Besides being enamored with their catchy musical style, I noticed that Columbus, Ohio’s Nick D’ & The Believers sport some snazzy gold tank tops when they perform. I had to know more.
“I’ll do my best to explain the gold tank tops. I’m not even sure I really understand it,” says frontman Nick D’Andrea with a laugh. “The gold thing started when we watched a Prince video where he had a gold pistol microphone. We were working on cover art for our first EP and we decided to make our own gold pistol microphone. From then on, it became our schtick, spray-painting everything gold—our instruments, our cases, even our clothes! Someone found us these gold tank tops online; it’s a work in progress, anytime someone sees gold-colored things online, it gets ordered. My brother bought us gold fanny packs not too long ago.” “We’ve joked about getting gold track suits,” adds Joseph Barker, who plays keys in the band. “It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s on the agenda.”
The band definitely gets a gold star in the fashion department (see what I did there?), but the music they make outshines it all. All seasoned touring musicians in their own right, the Believers’ journey together began when D’Andrea and Barker, who bonded over their mutual love of Dr. Dog, decided to make their own magic. “Nick went to a Dr. Dog show with his uncle, who told him he needed to try to make a career out of music. He called and asked if I’d be in a band with him, and I’m always up for anything musical, so I was in,” recalls Barker. “Kerry [Henderson] was Nick’s sister’s roommate—he wandered into the garage when we were practicing one day, picked up a guitar, and never left. It was clear that we had something special.” The trio recently added bassist Seth Bain and drummer Cory Webb to round out the lineup.
In the fall, the group will release their new EP, Crown. “There are five songs so far, we might sneak one more new one on there,” says Barker. “The EP really captures the live energy we project from the stage.”
This July and August, they will play several one-off shows as they gear up for their tour in September to promote the EP; keep an eye on their socials for updates. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” says Barker. “We’re really looking forward to connecting with folks.”
Leave a Reply