Dream Pop Artist Nico of Community Towel
https://communitytowel.bandcamp.com/
Recently I got to do an interview correspondence with Nico of the dream pop project Community Towel. They are a solo project of Nico Baci (on hiatus from GILT as explained in the interview) with multiple wonderful singles on BandCamp, Spotify and other platforms. We discuss overcoming anxiety, pursuing your passion, and giving back to the community. Nico was kind enough to offer some really insightful responses to my questions. I hope you enjoy my interview with Community Towel and please check out their music: https://communitytowel.bandcamp.com/
Dea: For starters I’m Lydia though feel free to call me Dea, my pronouns are she and they. I know you from Community Towel and previously GILT but please feel free to introduce yourself and feel free to share your name, pronouns, music or artistic projects/endeavors you are currently working on.
Nico: Hi there! Thanks so much for having me. My name is Nico Baci and my project is called Community Towel. I’m a queer, nonbinary, latine musician originally from south Florida. My pronouns are they/them. I used to also be in a post-hardcore band called GILT, but took some time away during the pandemic to focus on my solo project.
Dea: I know you play bass but what other instruments do you play? And in Community Towel are you playing other physical instruments or VSTs (it sounds beautiful regardless and I ask as someone who uses both hardware synths and drum machines as well as DAWs with VSTs).
Nico: I originally started playing bass as an introduction instrument into music. I grew up around friends who loved punk music, which exposed me to a bunch of different artists and bands that I grew to love immensely. When I joined GILT, they had me playing a bunch of different instruments that I’ve never picked up before, haha. I played guitar, keyboard, and did a lot of vocal work, which translated into my current project, where I use that knowledge to write parts for my songs. I have worked with many incredible and talented individuals who have also helped me with tones and have written parts or translated my melodies into their final VST synth production, but the original demos are written as guitar, bass, keys, and programmed drums that I do myself or with my partner Tyler (of GILT).
Dea: I first heard of GILT and by association you during Snipfest of 2021. I was really blown away by the performance and instantly fell in love with the band. The fact it was raising money for trans folks was personally super touching personal for me. Are there any other charitable causes you have supported (or would be interested in supporting in the future) or would like to encourage readers to support?
Nico: I recently was a part of a livestream that managed to raise over $3k for Red Canary Song which aims to help Asian and migrant sex workers. I feel like it’s super important to use your platform to spread awareness for ongoing social issues. I have valued outreach work close to my heart, and have enjoyed volunteering, putting on events, and going to events that were entirely done by individuals who just wanted to help out in their community. I encourage readers to search around their local communities and see what outreach programs are happening, and to get involved! Food Not Bombs is a collective close to my heart, but there’s also a few other organizations that I recommend supporting such as JASMYN (based out of Jacksonville) which is a organization who helps LGBTQ youth with resources and services.
Dea: If I’m not mistaken, I’ve seen you listed as on hiatus from GILT which seems to be connected with starting your own project Community Towel. Would you care to elaborate on your status in GILT? It seems things are very amicable?
Nico: During the pandemic, as it was for a lot of people, it brought out a new sense of agoraphobia for me, which caused me to really think about the way I feel about things. As someone who’s high-risk and didn’t really leave my house during the pandemic, I felt as if I needed to refocus my energy elsewhere. I love going to shows and being around music and being around likeminded individuals, but I felt as if it was time to try something new. Dealing with anxiety the idea of performing again is very terrifying for me and at the moment I just want to take this time to do music at home. No hard feelings, and I have a lot of love for everyone in GILT but I just consider it, for the time being, a new chapter in my life.
Dea: Are there other projects either past or present that you are working on? Musically, artistically, or otherwise? I realized I asked something similar in the introduction but perhaps a past band or solo project whose work is available?
Nico: So I am actually pretty new to music! I believe I’m the only musician in my family, and so with that being said, I haven’t been in too many projects. I have such bad performing anxiety for the first 18 years of my life, that I never played a show, despite always attending them. My first band was a surf-punk band, and we never got to the performance phase, but I would say that the support I received from them gave me the courage to carry on with different endeavors.
Dea: I see that most of your releases as Community Towels have been singles. Is that the plan going forward, or should we expect Eps or full albums in the future?
Nico: Being new to home recording, I felt as if singles were the easiest way to start, which let me write and experiment gradually and when it felt right instead of being a big pressure. I have had a lot of help with some very talented individuals in making my singles, but with that being said, my next release that isn’t a cover is most likely going to be a 5 song EP!
Dea: Do you plan to, or would you be interested in touring as Community Towel as venues open back up and things become safer?
Nico: I think eventually I would like to perform a show as Community Towel. Being from Florida, a lot of the restrictions haven’t been present and everything honestly feels like it’s going back to normal, when a lot of people still aren’t even really vaccinated here. It’s a little frightening to think of performing anytime soon, but I think if things get safer, and more people get vaccinated, I’d love to play a show!
Dea: What other plans do you have for Community Towel going forward that we might not have covered? I noticed since I first asked about doing an interview that you’ve started posting about wanting other members to join your project.
Nico: At the moment, my plan is to really take this time to perfect a 5 song ep. I have made singles before, but the idea of 5 consecutive tracks that really flow into one another is a challenge that I am beyond excited to try and take up. After that, I am looking for members to have alongside me for when things get a bit safer and shows start happening again.
Dea: Es Lo Mejor is an absolutely beautiful song. Can we expect more Spanish language tracks in the future? And would you be interested in playing with more acts who sing in Spanish?
Nico: Thank you so much! es lo mejor was very important to me as a track because it captured my relationship with someone very close to me who passed away from cancer. She was a second mom to me, and supported me in ways that shaped the person I am today. I would absolutely love to create more tracks in the future in Spanish, as well as playing with other hispanic/latino acts!
Dea: I’ve heard you do both dream pop and more hardcore music and you perform both incredibly; are there other genres of music you’d like to branch out into in the future?
Nico: I joke about this a lot, but Im genuinely serious when I say that I would absolutely love to front an entire ‘I Hate Sex’ or ‘Cerce’ cover set. The amount of catharsis that I would feel doing that, and being apart of such an intense/intimate setting sounds incredible to me!
Dea: How did you first get involved in making music, and what have been some of your stronger influences (be they people in your life, musicians, bands, etc.)?
Nico: I got into music at a very young age. I was told I wasn’t the best singer, so I tried to pickup guitar. Unfortunately for me, at the time, I was even somehow worse at guitar than I was singing! It made me feel very discouraged and I never really had a natural talent for either of those things. However, I will say I am persistent and also very very stubborn. I took in a lot of energy of frustration and channeled it into teaching myself the things I know today by developing my own tab and shorthand writing system! I self-taught myself to play instruments, and I learned how to “mimic” voices until I found my own. I don’t say this lightly, but I’m very proud of myself for doing that, despite feeling as if I couldn’t, or shouldn’t. So I think, if anything, if anyone reading feels the same way about something, never let that voice tell you you shouldn’t do it, because we absolutely need more people like you! My influences in life have definitely been the people who encouraged me to pursue my passions and to explore my identity. I cannot thank my friends enough for being there for me.
Dea: In trying to do some research for this (scrolling Instagram and twitter) I came across a photo in which you were described as a “Snack Fanatic, Ex MOBA Competitive Gamer, (and that) you make too many TikToks” I’d love to hear more about any of that: What is your go to snack? What MOBA did you play, was it DotA? And what can someone expect to find on your TikTok? How competitive are we talking, too, was it a league, were there any kind of cash prizes or awards?
Nico: My go to snacks are all snacks! There’s absolutely nothing I won’t consume at any given moment, hahah. But if we have to talk about favorites, donuts are probably my favorite snacks, as well as anything pickled? I’m kinda weird about the flavor combinations that I enjoy. I used to play a lot of league of legends, and while I didn’t even get super competitive, I played a lot of tournaments and did manage to win some money in some of them! I also use to enter a lot of super smash brothers melee tournaments, and enjoyed them a bunch! I think one social environment I miss is video game tournaments. And my TikTok is a realm of funny skits of silly interactions I’ve had being a barista, a musician, and just a bilingual mixed person who doesn’t look like they’d speak Spanish.
Dea: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Perhaps any announcements, upcoming songs, albums, or shows or anything else in general?
Nico: I don’t have anything specific planned, besides a EP that should be coming out sometime this year. I may or may not release a couple of covers in the meantime though!
Dea: Finally, where can our readers find your music, and what social media or other links would you care to promote?
Nico: If you’re interested in checking out my music, I’m on all streaming platforms as, “Community Towel” and my socials are also the same, @communitytowel. If you’d like to follow my everyday life, you can find me on Instagram @azyatk or Twitter @mewtiii!