Nik Freitas: A Chilled Man, THE Chilled Man
Jul 31, 2008
Words by Jonathan Eaton
Illustration by Stephanie Bonham
Have you ever driven way too long in a car? Maybe you were on your way home from college and you hit Baltimore and DC right at rush hour, or some big truck overheated 40 miles into your drive to the beach or you had a wedding to attend that you didn't feel like buying airfare for. Everyone has been alone in a car for too long, it becomes maddening. As your back starts sweating and gripping the wheel causes your knuckles to ache and all you can think about is the accumulation of miles behind and the stack of miles still ahead. The good thing though is on most occasions you arrive at your destination and the drive is done. You can forget about the car for a few days as you sleep in your own bed, or sit on the beach digging the bikinis, or flirt with a bridesmaid. When I first met Nik Freitas he was coming off a 15-hour drive from San Diego to Colorado Springs. He was chilled out, as he always seems to be, and dipping some corn chips in some salsa. He said the drive was pretty rough, but he was glad to be performing that night. I saw him in a similar state day after day for the next week as he tacked on 6-hour drive after 6-hour drive trying to keep up with the Rilo Kiley bus and the Spinto Band van carrying six musicians/drivers. Nik was flying solo in his Kia station wagon packed with a couple guitars and an electric piano.
Nik was doing these drive-you-crazy drives day after day in order to bring his music to an audience. It was a dedicated and passionate move that made each performance all the more lovely. On one of the last shows, I picked up a copy of his latest album, _Sun Down_, as it was about time to do so. I've been digging it ever since. Have I used the verb dig twice in two paragraphs? I must be on Freitas-overload. I blame _Sun Down_. The album is filled with the type of songs you want to hear when you are over-stressed in an airport or giving it your best shot to enjoy the last beer in the cooler and the last chance for comfortable weather for a few months. You dig?
_Sun Down_ was written, recorded and performed by Nik in his garage studio in Eagle Rock, California. To briefly go back to the story of Nik driving miles and miles to play shows across the Midwest -- his journey makes sense when you discover he is the only force creating this lush complete album. His dedication and enthusiasm carries through my speakers into my eardrums and taps on my consciousness with a tack hammer. It sounds like Morse code... beep-bee-bee-beep-what have you accomplished today? The world is asking to be conquered. It only takes one man to bee-beep-bee-bee-beep... It is a toast to commitment. Not the commitment between a husband and wife, but maybe that kind of commitment to, I was thinking more of the commitment shown when a baseball player perfects his game so he can strike out his rival baseball player to earn the last out of a championship. So cheers Nik, keep writing songs, recording them, then playing them for us with the type of work ethic that makes those steel forgers in Pittsburgh look like a bunch of sleeping puppy dogs.
"Nik Freitas Official Site":http://www.nikfreitas.com
"Team Love Records":http://www.team-love.com
**Stay tuned for a fantastic Nik Freitas Daytrotter session, coming in August.**
