Life & Work with Nick Kizirnis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Kizirnis. 

Hi Nick, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, and began playing in bands when I was in high school. My first band The Obvious recorded an album for I Wanna Records, which belongs to Jim Carter/Rev Cool, the popular WYSO DJ. We toured the East Coast playing with bands like The Pixies and learned everything about being in a working band from the really supportive Dayton music community. 

Since that time, I’ve been in a number of bands that have independently released albums and toured, including the surf instrumental trio The Mulchmen in the late ’90s that played with bands like Los Straitjackets, and our music was featured on a number of MTV early reality TV shows like Road Rules and Real World. 

While Kathi and I raised our two children in the early 2000s, I began focusing on song-writing and collaborating with different musicians more than playing in bands. This led to me playing guitar, recording and touring with Tobin Sprout of Guided By Voices, recording a song with The Breeders (“The Dirt Eaters” in 2021), and releasing an album with Mark Patterson (Son Volt), Kate Wakefield (Lung) and Dayton-alum Tod Weidner called The Distance. 

Since then, I’ve continued to work on writing and collaborating and releasing a steady stream of music that covers almost all of the styles I’ve been played. My latest single, “Way to Me,” comes out August 26. 

(Below I’ve included my most recent bio/press release with links that help provide some additional details for you) 

“Way to Me” re-imagines Nick Kizirnis’s moody Indie-Americana vibes 

“Way to Me,” Ohio-based songwriter Nick Kizirnis‘ latest single, re-imagines his moody “Indie Noir” songwriting style with modular synth textures and electronic drums, transforming the song’s original Roy Orbison/Twin Peaks vibe into strange yet welcoming territory. 

On “Way to Me” singer Kate Wakefield’s (Lung) lush, dreamy vocals evoke a fever dream while Mark Patterson (Son Volt) manipulated drums veer from roots rock to electronica and almost back again. Kizirnis’ guitars melt down into a pile of circuits and wires, emerging almost unrecognizable. 

Kizirnis and co-producer Patrick Himes decided to “re-imagine” “Way to Me” – a song that originally appeared on Kizirnis’ most recent album “The Distance” – after Kizirnis worked out solo arrangements of those lush “Indie Noir” break-up songs using loops and ambient guitars. The temptation to see what they could create with a fresh perspective was too great to resist. 

Despite the change in sound the song’s story about a message of love across the distance remains intact. As Wakefield sings, “You’ll find your way back to me,” the song holds on to hope, trust, love, and friendship that can endure any separation. 

“I’m really excited to share this new version of “Way to Me,” it’s a song I’m very proud of, and it was a great experience to take it to a new place and see what was possible,” said Kizirnis. 

“Way to Me” is out Friday, August 26 as a digital single on Spotify and all major streaming platforms. 

“Way to Me” is out Friday, September 2 for BandCamp Friday as both a digital download and a limited edition of 25 hand-cut lathe 7-inch single by Robin Raymond, owner of Red Spade Records (https://www.redspaderecords.com) in Toronto – the only woman who cuts records in all of Canada. Raymond is also the co-founder of the non-profit “Women in Vinyl” that supports women in the vinyl music industry. 

The music video for “Way to Me” by Kizirnis and Kyleen Downes premieres on YouTube Friday, September 9. The lyric video features vintage animated footage of couples dancing on the moon under a starry sky. 

“We wanted the video to be romantic but also fun and feature some of the night sky imagery in the song. Kyleen designed the lively lyric titles over the animated footage I put together,” said Kizirnis. 

For almost 20 years, guitarist/songwriter Nick Kizirnis has explored songs and styles ranging from Americana to pop and from rock’n’roll to /experimental. He has worked with Tobin Sprout (Guided by Voices) and The Breeders (last year’s “The Dirt Eaters” single for 4AD). 

Since releasing his 10th album, “The Distance,” Kizirnis has seen his music shared across US and Europe and has now begun releasing a series of singles reimagining his diverse songwriting style. 

Quotes: 

“… an atmospheric guitar pop prize with Americana shadings … penetrating lyrics plumb the places where romances decay, highlighted by the quiet, piteous horror of inevitable, impending loss.” – The Big Takeover 

“… damn fine music that is highly recommended.” – Power Popaholic 

“The Distance is, in a phrase, a quintessential American record … a breakup album watched over by a host of weeping angels casting like spells upon the proceedings the odd taste of sweetness that lies at the heart of sorrow. It is, in short, a special record” – Stereo Embers 

Links: 

Download “Way to Me” WAV/MP3: 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/6vod0a4grke2xc2qskldb/h?dl=0&rlkey=4vlusupb9s8hnts1sss4uhzew 

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-175516740/way-to-me-re-imagined/s-lNYaELu2ezf 

“Way to Me” Music video: https://youtu.be/X6SWRlaBDlk 

(Original album version: https://youtu.be/h7BdfgLZEnk) 

Nick Kizirnis “Way to Me” High-Res Photos and Artwork: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/h2xgtsjkaa7rogiau35vn/h?dl=0&rlkey=7a9cm0h4bkba34zu9b4l2t2jy 

Nick Kizirnis 

Website: https://www.nickkizirnis.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickKizirnis 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NickKizirnis 

BandCamp: https://nickkizirnis.bandcamp.com 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMRh8uNm2y7LXEpOAKbqWUA 

Shows: 

Saturday August 6th – MOTR Pub (with Flying Underground) 

Thursday August 18th – Levitt Pavilion (with Lee Rocker) 

Saturday September 10th – Porchfest, Troy OH (with Kyleen Downes) 

Friday September 16th – Yellow Cab Tavern, Dayton, OH (with Kyleen Downes) 

Saturday October 8th – The Comet, Cincinnati, OH 

Saturday October 22 – Dayton Music Fest 2022 

For more information, recordings, interviews, etc., please contact Nick Kizirnis at 937-985-1209. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been smooth but it has been positive and exciting! Trying to make a full-time career in the music industry is very tough, but I am happy to say that I’ve been able to create a very fulfilling part-time career of playing music that I truly enjoy and working with really amazing people. The greater Dayton area has an incredible group of creative and helpful musicians, writers, DJs and promoters that have helped me since I was a teenager and still inspire me and others in our hometown. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In addition to being a songwriter and musician, I am also a User Experience Designer. For the past 20 years, I have worked at companies like LexisNexis, Anthem Health Insurance, Reynolds& Reynolds, NCR and more to help businesses design software for their customers that provide both a great experience and meet and exceed their business objectives. 

Next to playing music user experience design has been the most exciting work I’ve ever been involved with. The challenges are big and complex, and solving them is an exciting process that brings people from different areas of business and technology together to help take good care of their customers. 

What does success mean to you?
For me, success is being able to live and work in a way that brings happiness to me and the people in my life and that also has a positive effect on the world – both at the local level and beyond. That means having a life well-balanced between work and life demands, and family and friends. For me, the overall health of me, my family, and my friends is extremely important … and if I can look at how my home, work, lifestyle, activities, and personal “footprint” on the world and see that it is positive and provides the best outcomes for everyone, then I feel like I’m successful. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://withkoji.com/@nick_kizirnis
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickkizirnis
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickkizirnis
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nickkizirnis
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMRh8uNm2y7LXEpOAKbqWUA

Image Credits
Jennifer Taylor
Bobby Tewksbury
Andy Valeri
Rachel Botting