Nick Johnston

Back after a two-week hiatus, Small Talk had the chance to interview Nick Johnston, a Toronto-based guitarist whose work is entirely instrumental, and whose albums show amazing diversity in both genre and playing style. He's also partnered with artist Mark Rehkopf to both bring his musical ideas to life as art and to create the comic Nick Johnston And The Tale Of The Cosmic Strings, a retro sci-fi influenced journey through the cosmos and time itself.

Starting us off: who are you, what do you do and where are you from?
Hi! My name is Nick Johnston and I'm a musician based out of southern Ontario. I love writing music, I love teaching guitar and I currently have 2 independently released instrumental records out!

You and Mark Rehkopf are basically partners, collaborating and drawing inspiration from each others work-you even go to conventions and showings together, presenting your work as a group effort. How'd that partnership happen?

Mark and I have been working together for about 3 years now and It's been really amazing to work with such a talented, experienced artist. I discovered his work at a small art show just outside of Toronto and was instantly blown away. I was in the process of releasing my first instrumental record and I was at the point where my project needed a visual direction. I got in contact with Mark and we talked a few times about the project. I really like the vibe he gave off and after I sent him the music, he was totally into it. I just basically gave him the title, 'Public Display Of Infection' , and he came up with some of the coolest album artwork I had ever seen. From there, we became really good friends and we're constantly working together on projects.

How did you get involved in the comics scene? The first time I met you was at Fan Expo in Toronto, and it was definitely unique to meet a guitarist playing in the middle of the artists booths. 

I've always been interested in comic books. I grew up reading them and have collected them for years. After Mark did all of the art for my first album, we spoke about doing a bit of a story to help support all of the characters that appeared on the front cover. That idea turned into something a little more ambitious, and eventually we figured it would be cool to turn it into something we both had a passion for: Comic Books. It was a very natural approach. It just seemed like the right way to present the stories. We weren't out to make any money at it, so we didn't really worry about trying to appeal to a certain audience. We just had a really great time coming up with a fun story that made us both laugh!  We then decided to make it into a limited physical book that would be available for anyone who was interested in what I was doing with my music. Once the book was out, we did some conventions where I would play music from the albums the comic was based on. It seemed to be a hit with a lot of people as you don't often see a performing guitar player at a comic convention! It's a blast!

Would you say you base your music more off of his artwork, or the other way around-or do you just work together at the same time? 

I would say the artwork is more based off of the music, as I present Mark with new material all the time. The song titles or the style of music will help him decide which direction the art will take. I rarely ever say anything about the direction of the art.  He always knows what the best approach should be and he always knocks it out of the park. Mark is extremely talented.

Actually, you collaborate a lot with other musicians and artists, like Paul Gilbert and Guthrie Govan. You're even featured on Periphery's new album. Is it just your style to collaborate with as many people as you can?

I've been lucky to have had a chance to work with some pretty unbelievable musicians, yes! I think working with other musicians who approach and play music completely different from you own is very important. I'm not sure It's part of my style, but I do enjoy it when I'm presented with the opportunity! When Spencer (Sotelo) asked me to record a guest solo for his track on the new Periphery project ('Clear'), I was very excited, as I'm not a metal musician. I think it's really cool when musicians from different worlds work together because it often yields some amazing results! I love how Spencer approaches music, too. I really like talking about composition, melody and arrangement with him - I feel like we have a lot of similarities in that respect.

A lot of critics and fans alike have noted that even without vocals, your albums feel very full-bodied in sound, and yet a lot of people have questioned the decision. Is that something you're going to keep doing or have you ever considered a vocal addition?

I feel like I'm still developing as a musician and I have absolutely no idea what direction my music is headed - which is great! There are so many things I'd like to do and there are so many people I'd like to work with. Hopefully I can do all of those things - including something with vocals.  For now, I just do what I feel is natural, and the instrumental approach seems to be where my head is at. Who knows what the future has in store!

Your albums criss-cross quite a few genres and styles of playing on each album, drawing influence from a lot of places, mostly tied together by your guitar playing and the style of the other musicians you feature. Why do you think you play such a variety of styles?

I just love music. My attraction to it is certainly not bound to any one style. There is so much out there to experience, learn from, be in awe of and absorb into your own playing and writing. I think that's the reason my music is so varied - you are what you eat!

A lot of your music and the concepts behind your work seem to be drawn from a lot of sci-fi, especially retro stuff; what is it about sci-fi that it inspires you so much?

I think you can draw a parallel between Science Fiction and instrumental music. With Sci-Fi, you can create any reality you can dream up, and with instrumental music, you aren't held by one genre of music. They're both very free! I feel like those two worlds go together very well because there is room for as much as you can imagine. It's all about being creative! Not only that, but there is always such strong imagery tied to any science fiction, and that imagery makes me want to write a theme or a  melody to support it!

How true to life would you say your comic is? It seems like a pretty accurate portrayal of day-to-day living.

Haha, It's quite possibly the exact opposite of 'true to life'. It's based around a time traveling musician-turned-astronaut and is set 1000 years in the future. Awesome!

How did you start playing guitar, and where in the world did you learn to play like you do?

I started playing when I was around 14. My neighbour, who was a year older than me, played the guitar and I could always hear him playing through his basement window. I thought he was the coolest guy on the planet, so one day I went over and asked to come in and watch him play. I was mesmerized. Instantly hooked, I asked for a guitar for my 14th birthday. As for my approach to playing, I just did my best to emulate the players I liked and that eventually morphed into what you hear me play today!

What instruments do you play aside from guitar? Anything especially cool?

I play bass and piano a little. I know enough to get my basic ideas recorded, but that's about it. I'd like to learn how to play the violin some day!

Who would you collaborate with if you got the chance, aside from the people you work with now?

If I really liked the music, I'd be interested in collaborating with anyone. Obviously, there are dream collaborations like working with Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen, or Chris Cornell , but I'm up for anything as long as I think it's fresh!

Lastly, what are you going to do next? Any plans for the future?

I've got lots of things planned for 2014. I don't want to reveal too much at this point. But I will say this - This will be my biggest year, by far! Thank you very much for the interview. I had a great time answering these questions :)



You can listen to Nick's work at http://nickjohnstonmusic.com/ , or you can find him on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NickJohnstonOfficial .