Nolan
Drawing from both the 1980s Romantic movement (The Cure, The Smiths, The Church) and early 1990s alt. rock, Iowa City indie-rock trio Nolan was formed in the fall of 2002 by Dino Balocchi (Alto Heceta), Jake Mohan (Speed of Sauce), and Chris Ellis (Burn Disco Burn). Using their pop sensibility and penchant for simple, yet interesting melodies, the band’s sound is natural and honest. Singer/Guitarist Dino Balocchi’s melodies are reminiscent of
Evan Dando, the Catherine Wheel, and Swervedriver’s Adam Franklin, while lyrically driven by reflection and cynicism.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Nolan was born when singer/songwriter Dino Balocchi (of the now defunct Alto Heceta) wanted to flesh out and perform a batch of songs he.d been working on. Christopher Ellis (of Burn Disco Burn fame) joined on bass and Jake Mohan (formerly of Speed of Sauce) took percussion duties to help bring those first songs to life in the summer of 2002. After a few summer and fall gigs, the trio had amassed a sizeable batch of songs and decided to enlist the services of independent producer Mark Paulson, as well as John Svec of Iowa City.s own Minstrel Studios, to work on a debut full-length. After the recording sessions, Nolan hit the road sporadically through the Midwest, testing out the material and gaining fans and support, all without an official released recording. That will change this spring, however, with the release of Rotation on the Los Angeles-based label Redemption Recording Co. Nolan plans to tour extensively to support Rotation.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
Sure do. Do you have a space? We'll play it.
Your musical influences
Bands like U2, The Pernice Bros., Wheat, early Smashing Pumpkins, New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Lemonheads, and the Cure.
What equipment do you use?
Anything that makes a good sound:)
