Their debut album is two years old, they’ve been together for almost a decade, and they had a number one hit in the UK last year, but the two members of Nizlopi just weren’t ready for Canada until now.

“We needed to work out, practice,” jokes bassist John Parker, “because the quality of music here is so high.”

The duo, rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Luke Concannon, was in Toronto recently to support the Canadian release of “Half These Songs Are About You,” an album that hit European streets in August 2004.

With an innovative blend of Brit-tinged folk and touches of soul, R&B and hip-hop, the record brought the band a hefty helping of popular and critical success across the pond.

In December of 2005, Nizlopi’s first single, “JCB,” hit the very top of the British charts. They even beat out Irish megastars Westlife, more than doubling the second-place finishers in sales, and even besting the boy band in their native country.

“I don’t think Westlife were really that bothered about the UK, but when it came to Ireland, we beat them in their home territory,” boasts Parker. “That’s what really stung I suppose.”

“We beat them home and away,” Concannon continues. “We’ve been one of the most underground acts in the UK, and then suddenly to be on that level was quite a laugh, really.”

Though the two retained their humbleness – and their independent status – in the face of moderate fame, all the attention definitely had a few perks.

“Certainly, you go from being a musician where everybody goes, ‘Oh God…unemployable,’ to, ‘A number one selling artist. Great! How lovely. My daughter is single,’” laughs Parker.

The success had been a long time coming for Nizlopi. The well-known story behind the band has Parker and Concannon meeting on a school bus nearly 15 years ago, when they were both 13. Almost immediately, they began collaborating musically, playing together in a variety of bands with a variety of sounds.

“Heavy metal,” says Parker, describing their earliest musical exploits. “We did Metallica and Guns ‘N Roses and moshed.”

“Things have just evolved over the years,” says Concannon. “We’ve been a duo for about nine years now, but we felt like we could really hear a drummer with us, so John started beatboxing and scratching. We just try to get as many things out of there only being two of us as we can – as many rhythms and sounds.”

The band’s unique name (pronounced “Niz-lawpee”) is a remnant of their earlier years. As Concannon tells it, they were holding a band rehearsal in his kitchen when they were about 16. His mother came into the room and mentioned something about “Di Nizlopi.”

“The guys were all thinking it was some sort of ancient Jurassic-period dinosaur,” he says of the strange term, “but it was the name of a family friend. And her daughter, Nina, was gorgeous. She was a gymnast and I was very fond of her when I was young – still am. And we got named after that.”

It wouldn’t be the last direct involvement that Concannon’s parents would have with the band. His father (a musician and studio owner) and mother were the first to suggest that he and Parker set up their own record label, enabling them to have complete financial, promotional and creative control.

“My mom just said she believed in what we were doing and thought maybe we could all work together to start up a label to get it out there,” explains Concannon. “And at stages when we’ve had office room at big labels, we’ve felt like we’re still inspired by doing it ourselves and the freedom that gives us to do things in a different way and represent different values and a different type of music.”

The label has also been the main force behind the band’s significant presence on the internet. In addition to their official website, nizlopi.com, Parker and Concannon have websites for each of their two singles (“JCB” and “Girls”) and the accompanying videos.

“Other than gigs, [the Internet] was the only way to get our stuff out there a year ago,” says Concannon. “We hadn’t been played on any radio or any TV really until this Christmas just gone. It just seems to be a way that musicians are taking their careers into their own hands in a way they couldn’t have done ten years ago.”

For Concannon and Parker, though, the band isn’t only a career – it’s also a tangible representation of their friendship. But with so many years behind them already, will the confined life of an ever-more-popular touring band help their partnership flourish, or shut it down?

“In a way, we’ve not been friends for that long if we consider that we’re going to live to the age of 80, hopefully,” Parker muses. “There’s always more to learn. And we’ve learned a lot together, so we know we can go for certain things and that we’ll support each other in going for those things.”






Related Stories: