NINE DEER is an experimental indie project based in Pittsburgh featuring queer vocalist/songwriter Nic Kielbasa and Caden Clinton (Drummer for Pool Kids). Their Debut EP, Need, will be out on May 11th, and today we’re pleased to give you their new single “Side By Side”, along with Nic’s special picks for top artists and spots in Tallahassee, FL, Chicago, IL, Portland, OR, Missoula, MT, and Pittsburgh, PA.
“When I first wrote and recorded the demo for this song, I had just gotten laid off from my job back when the pandemic had just started. It was springtime in Portland–my favorite time of the year there– and I was spending most of my time alone in my room, on bike rides, or on scenic drives.” – comemnts Nic Kielbasa.
“I remember recording this demo, the first demo recorded of the whole EP, and driving around aimlessly on scenic highways listening to it. I don’t think I realized it then but these moments of reflection, specifically during solo drives or bike rides, became a huge inspiration for the overall mood of the songs I was recording. You could call it “road trip music” haha. These demos would eventually become Need with the help of Caden Clinton and Lon Beshiri.”
Tallahassee, FL
Man-Moth — Man-moth inspired me to start my first real band. Their music felt nostalgic on the first listen and simply sounded good live—mixing and performance wise. They didn’t formally record/release any of their music until they had been a band for a year or two so you could only hear them live for awhile, which resulted in everyone screaming the lyrics to the crowd favorites at every show. All around dream boat of a band.
Chicago, IL
Joey Nebulous — I went to see a friends band play (Pledge Drive, who is also sick) and Joey Nebulous opened. I was instantly awe struck. As a huge fan of Frankie cosmos and related artists, I saw so much of that in Joey Nebulous’s music but it was still original and fun and ~very~ gay which is sooo refreshing to see in DIY spaces. Cute harmonies about having a crush on the weather guy? About falling in love with every guy they pass on the street? My heart fluttered the whole show and I revisit their music often.
Continued below…
Portland, OR
Yawa (Amenta Abioto) — I found myself at a queer artist show in downtown Portland and Yawa was one of the openers for the gig. It was just them on stage with a mic and a loop pedal. They slowly added instruments into their loops, including the headliners drums that they put their mic up against as they tapped them. It feels so good to be captivated by music that isn’t forcing itself on you, music that embraces the quiet moments between sounds. It felt like I was in the studio with them, it was very intimate.
Missoula, MT
Golden Rose Jukebox — Live music wasn’t really happening during my time here so it’s hard to pick an artist for Missoula. I will say—the golden rose is an incredible bar in downtown missoula that on any night of the week will have a queue on the jukebox jumping directly from Rage Against The Machine to Tom Waits to 100 gecs to Patsy Cline to Crystal Castles to Lil Wayne. You can imagine the beautiful hodgepodge of clientele.
Pittsburgh, PA
Hooky — This band is technically from Philadelphia but I caught them at a house show in Pittsburgh and cannot get enough of them. With two members, one of them plays guitar and sings catchy indie jams while the other member live samples, loops, and plays drum machine/synth. Their entire set blew my mind and everyone else’s in the room. I’d go out of my way to see them perform again, easily.
