Rockabilly, not unlike its kissin’ cousin, the Blues, is tricky genre. The conventions of both are so well-established that they provide a boilerplate that invites any hack with working knowledge of the I-IV-V progression to take a whack. Both genres seem to spawn more pretenders than contenders, and that’s at least part of the reason why the true masters like Carl Perkins and Ronnie Dawson gigged up until the bitter end, and why folks like Wanda Jackson and Robert Gordon still put asses in the seats. Now, I don’t pretend to appreciate all of the subtleties and nuances of Rockabilly, but when I need to separate the Dons from bagmen, my acid test is simple: Can they sustain my attention for the length of a record?

Nick Curran is one of the guys who can. While his neon punkabilly style surely raises a few eyebrows among purists, one has little choice but to take notice once this young man let’s his guitar do the talking. Those familiar with Nick likely know that our friend was diagnosed with tongue cancer before the paint was even dry on his new release, Reform School Girl.   And so, at a time when he should have been tearing up roadhouses across the globe, Nick was grounded in his native Austin undergoing months of treatment. With that ordeal nearly behind him, MOKB was fortunate enough to chat with Nick about some music legends, beating cancer and finally get back to the stage.

MOKB : So, Reform School Girl has been in stores for almost two months now; what has the reaction been like? Critics seem to be treating it kindly, but what about your fanbase? Are they responding favorably?

Nick Curran : Actually, yes, everyone has been really favorable. There’s been a few people that don’t like it (or as I say, don’t get it), but for the most part people have responded even better than I hoped. Mostly people have been saying they can’t wait for us to come to their town.

MOKB : How do you feel the record turned out? Is there anything you would change?

NC : I’m really happy with how it came out. It definitely sounds how I wanted to it sound when It was finished. I wouldn’t change a thing!

MOKB : I’m a huge Blasters fan from back in the day. How did Phil Alvin come to be involved with the record?

NC : Well, we met about a year and a half ago and hit it off right away. I was in L.A. playing a show and hanging out for a few days at my friend Don’s and said, hey let’s go see Phil. So, I said sure and we went by his pad and instantly started jammin’ for a couple hours. Then we went back a couple times at night time and ended up singin’ and playin’ guitar all night. Till about 5 – 6 in the morning. It was definitely light outside when we went home.

We ended up hangin’ a lot last year. It seemed like every couple months I was in L.A. But when it came time for me to make the record I thought, it would be perfect to have Phil come out for the recording. So, I had him come out to Austin and stay at my house for the weekend and we went in to the studio and wrote the song and recorded in about a day. Phil’s great and he gave me a great deal of inspiration for this record!

MP3 : Nick Curran and the Lowlifes – Kill My Baby

MOKB : Seems like the record touches on multiple genres under the “roots” umbrella. Was there a conscientious effort on your part to display the scope of your talents/interests?

NC : Yeah man, I really wanted to write different kinds of songs and I wanted to use all my influences without worrying if it fit in to a certain genre, so I just made everything fit together and hoped for the best.

MOKB : Any idea how the record has been selling?

NC : I think it’s selling pretty well so far. It’ll definitely step up once I can get out on the road to promote it. I can’t wait for that. We have a nice tour schedule shaping up for the summer-winter.

MOKB : Let’s step back a bit…what life lessons does a 19 year-old Nick Curran learn from Ronnie Dawson?

NC : Well, most importantly I learned, always put on 110% show at all times, and he was always a stand-up guy to everyone he came in contact with. I leaned so many things that I didn’t even realize at the time that I carry over to running my band or how I do things. He really was my mentor cuz I was out there on the the road takin’ it all in.

MOKB : Moving forward a bit, how did you approach a task like replacing Jimmie Vaughan in The Fabulous Thunderbirds?

NC : Well, the first thing I did was not go up there and try to look like Jimmie. I wanted to approach it my own way, so I went in looking like a punk rocker but playing the right style of guitar for the music. I like to mess people and sometimes the “Blues Scene” needs to be messed with. “Listen with you ears, not your eyes people!”?

MOKB : So, with Reform School Girl complete, you’re diagnosed with cancer of the tongue; that’s gotta be a real wake up call. Publicly, you vowed to, “kick this thing in the ass,” but what’s going through your mind at that point?

NC : That’s it! That’s what goes through my mind everyday. That’s all that’s gone through my mind since I found out I had this. I’m about to finish up my treatment on the 20th, and I feel good! A little run down but I’ve done really well with it. Every time I see the Doc on Monday, he tells me how great I’m responding to the treatment and can’t believe I have the energy to ride my bike and mow the lawn and things like that. I am ready to put this behind me for sure.

MOKB : I understand that you’ve never been a smoker. Did your doctor suggest you had any other risk factors?

NC : They pretty much told me it was “bad luck”. They said even if I smoked and drank heavily my whole life, I wouldn’t see anything like this til I was in my 50’s or 60’s.

MOKB : I’ve noticed a handful of contribution sites for you online. Did you have medical insurance at the time you were diagnosed?

NC : Well, I have a type of insurance that they have in Austin called HAAM (Health Alliance For Austin Musicians). It definitely helps with some doctor bills and stuff but it doesn’t cover everything. The benefits people have been doing are great cuz I haven’t been able to work since I’ve been diagnosed and  have a mortgage and everything so that has helped greatly!

MOKB : Based upon this experience, and knowing that musicians are notoriously under-insured, do you feel differently about the recent health care bill than you may have a few years back?

NC : I’m actually out of the loop with that. I’ve purposely  have not been watching the news while doing my treatment. I figure the less stress factors in my life while dealing with this the better. But luckily I do have my insurance. Thank goodness for Austin!

MOKB : How has [the label] Eclecto-Groove been during this entire experience?

NC : They’ve been great! Very supportive. They’ve still been pumping the record too which is great. And It’s great fro me to be doing all this press and seeing all the great press while I’m going through all this. It’s definitely giving me a lot to look forward to, to help me get through.

MOKB : So, based upon what I gather, you’re officially returning to the stage May 27th at the Screamin’ Festival 2010 in Barcelona. Can Austin residents expect some surprise shows in the upcoming weeks?

NC : Probably not the upcoming weeks. I expect that it will take to pretty close to the Screamin’ Fest to heal up fully. I don’t wanna jump the gun.

MOKB : Is your touring band going to be the guys we hear on Reform School Girl?

NC : Yes, Billy Horton on bass and Derek Bossanova on piano. Drummer is still pending. It’ll be a 4 piece. At some point I would like to add a sax live but, gotta wait til the money is right.

MOKB : Any messages for Nick Curran fans (or haters) out there?

NC : I will see you soon!

MOKB : One more question, what’s your favorite Danzig song? I’m a Dirty Black Summer/Long Way Back From Hell man myself.

NC : Misfits era – Last Caress. Danzig – Twist Of Cain.

-Luftmensch