and LA, of people who solely want to listen to indie artists. This is incredibly open minded, and allows for artists and bands to get recognized at a much smaller size than they ever would be before. I think the con is that it allows for a lot of noise in the industry, and you have to figure out how to make yours better and more in front of the listener. I probably spend half of my time during the day on marketing and going over business concepts and opportunities while the other time is writing.

You overcome hurdles and pitfalls by..
Closing your eyes. Taking a deep breath in. Hustle. Any type of career you want, you have to fully immerse yourself in it. I absolutely love diving into music. There are days that I will be writing or recording demos and realize that I’ve been working for six hours straight and haven’t eaten anything all day. That’s when you know you love something.

Social media is…
very similar to the music industry, in that it’s a lot of noise and you have to find how to bring yourself to the top. I do it by making connections on twitter, posting things that I find interesting and building a following of people who truly care about what I’m saying and posting. There are a lot of awkward situations, like people asking to meet me in person because they’ve never met a celebrity before. It’s very flattering, even though I tell them that I’m not really at that level yet, but you have to find a way to politely decline while still explaining to them that you appreciate your online relationship. It is such a weird concept, that we can have relationships with people we’ve never met in real life.

Releasing a single vs. an album…
I’ve released two singles, “Celebrity Crush” and “Ocean Skin,” as a way to promote the release of the EP, so I don’t have a lot of experience with that. Moving forward, I’m playing around with the idea of releasing only singles, and then putting together albums based on the concepts and how they fit together. I do want to do a concept album, because I think it’s a higher form of art. It’s the difference between writing a short story versus a novel. There’s nothing wrong with either, but we do value a novel slightly higher in that they tend to divulge more into the topics that are brought up.

Social Media:
Website: harrisonnida.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/harrisonnida/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harrisonnida
Twitter: https://twitter.com/harrisonnida
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/harrisonnida
Instagram: https://instagram.com/harrisonnida/ - American Pride Magazine