All Aboard for the Yacht Rock Revue
The celebrated American cover band debuts its greatest hits on Escape Artist
The men and women of Yacht Rock Revue make a good living playing their renditions of the FM hits of the ’70s and ’80s.
The band takes their name from a term coined by comedians Hunter Stair, JD Ryznar and Lane Farnham, who created a comedy series on L.A.’s Channel 101 in 2005. They imagined a gathering of folks like Hall & Oates, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins and others, hanging out and playing smooth tunes at L.A.’s Marina Del Rey. The term Yacht Rock took off and became the name of a new genre.
“We didn’t set out to become a successful cover band,” said Nick Niespodziani. He told Rock & Roll Globe that he co-founded the band that became Yacht Rock Revue with his longtime friend, Peter Olson, when they were studying at Indiana University.
“Peter and I had a band in high school,” he continues. “Before he became a high school teacher, my dad played in rock ‘n’ roll bands. Every year, back in Columbus, Indiana, he’d put on a year-end concert for the kids. He’d play the hits of the day and, between songs, he’d talk about the history of the bands, and their music. It became a big event, the annual American Pie Concert. My first time on stage was playing harmonica on a Dylan song, to impress my girlfriend, at one of my dad’s concerts. I was hooked on performing from then on.”
Niespodziani’s mom was a piano teacher. He picked up keys at an early age and also sang in the choir. In college, at Indiana University, he started another band with Olson, Y-O-U. After graduation, they began looking for a place to relocate, one that would afford them the opportunity to play gigs and become professional musicians.
“We took a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, to check out the scene. We considered New York, L.A. and Chicago, but one night, we saw a show with a metal band, a soul band, and a pop band on the same bill, playing to a packed audience that loved it all. The cost of living was lower and we knew we could focus on music without having to get two jobs to get by.”
Y-O-U was successful enough to make a few albums and tour, but they were still struggling. “The turning point was getting a residency at a club. They gave us Thursday nights and told us we could do anything we wanted. We did a comedy show and a Fleetwood Mac vs. Tom Petty show and a show based on 70s hits, songs you’d hear in a dentist’s office. The 70s show was a big hit, so we kept doing it. The audiences kept growing and we morphed into the Yacht Rock Revue.
“Now, years later, we have an office, healthcare plans and no day jobs. We tour widely and manage and book ourselves. We even book another band, Yacht Rock Schooner, who plays the same kind of music.”
After almost 20 years as a successful cover band, Niespodziani and the others decided it was time for the next step. In 2020 they recorded Hot Dads in Tight Jeans, an album of original tunes.
“We were trying to figure out our own voice as a band,” Niespodziani said. “We were writing our own music, touching on country, power pop, metal and jazz, but looking at it through the lens of being in a yacht rock band. They needed to be tight pop songs, that held to the modern yacht rock ideal.”
The band was going to tour to promote the album, but the pandemic shut everything down. During lockdown, they got together and started working on Escape Artist, their second album of original material.
“We forgot about genres and started writing songs the way an artist does, expressing our feelings about what’s going on in our lives and the world. We had a lot more creative freedom this time around. I produced it and mixed it myself, so this album was just us, from beginning to end. We took the time to get everything right. Listening to the playback, it doesn’t sound like a band trying to be anything but itself.
“Playing these tunes live may be difficult for us,” Niespodziani said. “Most of our fans aren’t familiar with our original music, but there’s a subset of fans ravenous for the new record. Others we have to treat as people we have to win over. They’re used to us singing ‘Rich Girl’ and ‘The Piña Colada song.’ It’s going to be a delicate dance to get it right, but we’ve earned the trust of our fans, so if we want to do a song or two of our own, they’ll roll with us on it.”
The songs on Escape Artist pay tribute to the band’s signature style. It sounds like a greatest hits album from the 70s that you’ve never heard before. “What A Year” is a Gospel influenced tune that was written by Niespodziani and Keisha Jackson, one of the band’s singers. She delivers a touching vocal, recalling the fervor of a bygone relationship and her desire to relive the good times. A choir comes in on the chorus to amp up the emotion.
VIDEO: Yacht Rock Revue “Tropical Illusion”
Niespodziani wrote “Tropical Illusion” with Elliot Lurie of Looking Glass. It has a soft Latin groove, with the band’s David Freeman playing meandering sax lines that dance around Niespodziani’s breezy vocal. “We’ve shared the stage with Elliot many times,” Niespodziani said. “It was great to collaborate with him on this tune.”
“Lost in the Meantime” is a bossa nova, written by Niespodziani and the band’s drummer, Jason Nackers. Niespodziani duets with Kourtney Jackson, describing a perfect day, lost in the haze of a summertime love.
Escape Artist has 21 tunes and will be released in various formats over the next few months.
“We didn’t know we were making a double album,” Niespodziani said. “We went into the studio with 22 or 23 tunes, thinking we’d cut it down to 12 for the record. Each song was showcasing something a bit different and they took on a life of their own. The arrangements evolved in the studio. Everyone in the band had a chance to shine, like they do on stage. It’s an important aspect of our live show, because we have so many talented players in the band, to give everyone a moment to step up and connect with the audience. I wanted to share that energy on the album, so we included everything we cut.”
The band will be playing tunes from Escape Artist on their summer tour, opening for Train and REO Speedwagon. They’ll also be playing a bunch of headlining tours later this year.
For more information, visit the band on their site.
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