Indy In-Tune #108: Nick Rapley

Nick Rapley is one of those artists I've been trying to get on the show for the better part of two years. As with most of the Indianapolis music scene, that's kind of like hitting a moving target. Though his music has been featured on the show before, as two of his prior bands had strong showings in our Podcast Battle of the Bands back in 2010, it was not until the release of his first solo effort, "A pot Luck Melody" that I finally got the chance to sit down and enjoy a couple of beers with him -- which was well worth the wait. "A Pot Luck Melody" is eight tracks firmly rooted in the nebulous realm of indie power-pop. Within that framework, however, Nick -- as an established producer, performer, and songwriter (oh, and did I mention artist?) -- explores the fringes, delving into fringes of rap, spoken word, progressive rock, and artistic soundscapes as he stretches his artistic chops, presenting the results to us as what he terms the search for . Links referenced in the show: Nick Rapley can be found here: Bandcamp | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter His first solo release, A Pot Luck Melody, is available from his Bandcamp page and soon to be found on iTunes and Rhapsody. His prior band Apsara, placed 6th in the Podcast Battle of the Bands. Another prior band, Catch Curtis, placed 4th and was voted best new/emerging artist. You can hear tracks from both bands on Show #071. A Pot Luck Melody features contributions from Ryan M. Brewer, who appeared on Show #106. In addition, Nick produced Ryan's recent, eponymous solo album. I will officially eat my metaphorical hat as the winner of the Rolling Stone contest was The Main Squeeze out of Bloomington, who are an excellent original outfit, and not a wedding band. I repeat: NOT a wedding band. Nick has recently finished producing an album for Joe Young. His next musical project will be a collaboration with his girlfriend, Ella Raymont. His recording studio is based on Pro Tools and an M-Audio Fast Track Ultra. Nick is currently an intern at Rax Trax Recordings in Chicago. Nick and I are both big fans of jazz/fusion pianist Hiromi Uehara.