Expert Taste: Meet Josh Nickel The Mind Behind Neon Taste Records
Josh Nickel outside Neon Taste. Photo by Myles Marleau.
Josh Nickel has been a life-long punk fan, playing in bands since he was a teenager, noting, “it’s one of the constants in my life, for better or worse.” While living in Vancouver, he wanted to put out 7-inch singles with his band, but when no one was interested, he took the work on himself, and thus Neon Taste was born. Nickel, who fronts hardcore band Chain Whip, has made Neon Taste a true calling card for international punk and hardcore fans. Neon Taste has now put out just under 50 releases and Nickel prioritizes working with bands he likes and respects. While the label began with power pop, it has since expanded to punk, metal, hardcore, and everything in between. Nickel also works on the distribution side, collaborating with other labels to bring their offerings to western Canada and elevating the labels he thinks are special, such as Cincinnati Ohio’s Feel It Records.
This past year, Nickel moved Neon Taste’s operations to Calgary, which included bringing the Neon Taste shop to Chinatown (located in Chinatown at 111 3rd Ave SE). The storefront is home to Neon Taste releases, punk and hardcore records, along with a curated selection of records of all genres. "I've got a bit of everything. I've got my own taste, but [I am] running a shop. Man cannot live on bread alone, or only selling punk and hardcore records." The Neon Taste Shop also contains cool one-of-a-kind buttons, shirts, and is one of the prime places to buy zines in Calgary. Nickel noted, "I will buy zines from people, a lot of record stores won't, but people from Calgary like to buy zines. It's a different thing. The same thing with 7 inches. There are specific things I can do that other record stores can't do, some of those things are that I can sell tons of 7 inches. Oftentimes there are record stores that won't even bother with them."
Nickel also brings selections from the Neon Taste shop to local gigs, tailoring what he brings to the type of the show happening. Nickel noted: "It's cool for record stores to be closely connected to the scene. Record stores are a meeting place, of cultural significance, of the general music development and culture of a city, they are important scene facets.” One of Neon Taste’s releases from 2024 was the first full-length album from Calgary d-beat greats Closetalkers titled “Path to Peace.” This past year, Neon Taste released albums from Traumatizer (from Haarlem, Netherlands!), JUG from Winnipeg, Megalithic Youth from Vancouver and d-beaters Inferno Personale (from Bremen, Germany), with more releases (including a new album by Acid Casualties) to come. Look forward to the return of the Neon Taste Weekend in Calgary as well, after the success of the first round of shows this past October at the Palomino.
What has Nickel noticed in his time living in Calgary, compared to his time in Vancouver?
"Calgary is seen as a conservative place. The natural sort of inclination for kids to do other, outsider things in these environments is strong. There is this thing, by virtue of not having a ton of infrastructure set up, they have to push for it. There are these places who are willing to throw your band on, like the Palomino and Loophole. There is a real push to create something in these sorts of places. It's just exciting to see.”
It is a true blessing to have Nickel’s expert curatorial taste in Calgary. Nickel is someone who, when he gives it up for a band, he truly means it, as he doesn’t give out praise easily. He is someone who is doing this for the pure love and passion of it. Nickel, reflecting, said:
"I have a lot of flaws, for what should make me a poor business owner. That is what it is. I am not great at it, there are other people far greater than me. I just don't know if they have the willpower to do it. For what I lack in brains, I make up for in stupidity, in that I am fine making twelve dollars an hour to do something I care about. It's stupid, I don't recommend it. It's just the only thing that has worked for me."
While Nickel is being self-deprecating, I can speak for myself as a Neon Taste devotee and say his willpower and expert taste is a boon for this city, and we should be elated that Neon Taste now calls Calgary home. Come out and support Neon Taste, whether it’s the releases put out by the label or going to the record store to browse (I picked up a crisp copy of Giorgio Moroder’s Cat People soundtrack there, for one), so we can make sure Calgary remains a true home for the best in punk and hardcore.
ONES TO WATCH:
Closetalkers: Calgary D-beat greats just released the must hear “Path to Peace,” their first full-length under Neon Taste Records.
PERRA: “I was at the first PERRA show. It was a glorious mess. They are a really neat band. I love to see a band evolve, especially a first band like them”
ECHTHROS and MORRIGAN: “The noise stuff in Calgary is really interesting."
Hairnet & Brass Lip- “Hairnet are one of the best punk bands I have seen in a long time… If they were in Toronto or New York, they would be mopping the floor with a lot of these bands. Everything Ashley Pridham does is so good.”