Nick and Graham Bailey
Songwriter Nick Bailey isn’t just writing music for TV shows; he’s writing his life’s soundtrack. From guitar teacher to banker, singer to guitarist, and songwriter to DJ, Bailey is proof that when music is your passion, it will sneak into every facet of your life — yes, even banking.
A native of eastern NC, Bailey started playing music at the age of 13 years after receiving his first guitar for Christmas.
“I got a guitar and [my twin brother] Graham got a drum set. He wanted a guitar but I said, ‘No you can’t get a guitar if I am getting a guitar’. Back then I wanted to start a band because I was really into (shamefully) Guns N’ Roses. When that song You Could be Mine came out I saw the video and watched the bass player, because I thought he was playing a guitar. I thought, ‘Man that guy is so cool. I want to learn how to play the guitar’. That was really what made me want to pick up a guitar, which is just funny to me now,” he recalled.
After a year of music lessons, Bailey and his brother formed a 90’s cover band with their childhood friend Rob Wank. Soon after, the twin brothers found themselves playing their first gig at the tender age of 14 years at a bar in the historic waterfront town of New Bern, NC. Little did the brothers know that many years later they would reunite with Wank under the new band name Nick and the Babes (NATB).
“It’s kind of funny that we’ve come full circle. [Rob] and I both played in a bunch of other bands. We’ve known each other since high school. We know each other very well, so it’s cool to have him back. He is very versatile, and basically my wing man in the group,” Bailey said of his bandmate, who now plays keys, banjo, and mandolin while adding harmonies for NATB.
Though Bailey’s journey as a musician started that fateful Christmas, he never had goals to study music formally. After only a year of instruction, he stepped away from lessons and began experimenting on his own.
“As far as the composing goes, that was just something that I had to just kind of plunder through. I wasn’t a music major at [East Carolina University] or anything. I stayed away from that. I am not one of those guys who sits there with a classical guitar and reads music. I felt like if I went to school for music I may end up hating it. I didn’t want to have music homework. I’d rather learn about the theory on my own and discover it through learning songs. So I just learned it by doing it,” he said.
Thankfully, his self-taught approach has worked. After two years of persistent emails and calls to a top TV music composer, Bailey was signed on to compose music for TLC’s show Nineteen Kids and Counting. Soon thereafter he was hired to work on various TV series like Crime 360, Pit Bulls and Parolees, and Last American Cowboy. To date he has written music for nearly 50 different episodes, and was just singed on for another season of Nineteen Kids and Counting.
Over the past few years Bailey has become accustomed to the process of TV music composition. Typically, he is given an idea or direction from which to work. Sometime he gets to view the scene for which he is writing, other times he does not. Regardless of the amount or type of direction, Bailey’s job is to complete the scene with music–a process that can be both exhilarating and daunting at the same time.
“I was doing a scene for Animal Planet and they sent me this video clip from a helicopter viewing over this mountain. They said, ‘Write something epic and grand for this scene’. I thought that was pretty cool and I was inspired [by the video]. Sometimes they will say, ‘We need you to watch this movie and listen to the score and write something similar’. They give me good direction as far as what to write. I am familiar with a lot of different music, which does help me out with the TV music writing. People tell me what they want and I can create that,” he shared.
Bailey draws his inspiration from a very eclectic background of musical influences, including funk, Motown, grunge, folk, jazz, indie rock, and more. This aids him when he sits down to write a TV score, but can make the process difficult when sitting down to write songs for NATB.
“To me it is easier [to write for TV] than sitting down and trying to create an identity for yourself. That is what you are essentially doing when you sit down to write. You are creating a brand and an identity that people can latch onto or relate to, like a certain sound. Sometimes I struggle with that. I like so many different bands, so finding that perfect mix of everything is sometimes a struggle,” admits Bailey.
Rob, Nick, and Dail
These days when he is not up against a TV deadline, teaching guitar lessons, DJing, or working at the bank, Bailey sits down with his Martin acoustic guitar to write new material for NATB. While the band’s sound continues to evolve, Bailey often describes it as ‘Americana’, which encompasses a number of different genres.
“I am trying to get [our music] to sound like NATB as opposed to sounding like another band. A band like The Avett Brothers did something amazing because there really aren’t other bands out there that sound like them. You can’t call them bluegrass, or indie rock, or folk because they really aren’t those things. When I go to write, I try to write in a certain vein and not steer away from that. I am not going to write anything that sounds like Metallica, but it is fun to try to mix everything that I like,” Bailey said.
Just as the music of NATB has evolved, so too has membership since the band’s 2007 inception. Currently NATB is made up of Nick on guitar and vocals, Graham on drums and vocals, Dail Reed on bass, and Wank on keys/banjo/mandolin and vocals.
Though their touring schedule was sporadic this past year–all band members have other full-time jobs–show attendance was great and reviews positive. They shared the stage with the talents of Jason Isbell from the Drive-by Truckers and Jim Avett, and developed relationships with a number of creative NC musicians. One particular musician is Bob Crawford, bassist for The Avett Brothers. It was through Crawford that the band was asked to perform Christmas Time is Here on Crawford’s My Favorite Gifts Christmas Album this past year.
“Initially the Christmas album was supposed to come out last Christmas and we were just going to be session musicians with Samantha Crain. Thankfully it didn’t come out last year because then Bob approached me and said that he’d like to produce a track for NATB for the album. I said, ‘Absolutely’. We went to the studio where The Avett Brothers [recorded some of their music]. To be in the same studio where all of that happened was really cool for us,” recalled Bailey.
My Favorite Gifts Christmas album showcased the music of many popular and up and coming musicians, including The Avett Brothers, Paleface, Jim Avett, David Mayfield, Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Wood Brothers, The David Wax Museum, Overmountain Men, and Mark Crozer. The album was produced by Crawford and Dolph Ramseur (Ramseur Records) with the intent of sharing unique holiday music in the name of charity. All profits from the album will be donated to The Vickie Honeycutt Foundation, which benefits teachers with cancer. This very important detail appealed to Bailey’s philanthropic side.
“[Crawford] told me profits were going to a charity for teachers with cancer. My mom is a teacher, and there has been cancer in my family. I have lost several family members to cancer. To be involved in something that would benefit something so personal made it even better. That was definitely a major motivator for us to do it right. Being part of the bigger cause was definitely a cool thing for us,” Baily added with a smile.
Bailey also has high hopes that the Christmas album will expose NATB to a wider audience. He is eager and excited to get the band back on the road touring and into the studio to record a full-length EP of new material this year. In the meantime, Bailey continues to pursue his passion of music with an easy attitude and steady patience. Experience has taught him that works. I am sincerely looking forward to the catching the next episode of Nick and the Babes.
Nick and the Babes @ The Tipsy Teapot
Many thanks to Nick Bailey for taking the time to do this interview. To learn more about his TV work, visit his IMDb page. To learn more about Nick and the Babes, visit their website: http://www.nickandthebabes.com/.
Evolution of a Fan 