Nick Earle and Joseph Coffin are two teens with a unique passion for the blues that makes them stand out.
Cameron Kilfoy
Kicker News
Blues music is timely, mature and deals with personal growth. It is a hard genre to grasp, and not many have the ability to inherit the gift of playing the blues.
For some, it comes as an unnatural ability. This is the case for Nick Earle and Joseph Coffin. The duo, both 18, have come to shake the world with their unique sound and do it their own way.
Earle and Coffin both have been exposed to music for as long as they can remember. They were 12 when they met and instantly connected.
“We met at a conference for MusicNL in Gander,” said Earle. “We both had separate showcases and I seen Joe playing, and was shocked to see someone else so young playing the blues. I asked him to join my set. We had a half hour rehearsal, then did the set, and we’ve been playing together ever since.”
“I remember it working really well,” Coffin recalled. “It was very organic and our crowd response was very good. We went on stage, not really knowing each other and got a great response. It was funny because people kept asking us how long we been playing together and it was our first time.”
Six years later, the two continue to make music. They have won numerous awards and have landed themselves a record deal.
The duo recorded their first album, Live from Citadel House, at Citadel House in Lewisporte, Newfoundland. The album has earned them their first Canadian Folk Music Award.
Dean Stairs, owner of Citadel House, signed the group to his label in 2015.
“They have an unnatural ability with their instruments,” said Stairs. “They are unnaturally gifted; they are able to plays things that are far beyond their years. I’ve heard it being called ‘old souls in young bodies.'”
Awards and accomplishments
After the release of their second album in 2017, Earle and Coffin won the MusicNL Jazz/Blues Recording Artist of the Year award.
In their most recent competition, the group was chosen to represent Atlantic Canada at the International Blues Competition in Memphis.
Although they did not win, they made it to the semi-finals and that was enough for them.
“By the time we left, we created enough of a buzz that people knew our names and liked our music,” Nick said.
For these two it wasn’t fame overnight.
“It’s been a satisfying crawl,” Coffin said.
“It’s a lot of hard work but putting in that work and getting the result of recognition and respect is just an amazing feeling. Getting nominated is better than winning because it pushes you to keep going.”
The two plan to take it easy for the time being and work on their music. They are hoping to get back in the studio in the summer to work on a new album.
With plans to travel and perform at venues across the island and various places around the world, the boys are generating serious buzz.
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