We recently sat down to chat with Nick Santino about success, playing with Hanson and his latest release, Savannah. We recently reviewed the album, which you can read by clicking here!
You can read the interview below!
The last time we spoke with you was right before you hit the road for the Vans Warped Tour where you played in the Acoustic Basement. Following that, you hit the road again on your own headlining tour, The Long & Winding Roadshow -which is such a great name, by the way. What drives you to constantly tour and hit the road?
I love being on the road. It’s where the songs really come to life and become something special. I love interacting with all of the people who come out to the shows. I love it just as much as I love being in the studio making new music.
You previously shared with us that being solo allows you to be more honest and more yourself. What other positives and negatives are there in touring solo compared to touring in a band? How are you adjusting to it?
I enjoy playing solo shows yeah. It gives me a bit of practice to get my stage banter right and to be honest and true to myself as well as the people there. I love playing with a band for the energy it brings and the over all good time it is.
I think everyone has a different way of defining how and when they make it, whether it’s a radio single or playing sold-out shows. How do you measure your success?
I think if you are able to do what makes you happy then that is being successful. If you want a family, a nice house, a good job and you eventually get that and you’re happy, that is success. I think some people have big dreams and goals and that’s great to have. I just like to set mine a bit lower and gradually work my way up the ladder.
Savannah has a more melancholic theme to it than your previous album Big Skies. How was the writing process different for this EP? Can we expect more songs like this on your next album?
I went into writing Savannah with the feeling of wanting to do an EP that would fit the season. Something cold and wintery and I think I accomplished that. I’m sure I’ll continue to make this kind of music but theres no telling what I’ll write next. I don’t set out to write in a certain genre. I don’t like having rules or guidelines. I let the songs write themselves.
My favorite track off of Savannah is “How to live with a Ghost”. It’s kind of hauntingly beautiful, just to be punny. What was your mindset writing this song?
I wrote this song a year ago and I wanted to put it on Big Skies. I’m glad I waited til now
because I wasn’t sure how exactly I wanted it to sound. I think when I was gonna use it on Big Skies I made it more upbeat and had sort of a shuffle to it. I think it was the best move to wait. This song has such a strong message and I think it speaks louder with this chilled out vibe it has now
In your song “Rio” you talk about heading out to Mexico, and you happened to go to Mexico to play with Hanson. Was that strategically planned or just a coincidence?
Just a coincidence . I had actually never been to Mexico before I wrote that song. I for some reason kept singing the line/melody “We used to go to Mexico” and thought it sounded pretty so I rolled with it..
Speaking of Hanson, how excited were you about playing with them and how was the experience?
They are great. That whole getaway was great and I hope we can do more things together. David Ryan Harris was also a part of it and him and I were talking about writing some music together. Everyone there was amazingly talented and I was honored to be a part of it.
When you’re not writing new songs or playing gigs, what do you like to do during your off-time?
I’m lazy. I do normal boring people stuff. Netflix, laundry, cooking, design work. I try and stay busy. I like taking guitars apart and rebuilding them. Just anything to keep sane.
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