Nick Dehod Interview
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your influences (musical or otherwise) regarding the creation of Out of Sight?
A: I think that when I write, those early Bob Dylan folk tunes are always somewhere in the back of my head. When I first learned how to play guitar they were the only songs I wanted to play and sing for people. What I enjoyed about them was that many of those songs pose questions without offering an answer. Albums and songs that do that effectively always bring me back for more. That was an aspiration with this album – I had questions on my mind. I also like albums that make you feel like you’ve reached some sort of destination by the end. I know the idea of listening to an album in its entirety can seem novel these days but for those who put the time in, hopefully they find something useful from these songs.
Q: I’m trying to figure out the significance if any to the cover art. Is it in any way related to the themes within the music?
A: Unintentionally, the album was recorded and released at a time when it felt like a certain phase of my life was coming to an end. I recently left a job I spent five years at and as a parting gift my coworkers surprised me by giving me this custom made mini version of myself. The photo was taken on the balcony of an apartment that I also recently moved out of. If you were to look in the opposite direction - off the balcony - you would have the best view of Edmonton’s downtown and river valley. That view likely would have been the cover if I hadn’t received the mini-me. Most of these songs were written in that apartment and working at that job. So there’s some personal significance in what you see. I wouldn’t say that the album is autobiographical though. I could talk about how the cover fits together thematically with the music but I’d like to leave that to people to figure out on their own.
Q: What was the recording process like considering you didn’t record Out of Sight with a live band?
A: ecause of schedules, there was very little time to second guess things and that lack of time was pretty important to actually getting things done. Every day would start with me playing a few different songs on the acoustic and Jesse and I picking a song or two to work on, building it from there. The first song we worked on was “Comfort Kills” and it was pretty much finished in a day. The sound and feel of that song informed what happened on the rest of the record and was a bit of an “a-ha” moment for where the rest of the songs were headed. Prior to that I don’t think it was necessarily assumed that any of the songs would have as much of a rock feel as they ultimately did. We just leaned into the ideas we had at the time.
Q: Can you provide any insight on the creation process for you songs? Do lyrics come first, a simple riff on guitar, etc.
A: It’s a mix of all of those things. Sometimes I’m just sitting around with the guitar and other times I’ll be walking for a coffee or driving some place and a melody will hit me. Then I’ll attempt to record it into my phone as quickly as possible and see if there is something worth revisiting later. If I can’t get it out of my head then usually that’s the first sign it’s worth coming back to.
Q: ”Who Hurt You” is one of the catchiest songs I have heard in recent memory. Now that the album has been released for a number of months do you have a different type of appreciation for the songs?
A: Thanks! One of the most enjoyable parts has been hearing from people what songs stick out to them. That’s changed my appreciation for the album. Also, with more distance from recording, I am even more grateful that the album finally happened. There is a certain sense of relief in knowing it is finally out there.
Q: Out of Sight was your first solo effort. What are your plans for the future regarding your solo career?
A: I have other songs ready to record but at this point I’m mostly interested in finally playing these songs for people and see where that takes me. As much fun as it was recording, I really enjoy the energy that comes from playing for an audience as well as performing with a band. But if a second record happens, I don’t think it will take as long to come to fruition as this first album did.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your influences (musical or otherwise) regarding the creation of Out of Sight?
A: I think that when I write, those early Bob Dylan folk tunes are always somewhere in the back of my head. When I first learned how to play guitar they were the only songs I wanted to play and sing for people. What I enjoyed about them was that many of those songs pose questions without offering an answer. Albums and songs that do that effectively always bring me back for more. That was an aspiration with this album – I had questions on my mind. I also like albums that make you feel like you’ve reached some sort of destination by the end. I know the idea of listening to an album in its entirety can seem novel these days but for those who put the time in, hopefully they find something useful from these songs.
Q: I’m trying to figure out the significance if any to the cover art. Is it in any way related to the themes within the music?
A: Unintentionally, the album was recorded and released at a time when it felt like a certain phase of my life was coming to an end. I recently left a job I spent five years at and as a parting gift my coworkers surprised me by giving me this custom made mini version of myself. The photo was taken on the balcony of an apartment that I also recently moved out of. If you were to look in the opposite direction - off the balcony - you would have the best view of Edmonton’s downtown and river valley. That view likely would have been the cover if I hadn’t received the mini-me. Most of these songs were written in that apartment and working at that job. So there’s some personal significance in what you see. I wouldn’t say that the album is autobiographical though. I could talk about how the cover fits together thematically with the music but I’d like to leave that to people to figure out on their own.
Q: What was the recording process like considering you didn’t record Out of Sight with a live band?
A: ecause of schedules, there was very little time to second guess things and that lack of time was pretty important to actually getting things done. Every day would start with me playing a few different songs on the acoustic and Jesse and I picking a song or two to work on, building it from there. The first song we worked on was “Comfort Kills” and it was pretty much finished in a day. The sound and feel of that song informed what happened on the rest of the record and was a bit of an “a-ha” moment for where the rest of the songs were headed. Prior to that I don’t think it was necessarily assumed that any of the songs would have as much of a rock feel as they ultimately did. We just leaned into the ideas we had at the time.
Q: Can you provide any insight on the creation process for you songs? Do lyrics come first, a simple riff on guitar, etc.
A: It’s a mix of all of those things. Sometimes I’m just sitting around with the guitar and other times I’ll be walking for a coffee or driving some place and a melody will hit me. Then I’ll attempt to record it into my phone as quickly as possible and see if there is something worth revisiting later. If I can’t get it out of my head then usually that’s the first sign it’s worth coming back to.
Q: ”Who Hurt You” is one of the catchiest songs I have heard in recent memory. Now that the album has been released for a number of months do you have a different type of appreciation for the songs?
A: Thanks! One of the most enjoyable parts has been hearing from people what songs stick out to them. That’s changed my appreciation for the album. Also, with more distance from recording, I am even more grateful that the album finally happened. There is a certain sense of relief in knowing it is finally out there.
Q: Out of Sight was your first solo effort. What are your plans for the future regarding your solo career?
A: I have other songs ready to record but at this point I’m mostly interested in finally playing these songs for people and see where that takes me. As much fun as it was recording, I really enjoy the energy that comes from playing for an audience as well as performing with a band. But if a second record happens, I don’t think it will take as long to come to fruition as this first album did.