How UNC graduate Nick Trombetta rocks the local music scene

What would your childhood self think of you now? Have you become someone you would have looked up to? For recent UNC grad Nick Trombetta, the answer is yes. 

Between the three bands he’s in, his degree from UNC and his self-proclaimed “impeccable fashion sense,” Trombetta thinks his younger self would find his adult self pretty cool. 

Trombetta said that many facets of his life came about in unexpected ways. He got into playing music after being rejected from UNC's student radio station, WXYC. He found his current housemates after meeting one of them on a dating app, took up bass because his buddy was better than him at guitar and joined one of his bands, Madam! Madam!, after his first band, Softball Club, broke up. 

“Being in the band was a huge blessing, but its ending was also a huge blessing,” Trombetta said. 

This "blessing" arrived because joining Madam! Madam! gave him the opportunity to develop his skills as a songwriter. Channeling his ‘angst’ into songwriting has allowed him to turn unpleasant experiences into something productive, Trombetta said. 

However, Trombetta's unbridled optimism has not been unintentional. He didn’t simply fall into his three bands, Flesh Tuxedo, Madam! Madam!, and Screen Time. His interest in rock and roll was sparked by his father, who introduced him to rock icons like Aerosmith and Jimmy Hendrix at a young age. This inspired him to take up guitar lessons and get into more classic rock like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day.

He struggled to play when he first tried guitar in the third grade because his fingers were too small, but it all started to click more as he got older. In college, his interests shifted to indie rock, gaining inspiration from artists like A Great Big Pile of Leaves and Indigo De Souza.

Trombetta said he’s a fairly emotional person at his core, so a lot of his songs come from a place of frustration, sadness or appreciation. He usually has bursts of creative energy that kick off the songwriting process, which last a few days. Sometimes when he gets stuck, he tweaks lyrics and inserts different words with the same format.

He said the most difficult part of songwriting for him is the content of the songs. He said he's working on writing more positive songs, like Flesh Tuxedo’s most recent song “Space Jam” about having a good time on the Bolin Creek trail, a path running behind his house.

Flesh Tuxedo has also faced the challenge of reconciling the group’s diverse music tastes. Although drummer and UNC student Ryland Dreibelbeis has a background in classic rock like Trombetta, he’s been more influenced by the 2000’s emo and pop-punk movement than by indie rock.

Meanwhile, UNC student and guitar player Mark Meyer has a strong interest in punk rock and metal. Songwriting and practicing is an exercise in teamwork, as it can be difficult to combine their tastes and compromise each person’s own vision, Dreibelbeis said. However, they’ve gotten more in tune since they met each other, and now, the process is more exciting than anything. 

“Most of the time, everyone brings something to the table that you hadn't thought of and you're like ‘Holy crap that's awesome, like thats an awesome baseline or that's an awesome guitar riff’,” Dreibelbeis said. 

Meyer said their disparate music tastes actually make their sound more genre-bending, and it’s interesting to see how a song grows and changes over songwriting sessions.

Unlike Trombetta, Dreibelbeis and Meyer were partially inspired to take up instruments from rhythm video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. 

“We’re like nerds of a feather,” Meyer said.

Dreibelbeis and Meyer both said they suggest that anyone trying to learn an instrument start by learning to play their favorite songs. Dreibelbeis started with a lot of songs by My Chemical Romance, and Meyer used “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes.

Trombetta said that communities he has found and formed since graduating have been pivotal to his transition into adult life.  Although he claims to have “one foot in and one foot out” of his college social scene, he’s also found community in the Triangle music scene.

He’s unsure whether his career will include music, but Trombetta said he'll always make sure to prioritize it in his life. His advice to UNC students trying to find their path — get involved in organizations that interest you and stay positive.

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