Articles by Nick Rifflard

Nicolas Rifflard didn’t become the Rifflord overnight. The title began unexpectedly over lunch in the AMS office. But how did he get there?

Music has always been an open door for Nicolas. He has had countless opportunities to pursue music. But even though he had big dreams of being a rock star as a kid, more often than not, he walked away from them. In fourth grade, he played trumpet in the school band and even took on private lessons, only to quit – much to his band director’s disappointment. Later, when he was about 12, he started guitar lessons with none other than Steve Brown, the lead guitarist of Trixter, who has also played with Def Leppard, Ace Frehley, and Danger Danger. Did he stick with it? Not quite. Even piano lessons, taken three times, were short-lived. Although all of his instructors told him he had a strong natural ear for music, he was always marching to the beat of his own drum.

Everything changed for Nick when he took a college elective, Song Writing Craft and Business, taught by Nina Ossoff. He was tasked with writing a song a week to share with the class. All the while, he found himself unable to construct a good song even if he tried. He propelled himself forward, forcing himself to make three songs every week and only shared the ones he liked. After class, he heard a ton of talk about all the other electives and groups going on around campus. So he got involved in the campus music scene, made a ton of musician friends and even joined a band.

Today, Nick is the new intern at American Musical Supply. He brings his creative and upbeat spirit to the team, as well as his sassy attitude and innovative ingenuity. He's the guy you go to when you need the next line of lyrics for your song or a fresh melody — and he's a natural at producing. OH, and he is back on the keys and learning guitar… again… for real this time! Music has always been an open door… and it seems like he is finally walking through it.

When you can’t find Nick pulling himself up by the bootstraps at one of his two jobs, he’s either writing music with friends or listening to the same song on loop for 10 hours while gazing into the abyss and loving every second of it.