Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Marlow
Hi Nick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In December of 2022, I was invited to be a special guest artist for the Jerry Lee Jamboree at Barley’s Knoxville, a tribute show put on to honor the great Jerry Lee Lewis who had passed away earlier that year. Up until that point I had been playing various open mic nights and showcases, trying to make a name for myself locally with my original songs, but I was having a hard time finding paying gigs. I have a rich background of blues and boogie-woogie piano playing, but had long since put the brakes on that kind of music simply because I never thought I would find an audience for it.
I continued to support other artists on the keys throughout 2023 while I completely reformed my set to include much of the music that inspired me to play in the first place- songs by artists such as Fats Domino, Little Richard, and of course Jerry Lee Lewis. As 2023 came to an end, I took the winter months off to focus on a total social media rebrand, and by February of 2024 I was ready to start a new project. I reached out to Max Miller, who has been my go-to drummer, and Nate Anderson on bass in order to form our three piece band “Marlow! And the Missing Characters.”
We played our debut show at Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern in May of 2024 and our reception was fantastic! It was then I knew for sure that I had found my niche, and have since been wholly focused on honing our act in order to be the hottest rock-‘n’-roll band in East Tennessee. Currently our set is mostly comprised of classic covers most audience members know, but I have a certain proclivity to shine the spotlight on more obscure classics as well. We also have been working together to write and arrange tunes original to this project, sticking with themes more rooted in southern appalachian culture such as coal mining, moonshining, and waiting on loved ones at the train station. I personally enjoy writing these types of tunes more than the alternative pop songs I had previously been writing, it’s just much more natural to me as an east Tennessee native and history enthusiast. I still get to make all the points I want to make when I write a song, be that personal or social, but the picture I paint is much less abstract to the broader audience, and much more relatable. I also love a song that tells a good story, and our region has plenty of unsung stories, the well of inspiration is virtually untapped!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There are still so many venues I have yet to see, and so many new ones coming to Knoxville every week. One of the biggest struggles I have encountered is simply getting into contact with the folks who do the booking for a lot of these places. You can send message after message, email after email, and still never get a response. I always think it’s funny how some of these venues seem like an island at first, but the moment they hear you play they just can’t wait to have you back. There are many venues just off the top of my head where I feel a project such as this would do well to entertain an audience, but my emails just get buried in the inbox of somebody who probably has ten other things to do before they can even think about booking live music for that month. Competition is stiff and our region is rapidly becoming a Mecca of the arts for those who dare not venture into Nashville, so we always have to be constantly fishing for gigs just to have a shot at playing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a pianist, singer, and songwriter. I specialize in blues and boogie-woogie piano, but lean into more jazzy stylings. I took piano lessons briefly as a child but as far as the music I play is concerned, I am a totally self-taught musician. I rely heavily on my ear and feel when I play, and I am an adept improvisor within the genre. I’m most known for my heated rock-‘n’-roll piano playing, which is also what I am most proud of. It feels good to be “the guy” in reference to a very niche skill, and I’ve worked for over a decade to refine my playing. I think this specialization is what sets me apart from other artists, but I would love to see a resurgence in popularity of this style because it is so uncommon that I don’t know anyone else who plays it- and that is unfortunate because I would love to collaborate with other pianists in order to learn new things.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I would like to encourage people to get out more and support local music! It can’t happen without an audience, and lately many local venues have been abruptly shutting down simply due to lack of audience attendance. We can’t do what we do without you, dear reader!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlow_music_network?igsh=MTl4ZXRmMXFtM2xxZQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/fngJ9i9mpsiyjZUD/?mibextid=qi2Omg
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@marlow_music_network?si=41sZRhw3csSDh0eq
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4796HMVp3FkF81ZvgAnIhl?si=sqqQvouiTuKDiNrW63ERpA
