The Al Nicol Interview
Editorial
By Glitch & Gold
March 2026
4 min read
---
1. The Beginning
Can you tell us a little about where your musical journey started and how growing up eventually led you toward folk and singer-songwriter music?
“My family would go on road trips every summer when I was a kid. Some of my earliest memories are from those long drives, listening to Cat Stevens and Neil Young on tape or CD as we rumbled down the highway on the way to another adventure.
I remember the sound and frequency of that music opened a space in my mind that I’ve remained connected to ever since, a space of calm, pure escape from the world that could at the same time reflect back into my world and make me feel excited, inspired, and satisfied on a physical level.
I learned piano from age 5 to 10 from a strict-but-effective older German lady in my neighbourhood. My sister and I would go every Monday and we always dreaded it. But we got pretty good. Performing Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring in four hands was a peak moment for us.
I was a sporty kid mostly though, and that’s where I focused most of my energy. Hockey in the winters, I grew up in Canada, and soccer, tennis and golf in the summers. Around the age of 12 or 13 I joined a boys choir at our family church. I hated it at first because it wasn’t the cool thing to do, but after a few months I really started to enjoy the community and the music.
By the age of 15 or 16 I started learning acoustic guitar, then electric, and went from there. I also went to an arts focused high school where my instrument was the alto sax.
It wasn’t until later that I started singing and writing songs in a garage rock band with friends. Inspired by The Strokes, Libertines and Arctic Monkeys. Around 27 I realized my voice really lay in the singer-songwriter music I had loved as a kid. I’ve been doing that ever since.”
---
2. East Nashville
You’re based in East Nashville, a place known for its songwriting culture. How does that environment influence the way you write and record music?
“I moved here less than a year ago and the culture is already influencing my songwriting. I write with people quite often and really enjoy that collaborative energy.
The pace of the city suits creativity. It’s not too fast, not too dense, and I have people close by to work with.
There’s also a deep respect for songwriting here. It pushes me to take what I want to say more seriously, to dig deeper and say it with more emotion, because I’m surrounded by people who care about the craft.”
---
3. The Sound
Your music carries a very timeless folk atmosphere. When you write a song, do you consciously think about that classic sound, or does it simply come naturally?
“It mostly comes naturally. I listen almost exclusively to older music.
I’m not ignoring what’s happening now, but I think I just have an old-school disposition as a person, and that naturally comes through in my music.”
---
4. Only Hoping
“Only Hoping” is one of your most beautiful songs. What was happening in your life when that song came together, and what does it mean to you now?
“Thank you. I wanted to write a song about the journey I took to find my soulmate.
We had been together for a few years by the time I started writing it. We’d moved a couple of times and finally settled somewhere that felt stable. I also started to feel that stability in the relationship, like it could be something lasting.
---
5. Songwriting
Your songs feel very honest and personal. When you start writing, does the story usually come from real experiences, or do you sometimes invent characters and moments?
“Every song has its essence buried in the music and melody. It’s my job to uncover it.
I used to be more intentional, starting with themes and mapping out ideas before writing. Now I’m more open. I let rhythm, melody and even the way words feel in my mouth guide me.
I’ve started to experiment with characters a bit, but most of my work still comes from personal experience. Even exploring thoughts, emotions and physical sensations as part of the process. It’s a bit of everything.”
---
6. Influences
Which artists or records shaped your musical world the most?
“Neil Young, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, The Band, Leonard Cohen, Simon and Garfunkel, Fleet Foxes, Thom Yorke, The Beatles.
I don’t have a huge range of influences, but hearing someone like Neil Young present his songs the way he does gave me permission to do my own thing.”
---
7. The Voice
Your voice has a very distinctive, almost fragile quality. Did that develop naturally or over time?
“It came from exploration and a desire to reach a level of emotional expression where it felt like something was at stake.
I only started singing this way around 2021. It used to be even more fragile. Over time I found that shifting songs into a higher range gave them more urgency and clarity.
So it’s definitely been a process of growth.”
---
8. The Album – Only Hoping
Your album carries a quiet, reflective mood. Was there a particular feeling that connected the songs?
“There’s an aspirational and optimistic energy in the record. A kind of belief that things can work out.
It’s reflective too. I think about the past a lot, the future a lot… and sometimes the present.”
---
9. The Moment
Is there a particular song that feels closest to who you are right now?
“I’ll always have a soft spot for Only Hoping because of how it came together and how it flows.”
---
10. For The Record
If someone discovers your music for the first time, what do you hope they feel?
“Peaceful, calm, curious, inspired.”
---
Featured genres:
Folk, Singer-Songwriter