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Nick Riff began his musical adventure in high school after borrowing his uncle's
Harmony acoustic guitar to learn Tyrannosaurus Rex songs. Later, Nick bought a bass guitar
and joined his first high school rock band. After graduation he spent the next few years constantly playing in nightclubs
and bars in the Eastern Kentucky - Southern Ohio region, eventually joining his
first all original band. Serpent
was a hard rock trio influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Sex Pistols, UFO and
Cheap Trick. They released a 7" vinyl before dissolving in 1978. Relocating to Lexington, Kentucky and switching to
guitar, the lysergically soaked XY19 surfed the new wave creating a
sound combining punk rock and synthesizer mindscapes as a sound track
for their sociological and psychic experiments until they simply burned
out of existence. In 1980 Nick Riff moved to Columbus, Ohio to
recuperate and concentrate on developing his song writing skills.
He played bass in a few local bar bands, did studio session work, and
played guitar for the punk band The Infamous Dragons. Moving on to Cleveland, Ohio in 1982 to join Hungry
Young Men as a bassist, Nick spent most of his time on the
local club circuit. They played concerts for WMMS radio and did
shows with REM, The Replacements, Brian Adams and Greg Khin, releasing a 3 song 7" vinyl before going their separate
ways. The Attitude was formed in 1984. Nick played
guitar and shared lead vocals in this four piece power pop rock revival.
They managed to get banned or fined for damages in numerous clubs
throughout northeast Ohio. However, The Attitude kept a vigorous
live schedule building a dedicated following, especially in the Kent State University
clubs. Cleveland indie label Herb Jackson Records released a five
song EP Time Stands Still in 1986.
By the fall of that year it had made the top ten list on four area
college radio stations. They shared concert billings with The
Ramones, Faith No More, The Saints, and Chesterfield Kings, to name a
few. Their last show was in 1988. In 1989 Nick was in Zanesville, Ohio
where he decided to pursue a solo career. After assembling a
recording studio, his first release From the Heart of Oblivion
was a six song cassette sold through magazines and used as a demo for
record labels. The new UK psychedelic label Delerium records
contacted Nick and released the tape in 1991. Nick continued
recording new songs while commuting to and from Cleveland to play solo
concerts, including a show with Daevid Allen of Gong. In 1992
Delerium released the full length CD/LP Freak Element to critical
acclaim and solidified Nick's underground indie credentials. He
was soon able to return to Cleveland and begin rehearsals with a studio
group to record his second Delerium CD Cloak of Immortality,
released in 1995. In this time period Nick also appeared
on numerous compilations in the U.S. and Europe. Cleveland based
garage-punk label Sonic Swirl released two 7" records. The first
in 1994 on blue vinyl was a solo recording. Due to the
activity of his Delerium releases Nick formed a new band, Nick
Riff's Freak Element. An early lineup was featured on the
second Sonic Swirl release in 1996. Nick Riff's Freak Element was/is
always based on the availability of the musicians involved, this
incarnation focused on outdoor festivals or indoor psychedelic events
and shared appearances with YES, Moody Blues and Hawkwind. Nick
was included in the 'Space Box' compilation on Cleopatra Records.
The band released three songs on two area compilations and recorded a
ten song CD at MetroSync in Cleveland. A four track promo CD was
released in 1999 to a few select personalities. At the turn of the
century previous commitments of the individuals involved made it
impossible for the band to move further at that time.
Between
bands Nicks' focus is on the psychedelic pop, singer-songwriter aspects
of his music. Performing as a solo acoustic artist he translates songs
from his cd releases and includes unreleased songs that are performed
exclusively in a solo environment.
In 2006 the official website was launched along with a new release, Magick Museum, a collection of out-of-print and limited edition material that serves as a perfect introduction for those unfamiliar with Nick Riffs' music. Nick played solo concerts opening for Kasim Sulton in 2006 and 2007, and created his Myspace page the same year. The long awaited studio recording 'Nick Riffs' Freak Element - The World's Alive' CD is released in March of 2008 and is the second release in the Riffdisc series that is planned to continue until 2012. A new Nick Riff solo cd is nearly completed, and a requested sound track for the recent gathering of the Psychedelic Council is in it's final stages of production. Nick will also be focusing on more live appearances through out 2008. Rock on! |
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