Nick’s Got Groove

Our Executive Editor Nick Welsh describes himself as a cartoonist trapped in a writer’s body. He writes news for everything from business and public safety to education and the environment. He says through his long career at the Independent, he has yet to learn how to draw.

Where did the inspiration for the cover story come from? What is the most empowering thing about the Brasscals?  First, I stumbled upon them practicing in the park. Then I stumbled upon them playing at I Madonnari. Then I stumbled upon them again playing at the Night Lizard. God talks in threes. I figured I’d better listen. The Brasscals summon an energy that makes you think anything is possible.

What instruments can you play, and when did you start? What got you interested in music?  Right now, I strum the hell out of an eight-string baritone ukulele. I don’t know chords or scales or songs, but the way I play keeps the burglars at bay. They hear what I do to that uke and they know I mean business.

Would you ever want to play for fun with a band?  I am not competent enough to play in a band like this. These guys seem casual, but they really know how to play. I merely plunk. In another life, I expect to be reincarnated as “Plunkmaster Flash.”

You’re always on the move. What are some of the best things about biking around the city?  The best thing about biking around this city is, well, biking around this city. How can you not bike around in a city like this? You’d have to be crazy. It screams out, “Ride me, PLEASE!” I don’t have to be asked twice.

What inspires you to keep up in journalism? Does it help keep you young and hungry?  I’m younger now than I’ve ever been and have forgotten more than I ever knew. It’s hard to keep up with that.

If you had advice for your younger self, what would you say? Would you have ever tried a different career path?  Don’t be such a jerk. Jump off a pier. Be nice. Call your mother. And I have the best job in the world.