PM: With a name like Nick Colionne by any chance are you from the Southern part of Italy?
NC: On now you sound like my buddies, (Laughter) yeah from South Sicily way down south.
PM: Your name sounds so unique where does it come from?
NC: It is my Sicilian name my grandfather was Sicilian.
PM: Oh really your grandfather was Sicilian so that means you have a little gangster in you.
NC: No, I’m a good boy.
PM: Ok, you’re a church going brother keeping it real.
NC: That’s it keeping it real.
PM: That’s good to know. Young people today need to know that there are true artist out here that’s keeping it real, what they see in videos is not real life.
NC: Your right it’s not real it’s fiction and you gotta keep it real out here and try to stay on the straight and narrow and keep god in front of you like my great grandmother used to say as long you keep god in front of you everything will be ok.
PM: And the devil behind you.
NC: Exactly and those were her other words. She would say devil get behind me and she must know something because she will be one hundred and five years old in July.
PM: That is a blessing and for you to have her in your life for so many years, I know she shares a lot of her wisdom with you.
NC: Yes, I get as much wisdom from her I learned so many things about my family and where we come from and our past and I ‘m trying to be a big part of my family’s future.
PM: You’re a mentor at the St. Laurence School in Elgin, Illinois and also at the Florence B. Price Elementary school for the performing arts in Chicago.
NC: Yes I mentor at these schools but Florence B. Price has a new principal this year so he wants to start out his first year on his own so hopefully I will return next year. I had a little jazz club there called Nick Colionne Jazz Club. I have been mentoring at St Laurence for the past ten years and it’s great a matter of fact I was there yesterday practicing to do the passion play which we perform every Easter. I also help out coordinate the schools talent.
PM: That is so wonderful that you take the time to give back to your community.
NC: It’s really important to give back to your community. I feel it is real important for young kids to see somebody trying to do something positive and trying to be successful someone that they could emulate and follow behind. I tell the kids everyday you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to play the guitar
PM: This is great the these kids feel so close to you and can view you as a father figure or as a big brother.
NC: Yes most of these kids have their fathers at home and some do not but it helps to have a father figure around someone they can talk so I try to keep myself open to the kids so they know that they can talk to me about anything and the kids also know if it’s something bad they know I will have to share it with their folks. For the most part the kids are great and I love them and they seem to love me so that’s all that matters.
PM: And the kids know big brother Nick is always looking out for them.
NC: Yes, they know I am always looking out.
PM: Nick, you played the guitar since you were nine years old why did you decide to play the guitar?
NC: I started playing the guitar accidentally. My stepfather played the guitar and he would leave his guitar against the couch and my brother and I would always look at that guitar but we knew we were not supposed to touch it. One day I picked up the guitar and just started messing around with it and the unthinkable happened my stepfather caught me with his guitar that I had no business messing with. He looked at me hard, you know the way someone looks at you and you know your going to get it. He said to me in a stern voice and said you want to learn to play the guitar. I was so scared I was going to get it so of course I said yes and that’s how it all started. My grandfather taught me all these songs and he loved Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell and always played there records and this is all he would play. So of course I fell in love with the whole Wes Montgomery there so when I got ready to get my first electric guitar parents said if I learned Wes Montgomery’s Bumping On Sunset they would buy me my own guitar. Man I sat in that room for hours and hours and days and days trying to figure that song out. When I was told them I was now ready to play Bumpin On Sunset and I started playing when I was about done with the song my mother started to cry and I was like wow I guess I sounded ok. I know I messed up a few parts but I got my guitar and I have not put it down since. I just love the guitar, it I was not playing it I would probably be making or selling guitars. I did not want to become a policemen or a fireman all I wanted to do was play the guitars.
PM: Who’s in your Ipod?
NC: I listen to Wes Montgomery everyday. This is how I go to sleep and how I wake up. Wes Montgomery music takes me back to the good times, holiday times, you know they times when you’re with your family all together. I just love it.
PM: You were honored in Philadelphia tell me about that?
NC: I was honor last week at the Berks Jazz Festival in Philadelphia. It was great but a funny thing happened that was amazing. I was walking through the parking lot getting ready to go to the airport and I heard someone yelling my name. These guys ran up to me and say I know you are in a hurry Nick but before you go would you please sign this tee shirt for me. Then he started telling me how much he loved my music. As I was signing the tee shirt this guy says you know Nick I am doing a jazz project and I would really love to have you on it. I am doing it as a dedicated for my Dad. So of course I was interested and I asked who is your dad and guess what, he said Wes Montgomery. I could not believe it I was like your West Montgomery son he said yes and we hugged each other so hard and long and we both looked like we would start crying. I was like this is really Wes Montgomery son can I get some of your DNA. I shared with him the reason I am playing the guitar is due to his Dad. That Montgomery sound there is nothing like it. I am looking forward to doing this project with him and being a part of it.
PM: Wow that’s really cool to meet the son of the person somewhat responsible for who you are. That was meant to be that was fate. You entitled your latest single Always Thinking About You what were you thinking about?
NC: I don’t know what we were thinking about. My friend Dave Hildebrandt and I was in the studio messing around with some new equipment and I was playing the guitar and Dave was playing the piano and we just started this tune and we both got into this song. We played throughout the night and at the end we did not have a name for this tune so we called it D AND N. When we finally decided on a name I said this is the song I am always thing about for a title and that is how it got the name Always Thinking About You. I also have another song that got its title when I was in a spiritual moment it’s called You Were There For Me. I was thinking how God’s blessed me in my life. By keeping my mind on the right things because in this business your mind can go off to some crazy places. But if you keep your mind on Christ you will be straight. I like to have a message in my music because music is a gift from God for us to be able to create and play music. I try to play my music in his name and keep the music pure and play from my heart because I feel that the maker put the music in my heart and it would be a sin for me not to go out and play the music and spread the word that God is in my heart. I don’t think about how well I am playing the guitar I am just the instrument God used as the message. It is always more important to me that people feel the music not just to hear it because you can hear anything and it goes in one ear and out the other but if you can feel the music and touch people lives with your music that is what matters. I just want to be happy and I love to see other people happy. My music keeps me happy and I want everyone to be happy so I want to share my music with as many people as possible.
PM: Nick, thank you so much for everything you do.
