Nic Cester

Nicholas John "Nic" Cester (born 6 July 1979) is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, known for being the frontman in rock band Jet alongside his younger brother Chris.[1][2] Cester is also a founder of the Australian supergroup The Wrights. Jet's track "Are You Gonna Be My Girl", has won APRA Awards for 'Most Performed Australian Work Overseas' in 2006 and 2007.

Nic Cester
Birth nameNicholas John Cester
Born (1979-07-06) 6 July 1979
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • guitarist
Instruments
Years active2001–present
LabelsElektra
Associated acts
Website

Biography

Nicholas John Cester was born on 6 July 1979 and grew up in Melbourne. He is the oldest of four brothers, born to a Scottish mother and John, his Australian father with Italian parents (Elisa from province of Treviso and Ercole from province of Pordenone).[3] His uncle, Eugene Cester (aka Eugene De La Hot Croix Bun), is a founder of satirical rock band TISM. Cester attended St. Bedes Boys College in Mentone, Victoria, and sees The Beatles as his greatest musical influence.

The rock band, Jet, was initially formed in 1996 by Cester and Cameron Muncey while at High School. Cester decided to learn how to play guitar after watching his uncle play "Blackbird". Jet has a line-up of Cester (vocals, guitar), his brother Chris (drums, percussion, vocals), Muncey (lead guitar, vocals), and Mark Wilson (bass, piano, vocals). When Jet first began performing in clubs, Cester was working in a local factory as a forklift operator. Jet played multiple shows and residencies at The Duke of Windsor Hotel in Chapel Street, Windsor. Dave Powell of Majorbox Music saw them play one night and decided to manage the group. The band was signed to the Elektra record label after their debut single, "Take It Or Leave It", became a hit.

Cester is also a founder of the supergroup The Wrights. On 31 October 2007, Cester performed alongside Powderfinger & Missy Higgins in Concert for a Cure (for women with breast cancer). In February 2009, Cester performed at the 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl with a cover version of Wings' "Maybe I'm Amazed". On 22 January 2010, he covered the AC/DC song "Back in Black" with British rock group Muse at the Big Day Out. On 8 June he sang it with Muse again at San Siro gig, in Milan.

Cester, with Davey Lane and Kram have provided a single, "Tomorrow", for the Australian feature film Tomorrow, When the War Began.[4] Cester appears in Kram's "Silk Suits" music video as a tennis umpire alongside Australian Tennis Player Alicia Molik.[5]

In November 2017 he released his first solo album Sugar Rush.

Personal life

He speaks fluent Italian. Cester tours with Jet for most of the year, but when not travelling he shares his time between homes in Melbourne and Como, Italy.[6] In August 2004, his father, John, died of cancer. Cester wrote the song "Shine On" for his younger brothers and cousins as a tribute. In late October 2006, Cester was diagnosed with vocal nodules. Jet rescheduled several European dates, allowing him time to recover. Nic married longtime girlfriend, Pia McGeoch. They welcomed a baby girl, Mathilda, in early 2018. He also has a lot of family in Scotland, through his mother who’s cousin, Anne-Marie Kirkwood who lives in Scotland and has a part to play in his childhood.

Instruments and equipment

Electric guitars

Acoustic guitars

Amplifiers/Heads
  • Hiwatt Amp Head
  • Hiwatt Quad Box
  • Marshall Quad Box
  • Orange Amp Head
  • Vox AC30 Heritage Head
  • Vox V212 Heritage Cabinet

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).[7]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2006"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" – Nicholas Cester, Cameron MunceyMost Performed Australian Work Overseas[8]Won
"Cold Hard Bitch" – Nicholas Cester, Christopher Cester, Cameron MunceyMost Performed Australian Work Overseas[9]Nominated
"Look What You've Done" - Nicholas CesterMost Performed Australian Work Overseas[9]Nominated
2007"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" – Nicholas Cester, Cameron MunceyMost Performed Australian Work Overseas[10]Won
"Look What You've Done" – Nicholas CesterMost Performed Australian Work Overseas[11]Nominated

References

General

  • Wilson, MacKenzie. "Jet". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  • Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara; Paul McHenry (2002) [1987]. The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Noble Park, Vic.: Five Mile Press. ISBN 1-86503-891-1.[12] Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.

Specific

  1. MacKenzie
  2. Spencer et al., (2007) Cester, Nick entry. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  3. "Jet Interview, Part One, Will and Lehmo". 3MMM. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  5. "Kram - Silk Suits". Youtube.com. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  6. "Nic in harmony with fiancee" Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia) - Saturday, 9 October 2010
  7. "APRA History". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  8. "2006 Winners - APRA Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  9. "Nominations - 2006". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  10. "2007 Winners - APRA Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  11. "Most Performed Australian Work Overseas nominations - 2007". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  12. Who's who of Australian rock / compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry. catalogue. National Library of Australia. September 2002. ISBN 9781865038919. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
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