Niswander
Niswander Vocals, Keyboards, Programming
Active: 1995 - present
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Notes: Niswander (pronounced nice-wander) is a multi-media artist and true innovator. He is a singer, songwriter, keyboardist, actor, entertainer, comedian, music, video and podcast producer, entrepreneur, a storyteller, educator, historian, and even a reporter. He has Swiss ancestry, but doesn't play the accordion…yet. He lived in Midwestern, Southwestern, and Western states as well as Japan. While living in southern California he first worked as a music composer and prop master while playing music in the underground scene. He worked on film and television productions where he interacted with stars like Steve Martin and Linda Hamilton and can say that for one brief moment he was directed by infamous Hollywood director Blake Edwards. He also took time out to learn how to boogie board in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. Now based out of Indianapolis, he continues to play live shows which are audio-visual entertainment extravaganzas incorporating characters, wild costumes, original video and spontaneity. He calls the act NISWANDER ROCK THEATER and performs either as a one man show or with a band.
In the late 90's, he recorded with studio musicians Dane Clark of the John Mellencamp band and Eric Klee Johnson of Wonderdrug in Indiana. The website niswander.net was launched in 1999. Between 1999 and 2003, he released two albums on Lyon's Den Music which include the unique "Surfin' With Jesus," "Funky Space," "Read A Book," "Summer In My Mind," and "Fun (To the Nth Degree)" which have received radio airplay. Niswander solo or with the band has appeared on Fox and CBS television affiliates and Fox 59 Morning Show called them one of their favorite bands. He produced and performed numerous live shows including a multi-media variety show at Birdy's Live nightclub that ran monthly from 2001 to 2004 which featured all styles of music and included other acts such as stand up comics, a magician, a ballet dancer, and even a real vaudevillean entertainer. Some of the themed shows included British Night, Halloween, Girls Night Out, Beach Party, and even a 2002 tribute to the Beatles George Harrison which received recognition from the Office of George Harrison. The show was featured in Indianapolis Monthly magazine and can even claim a 'Mystery' guest appearance by Prince and New Power Generation.
Over the 4th of July week-end in 2002, the Niswander Band opened the huge outdoor festival called the Indy Summer Stages in downtown Indianapolis which featured over fifty bands in a three day period including Blondie, The Roots, Los Lobos, Sugar Ray, and Widespread Panic. He has been on the front page of the Indianapolis Star and in one of the articles written by pop critic David Lindquist he wrote: "With 'Surfin' With Jesus' he can rely on a single tune to consistently bring down the house." With diverse characters which include a British secret agent, stand-up comedian, rock singer, Swiss inventor, and eccentric storyteller, he lives up to the reputation as an artistic 'Chameleon' which is the name of one of his songs and a promotional film. In addition to "Chameleon" which was produced with director Matt Sommers, Niswander appears as Taylor Garrison in the Woodworks Films production of "Saving Star Wars," a full-length comedy feature which won an award at the 2004 London Sci-Fi Film Festival and features the original Darth Vader David Prowse. He can also include interviews with Hollywood entertainer Buddy Ebsen, original Saturday Night Live writer Vincent Di Piero, producer and musician Moe Z (keyboardist with the Wallflowers and John Mellencamp, and producer of Tupac Shakur and others) as well as producing an internet radio show interview with actress Cindy Williams in his resume. He first got involved in charity work when he played music at a benefit for the L.A. Mission in Pasadena, California that was sponsored by veteran actor Mickey Rooney.
In 2003, he co-founded The Olive Branch Society while living in Indianapolis initially producing and performing in benefit concerts for Adopt-A-Minefield. He has conducted presentations on landmine education at high schools. As a media ambassador for Adopt-A-Minefield, he picked up interviews with Paul McCartney, Jay Leno, Michael Douglas, Mickey Rooney, and others at their L.A. event and is the guest contributor in the fall 2004 edition of their publication which is called "The Deminer."
He launched NISWANDER ROCK THEATER in 2005 initially as an audio podcast variety show and introduced the website NiswanderRockTheater.com while making comedy club appearances as his character Buddy Shine. In 2006, he finished a Bachelor of Administration- Marketing degree in December and has already begun developing his new marketing campaign by networking on Internet sites such as MySpace. He produced numerous videos such as music videos, Rock Theater character comedy routines, and his first Internet show "Niswander's Fun To the Nth Degree" which debuted with guest actor/comedian/writer Harry Shearer (Spinal Tap, Simpsons) on YouTube. The Niswander Band played to over 30,000 Mini-Marathon runners and others near the entrance of the Indianapolis 500 Speedway in May and in September he performed solo on the stage at Verizon Wireless Music Center which has been graced by such legendary performers as David Bowie, Ringo Starr, The Who, Bob Dylan, Cher, Peter Gabriel, Sting, and B.B. King.
In 2007, he began writing new material for his next album with a working title of “Read A Book and Other Stories.” He began producing the online show “Weekend Videos” on the Monticello blog and produced over 100 other videos including a series on the Indianapolis Colts, British rocker John Waite, the Indianapolis 500, and the YouTube phenomenon in his “Niswander’s Fun To the Nth Degree” show. His cover story “YouTube and the Art of Social Networking” which focuses on Internet socializing and attending the YouTube Meetup in New York City on 7-7-07 was published in Nuvo Newsweekly.
