Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicholas Fennel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nicholas, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

When it comes to earning a full time living as creatives, this would be Eric and I’s first objective with our project. In efforts to achieve this goal we have sacrificed the comforts of a ”normal” lifestyle to maximize the time and effort we put into the pursuit of this goal. The jobs we chose to work on the side are incredibly supportive of our music schedule and what our creative goals are. We also live a minimalist lifestyle.. the HuCKLE BEARErS biggest goal is to be on the road full-time sharing our tunes while earning a livable wage for the band and our future team.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For those that don’t know us, the HuCKLE BEARErS are made up of two key players. Nicholas Fennel, Guitar and Vocals and Eric Thompson, Upright Bass and Vocals

the HuCKLE BEARErS are a folk-americana duo based out of Denver.

Nicholas Fennel and Eric Thompson met in 2006, both at turning points in their lives. They began working together playing with a 5-piece, trumpet focused, outlaw country band called Dead Dogs. They played throughout Wisconsin, building notoriety, while opening for Justin Vernon’s project Shouting Matches, Megafaun, and other touring acts. This period included some side projects, most notably, Dead Men Swey, which was a Halloween feature at a Village of Terror.

After 5 years of performing and putting out a self-produced album, life events steered the members to go their separate ways.

Eric “Pedals” Thompson, an accomplished bass player from West Central Wisconsin, went on to open a music store called Pedals Music in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and continued playing in multiple projects ranging from jazz orchestras, small combos, rock, blues, funk, psychedelic noise groups.

During their break, Nicholas spent time focusing on building his repertoire of original songs, traveling around the country, and eventually making his way to Denver, Colorado with a head full of songs and a chance to focus on his music. He bought an upright bass, a used Baldwin, and began working on a new project right away. He called this project SisterS. Nicholas began networking and working with a variety of musicians around the Denver area until one fateful day, the stars aligned just perfectly. Eric called and stated he would be making his way through Denver and wanted to catch up. They got together and after presenting Eric with the tunes, he agreed to cowrite the project. After many focused hours and patience the HuCKLE BEARErS were born.

Within the first month, the HuCKLE BEARErS recorded an acoustic EP and began performing in Denver and around Northern Colorado. Shortly after, they were on tours through the Midwest. They acquired residency gigs at Penrose and DC Oaks in Fort Collins, and have been performing at The Black Buzzard, Mercury Café, The Roxy, Larimer Lounge, and other venues in and around Denver, Colorado.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Nicholas – When it comes to the rewarding aspect of playing music. I guess I’m most thankful that I for some reason write stories about my personal experiences with my music and it allows me to create healthy art from some very unhealthy scenarios. I think that in itself is something I am truly grateful to be able to just do. I also can’t really detail the experience of what it is to connect with someone that FEELS the music you preform live. There is no other energy like it.

Eric- To me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the freedom to be whoever you chose. Music has helped me on a path to continually discover myself. Sharing music and making connections from music is truly one of the more intimate moments people can share with each other.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The drive behind the HuCKLE BEARErS is our desire to share our tune with others and travel. We enjoy the stage greatly and that motivates us to find more stages to have us perform on! Being on the road meeting real music lovers and sharing stories with these people are some of our most memorable times. The energy of shows on the road are of a different nature. The crowd response, the connection, and the genuine appreciation for the music is what we are chasing. The feeling we get when we are able to do this more and more is worth more than money or a million internet likes and shares. We just want to share the music we create.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thehucklebearers.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehucklebearers
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehucklebearers
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4wdloq7Va0IuUuCaV7MeOQ
• Other: https://thehucklebearers.bandcamp.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/2HmcLUvWlvdYAC16ZEEx42?si=Z834y3XqRJuL3stX8JyXyw https://music.apple.com/cv/artist/the-huckle-bearers/1644328649