Music never ceases to leave Nick Santini alone. As a young drummer growing up on Long Island, NY Nick found it quite easy to jump right into the underground scene of punk and ska music. As Nick grew so did his song writing. Since then Nick has been in and out of bands all the while constructing a new type of sound that combines acoustic melodies with ambitious dance beats. This new sound is spawned from years of hard work and love for music. With the release of To the Nines, This Is For Real has only just begun.

Over the last 4 years the project This Is For Real has become Nick’s bread and butter. It started in the dorms at the University of Oregon as a way to write demos and keep busy during down time at school. It ended up turning into an EP with music Nick refers to as dance/acoustic.

In 2008 after parting ways with his former band Jaimes Smile, Nick began where most musicians begin after a break from a serious musical life… right back where they started. After taking some time for himself Nick gave music a backseat and began working toward his college degree. For two years his time was spent going to class full time and playing lacrosse.

While fate would have it he ended up going to one of his schools of choice, the University of Oregon. While he was there, Nick bought a $30 acoustic guitar he found on craigslist and began playing again. After spending some time writing new material the idea of syncing random dance beats with acoustic riffs came to mind. Although at first it was seen as more of a gag the idea went over much better than originally expected. After writing one song with the dance beats there was an instant connection. From there on the genre took form and This Is For Real was born.

After spending two years in Eugene there were plenty of songs written. It seemed like the right time to give music a real chance again. Nick graduated and not 10 days later was back on Long Island writing songs for an EP.

The first EP To the Nines is a culmination of Nicks beat writing prowess combined with his ear for meshing guitar rhythms on pop melodies. With plenty of shows lined up down the road you can definitely expect a chance to hear and dance to this newfound love.

With a sound unlike anything you’ve ever heard, this is new, this is different,
This is For Real.