If there was a prize for the studio with the most tenants at Space 4 Art, it would go to Studio #29. Known as “the music studio,” it is home to a number of musicians who share that space and other resources. While many have come and gone through the years, Nick Lesley has been an active Space 4 Art resident musician since 2018.

Originally from San Diego, Nick pursued education and jobs elsewhere, but eventually settled back here to be closer to his parents, and we are all luckier for it. Read on to find out more about Nick’s many pursuits through the years in our region.

What is your educational background?

I received a BA from UC San Diego in 2001 with a major in Visual Arts (Media) and a minor in Music Technology. I received an MFA in Performance and Interactive Media Arts from CUNY Brooklyn College in 2008.

What are your areas of specialty in music?

I'm primarily an improvising drummer. I'll often collaborate with other musicians in free-improvisation performances, which means I improvise but don't have the chops to play proper jazz. I learned by watching hardcore-punk drummers from the 90s San Diego scene, and I incorporate that style into a lot of my playing, including the band Necking, which I formed in 2004 and refer to as free-punk. I got into interactive electronics while at Brooklyn College and have done a lot of work mixing live performance with analog or digital signal processing using Max MSP. I've also played guitar in a few bands including the math-rock band Oma Yang, and now the party-punk band Witch Face.

How and when did you get started in music?

I think I started playing piano at 7, then saxophone at 10, guitar at 13, and drums at 15. Around age 15, I started playing with two other friends who had a bass and drums, so we all took turns switching around. That's when I fell in love with the drums. (My friends) were great musicians, and we were comfortable improvising. Our first band was called Centrifugal Bumble Puppy. We were pretty good and weird. I've been improvising ever since.

What is most rewarding for you regarding your music practice?

Playing live is my most favorite thing in the world. And I do it in a bunch of different ways— sometimes improvising solo, sometimes improvising with close friends and collaborators, sometimes with people I've never played with before, and sometimes as a band that practices regularly. Playing live with other people is a really special relationship and experience. It can be tough to get your head in the right place, but sometimes you feel a deep connection with a person you've barely talked to before. You can feel stoked on your friends, or the music, or the audience, or all of the above.

What is most difficult for you regarding your music practice?

Finding places to play weird music! There's a great experimental scene in San Diego, but not a lot of venues for it. Many of us will find gallery spaces that will let us have a show, but we have to bring everything, and run and promote it on our own. Sometimes you just want to play at a bar and not have to worry about that part, but more often you want the right venue and audience for the music. Not everything works in a bar. I really like experimental music in art contexts. It's more respectful to the musicians and better for the audience. It's just a lot of work. I appreciate the support that Space 4 Art offers, as well as the community of artists and musicians.

Have you always only focused on music? Have you tried other forms of creative expression?

In undergrad, I focused on film and video, and later wanted to incorporate music and sound. I was interested in sound design, but ended up going to grad school, planning to blend music performance with video. I think I wanted to approach video the way I approached music. As opposed to scripted film, I got really interested in video art. Out of grad school, I worked for eight years at Electronic Arts Intermix, which is a video-art archive and distributor in New York. I've made several video pieces, often with sound as an important element.

What do you do when you’re not making music?

In my spare time, I run Space Time Art, which is a time-based art series that often pairs video art screenings (from EAI or other collections) with performances by local artists. We try to pair internationally famous artists with local artists across different media, joining video, music, and performance. Space Time Art is a volunteer DIY project that makes me no money. I was hoping to turn it into a nonprofit eventually, but it has remained independent for now.

My day job is in the Department of Visual Arts at UC San Diego as Events & Promotions Specialist. The good part is that I help promote artists in the earliest stages of their careers, as undergrad or graduate students.

Do you have any upcoming projects or performances that you’re working on?

Witch Face is the new band I play guitar in. Like me, those bandmates are all from San Diego and love it here. In April, they will also be moving into Studio #29 at Space 4 Art. It's a super fun punk band— great people, loads of fun. Our next show is at Casbah on April 17th. Come check us out!

To follow Nick’s music endeavors, you can find him online in many places:

@seriouslywarchild | @witchfaceband

@necking.band | @space.time.art

nicklesley.com | spacetimeart.org

Or come to any of our Space 4 Art events and strike up a conversation with Nick after one of his performances!

Improvising With Musician & Artist Nick Lesley