By Mary Hammers, Writer – Communications & Community Engagement
The path to the Country Music Awards doesn’t normally go across the bridge at Hillbrook School, but it soon might. Hillbrook Alum Nick DiMaria is on the road to musical stardom and his journey began on the Hillbrook Talent Show stage.
DiMaria, who was a member of the Hillbrook Class of 2008, is lead guitarist for singer-songwriter Devin Dawson, country music’s newest breakout star. Billboard Magazine just named Devin Dawson the top emerging act in the United States. Dawson’s new LP Dark Horse opened at No. 5 on Top Country Albums and No. 50 on the Billboard 200. Dawson’s hit single, All on Me is in the top ten on the Country Airplay charts and all over country radio. DiMaria is now on a nationwide tour with Devin Dawson, playing concerts and promoting the album. DiMaria says the pace is exhilarating and exhausting,
“Sometimes we’re out for a day, sometimes we’re out for 2 weeks. Sometimes we play in a conference room for a few executives, sometimes we play in 10,000+ seat arenas or on national TV (most recently on The Today Show). Every performance in different. One of my favorite things about touring is that we have visited virtually every major city in the US. I get to see places that I never would have seen. We’ve played some pretty amazing shows and it is definitely a blessing to be able to do what we do”.
Nick’s interest in music took shape at Hillbrook with the support of the school’s music teachers and our guitar-playing, music-loving science teacher, Brian Ravizza, “Brian was amazing during my time at Hillbrook. He provided a lot of encouragement and opportunities to play. I think he decided to help start a rock band at the school in part because of my interest in playing. Ravizza also remembers Nick’s passion for music which he first saw in that rock band elective, “I remember how comfortable he was on the guitar and impressed with his natural talent despite not having played it for long at all. His talent and love for the guitar was obvious and he would jump right in and play leads. We played in the music room with the mirror on the wall and Nick would pace around the room playing, every so often glancing in the mirror to perfect his rockstar strut and pose”.
A nationwide audience recently got to see DiMaria’s talent when Devin Dawson played on the Today Show in January. There were several close-ups of Nick on guitar, (albeit minus the rock-star strut).
DiMaria and Dawson have been friends since freshman year in college. Both attended Belmont University in Tennessee where Nick earned a BBA in Music Business with a minor in Audio Engineering. As a professional musician, DiMaria has worked with dozens of established and emerging artists on recording sessions, live performances, demo and master production. DiMaria has opened for Florida Georgia Line, Toby Keith, Clint Black, Willie Nelson. Last year, Devin Dawson (with Nick on guitar) played on Late Night with Seth Meyers and opened for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their Soul to Soul tour, including a stop at the SAP Center in 2017.
It’s a big step up from the Talent Show stage where Nick first played in front of an audience, “The first solo performance I did was playing was The Who song “Pinball Wizard” at the talent show in 7th grade. It was a bit nerve wracking for sure.” Brian Ravizza remembers watching a budding star, “I remember Nick during the Talent Show striking the quintessential rock star pose playing a screaming lead with his guitar behind his head. The minute Nick would grab his guitar you could just see he was in his happy zone and he would shine with confidence”.
DiMaria’s parents, Deb and Matt have supported their son’s musical ambitions from the very beginning. It’s not a traditional path for a kid from the Silicon Valley, but the DiMaria’s believed in Nick’s talent and supported him following his passion.
Asked what he would tell a young person interested in music, “Just don’t quit. There’s no harm in giving something a shot and really giving it your all. A lot of what brings success in this business is people who are not afraid to try something new. That’s what music is all about.”
Q & A with Nick DiMaria:
1 – Part of the Hillbrook motto is to “Take Risks”. It seems to me that you took a risk pursuing a career in music. Tell us about your journey and how you knew you wanted to be a professional musician.
Being a career musician is absolutely a risky profession. I was very lucky to have support from my family as well as my teachers (from Hillbrook and from the rest of my schooling life) in choosing to take this path. I tried a lot of different hobbies, sports, and activities as a kid and nothing seemed to really satisfy me until I settled on music and guitar. It was the only thing that remained a constant as I experimented with everything else. I learned that if I really focus on this one thing I could get good at it! Discovering Nashville was the final piece of the puzzle for me; a place I could do what I love as a full time job. I figured I had to give it a try.
2 – Tell us about your work now. You are playing guitar with Devin Dawson? You’ve worked with dozens of artists, both in the studio and live, you’ve been on the road a lot in recent years and are embarking on a tour now, tell us about the nomadic life of a touring musician. Do you like it?
Devin’s tour is taking up most of my time right now. Sometimes we’re out for a day, sometimes we’re out for 2 weeks. Sometimes we play in a conference room for a few executives, sometimes we play in 10,000+ seat arenas or on national TV (most recently on The Today Show). Every performance in different. One of my favorite things about touring is that we have visited virtually every major city in the US. I get to see places that I never would have seen. We’ve played some pretty amazing shows and it is definitely a blessing to be able to do what we do.
3 – Are you also doing other musical work independently?
I do quite of bit of studio work with a variety of artists, publishers and aspiring songwriters. I’ve been trying to write and produce more music as well. The commercial music industry is incredibly active, so there is always work to be done.
4 – You play guitar, banjo, bass and mandolin? Are you primarily into country music? What’s that like for a Bay Area boy?
I consider myself a guitar player first but really enjoy playing other instruments as well. Country music provided a great starting point for my professional work but if you listen to Devin’s music, you can also see that country music is evolving in some very interesting ways. I grew up on classic rock and listen to a broad range of music now. I feel like all of that influences what I bring to the songs I play on. The goal is to create music that is unique and appeals to a broad audience.
The Bay Area has a great country music scene anchored by our local country radio station KRTY. Every year country artists perform at Shoreline to sold out shows and last year we had the opportunity to open for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at the SAP Center in San Jose (also a sold out show). It was a great show and pretty crazy to be performing in front of 17 thousand local fans.
5 – For our students, can you talk about the intersection of talent and hard work that goes into being a musician?
In my case the hard work part has been really key. Talent is a great place to start, but it takes work to learn how to express your ideas through an instrument or in a song. There are a huge number of talented musicians in Nashville and many of whom are much more talented than I am. I always keep this in mind and feel you should never stop growing as a musician. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and wants to be better even at the professional level. I’ve always thought that real masters learn to use everything they have to their advantage and always seek out new ways to excel while performing.
6 – Your parents mentioned you got some of your early music start at Hillbrook? Can you describe the impact of your teachers and experiences at Hillbrook?
Brian Ravizza was amazing during my time at Hillbrook. He provided a lot of encouragement and opportunities to play. I think he decided to help start a rock band at the school in part because of my interest in playing. I also really wanted to help with the music for our 8th Grade play, but there were no guitar parts so our director recommended I play bass instead. There were so many opportunities to play music at Hillbrook (and from what I understand even more so now) and so many encouraging teachers.
7 – Do you remember the first time you played in front of an audience at Hillbrook? What was it like? What was the song?
The first solo performance I did was playing The Who song “Pinball Wizard” at the talent show in 7th grade. It was a bit nerve wracking for sure. I had also played a bunch of times in music class on a whole range of instruments and then of course with Brian in the rock band a bunch as well.
8 – What are some of your fond takeaways from Hillbrook? Are there things about it that make it a special place in your mind?
Absolutely! The community at Hillbrook is definitely what I remember most. The fact that I still have teachers and old classmates that stay in touch with me and my family after almost 10 years is awesome. Hillbrook seems to really care about the wellbeing of their students and fostering a lasting community.
9 – What would you tell a young person interested in pursuing music?
Just don’t quit. There’s no harm in giving something a shot and really giving it your all. A lot of what brings success in this business is people who are not afraid to try something new. That’s what music is all about.
10 – What are you most proud of?
I am probably most proud of Devin’s album “Dark Horse” that we recorded with producer Jay Joyce. The recording community in Nashville is incredibly tight knit. There are only a handful of musicians that play on 95% of the music you hear on country radio. All that means is that it’s very rare to allow an artist’s live band record the album. We were very fortunate to be able to work with Jay, who loves using the artist’s band in the studio, and who in my opinion is one of the best producers in Nashville.
Being in that studio with the band I’d played with since my first year of college, playing music that we all helped create, with such support from the label, producer, and Devin as well of course, was easily one of the greatest experiences of my life. It’s just what I had envisioned creating an album would be like and I couldn’t be more proud of the result.
11 – What brings you the most joy in your life?
Music, of course, is a big deal in my life. There’s nothing that makes you feel the way a great song hits you. It’s even more amazing when you’ve helped make that song. It’s cool to separate from the business of music and just jam every once-and-a-while too! Other than that I just try to be balanced. I love my family, exercise, hiking/walking, driving, hanging out with friends, and 90s sitcoms.