Nic Cester
Encyclopedia
Nicholas John "Nic" Cester (born 6 July 1979) is an Australian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, and is the lead vocalist in rock
band Jet
. His uncle, the legendary Eugene Cester, is a founder of satirical rock band TISM
.
Born in Melbourne
, Australia
, Cester is the oldest of four brothers, born to a Scottish mother and Australian father with Italian parents.
The band was initially formed in 1996 by Cester and Cameron Muncey
while at High School. Cester decided to learn how to play guitar after watching his uncle play Blackbird
. Currently, Jet is composed of Cester (vocals, guitar), his brother Chris
(drums, percussion, vocals), Muncey (lead guitar, vocals), and Mark Wilson
(bass, piano, vocals). When Jet first began performing in clubs, Cester was working in a Melbourne
factory as a forklift operator. Jet played multiple shows and residencies at The Duke of Windsor Hotel (locally and endearingly referred to as "The Duke") in Chapel Street
, Windsor. Dave Powell of Majorbox Music saw them play one night and decided to take them on. The band was signed to record label Elektra
after their debut single, "Take It Or Leave It", became a hit.
Cester currently tours with Jet for most of the year, but when he's not traveling he hangs out in his home town of Melbourne
. He formerly attended St. Bedes Boys College in Mentone, Victoria, and sees The Beatles
as his greatest musical influence.
Cester is a founder of the supergroup The Wrights
.
In August 2004, at the height of Jet's success internationally, he lost his beloved father, John, to cancer. He wrote the song "Shine On" for his younger brothers and cousins as a tribute to his father.
In late October 2006, Cester was diagnosed with vocal nodules. Jet rescheduled several European dates, allowing him time to recover.
On 31 October 2007 Cester performed alongside Powderfinger
& Missy Higgins
in Concert for a Cure (for women with breast cancer).
Cester's uncle is cult alternative rock band TISM
member, Eugene Cester, or "Eugene De La Hot Croix Bun".
In February 2009, Cester headed the 50th anniversay celebration of the founding of Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl with a cover of Wings' "Maybe I'm Amazed."
On 22 January 2010, he covered the AC/DC
song Back in Black
with British Rock Group Muse
at Big Day Out
2010. He sang Back in Black
with Muse
again at San Siro gig, in Milan, on 8 June 2010,
Cester, alongside Davey Lane
and Kram
have produced a single for the upcoming Australian feature film Tomorrow, When the War Began
, titled "Tomorrow".
Cester also appears in Kram
's "Silk Suits" music video as a tennis umpire alongside Australian Tennis Player Alicia Molik
.
are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA).
|-
|rowspan="3"| 2006
|| "Are You Gonna Be My Girl
" – Nicholas Cester, Cameron Muncey
|| Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
| "Cold Hard Bitch
" – Nicholas Cester, Christopher Cester
, Cameron Muncey || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
| "Look What You've Done
" - Nicholas Cester || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2007
|| "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" – Nicholas Cester, Cameron Muncey || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
| "Look What You've Done" – Nicholas Cester || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Jet
Jet (band)
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively...
. His uncle, the legendary Eugene Cester, is a founder of satirical rock band TISM
TISM
TISM was a seven piece anonymous alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group was formed in 1982 and enjoyed a large underground/independent following. Their third album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons reached the Australian national top 10 in 1995...
.
Born in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Cester is the oldest of four brothers, born to a Scottish mother and Australian father with Italian parents.
The band was initially formed in 1996 by Cester and Cameron Muncey
Cameron Muncey
Cameron Thane Muncey is an Australian guitarist and vocalist. He is the mainstay lead guitarist and one of the songwriters of Melbourne-based rock band Jet which formed in 2001...
while at High School. Cester decided to learn how to play guitar after watching his uncle play Blackbird
Blackbird (song)
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
. Currently, Jet is composed of Cester (vocals, guitar), his brother Chris
Chris Cester
Christopher James Cester is the drummer and backing vocalist from Australian rock band Jet. His brother is Nic Cester, the band's lead singer...
(drums, percussion, vocals), Muncey (lead guitar, vocals), and Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson (musician)
Mark Wilson is an Australian bass guitarist, best known as part of the Melbourne-based rock band, Jet.He was asked to join the group in 2002 by the other three members, Nic Cester, Chris Cester and Cameron Muncey, but initially refused perhaps out of loyalty to The Ca$inos since he was that band's...
(bass, piano, vocals). When Jet first began performing in clubs, Cester was working in a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
factory as a forklift operator. Jet played multiple shows and residencies at The Duke of Windsor Hotel (locally and endearingly referred to as "The Duke") in Chapel Street
Chapel Street, Melbourne
Chapel Street is a shopping, dining and entertainment precinct in Melbourne, Australia. It has a myriad shops ranging from exclusive upmarket fashion designers at the South Yarra end to old fashion pawnbrokers towards Windsor.-Geography:...
, Windsor. Dave Powell of Majorbox Music saw them play one night and decided to take them on. The band was signed to record label Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
after their debut single, "Take It Or Leave It", became a hit.
Cester currently tours with Jet for most of the year, but when he's not traveling he hangs out in his home town of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He formerly attended St. Bedes Boys College in Mentone, Victoria, and sees The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
as his greatest musical influence.
Cester is a founder of the supergroup The Wrights
The Wrights
The Wrights were a one-off Australian rock music "supergroup". They consisted of Nic Cester , Bernard Fanning , Phil Jamieson , Kram , Chris Cheney , Davey Lane and Pat Bourke...
.
In August 2004, at the height of Jet's success internationally, he lost his beloved father, John, to cancer. He wrote the song "Shine On" for his younger brothers and cousins as a tribute to his father.
In late October 2006, Cester was diagnosed with vocal nodules. Jet rescheduled several European dates, allowing him time to recover.
On 31 October 2007 Cester performed alongside Powderfinger
Powderfinger
Powderfinger was an Australian rock band that formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their breakup the band lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....
& Missy Higgins
Missy Higgins
Melissa "Missy" Morrison Higgins is an Australian pop singer-songwriter, musician and actor. Her No. 1 albums in Australia are The Sound of White and On a Clear Night , and her Top Ten singles are "Scar", "The Special Two", "Steer" and "Where I Stood". From a musical family in...
in Concert for a Cure (for women with breast cancer).
Cester's uncle is cult alternative rock band TISM
TISM
TISM was a seven piece anonymous alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group was formed in 1982 and enjoyed a large underground/independent following. Their third album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons reached the Australian national top 10 in 1995...
member, Eugene Cester, or "Eugene De La Hot Croix Bun".
In February 2009, Cester headed the 50th anniversay celebration of the founding of Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl with a cover of Wings' "Maybe I'm Amazed."
On 22 January 2010, he covered the AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
song Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
with British Rock Group Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
at Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
2010. He sang Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
with Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
again at San Siro gig, in Milan, on 8 June 2010,
Cester, alongside Davey Lane
Davey Lane
David Lane, also known as Davey Lane , is an Australian musician, lead guitarist of You Am I , and frontman of The Pictures...
and Kram
Mark Maher
Kram is the drummer/singer of Australian band Spiderbait. His stage name is an anagram of his first name; "Kram" is simply "Mark" spelled backwards...
have produced a single for the upcoming Australian feature film Tomorrow, When the War Began
Tomorrow, When the War Began (film)
Tomorrow, When the War Began is a 2010 Australian adventure film written and directed by Stuart Beattie and based on the novel of the same name by John Marsden. The film is produced by Andrew Mason and Michael Boughen. The story follows Ellie Linton, one of eight teenagers waging a guerrilla war...
, titled "Tomorrow".
Cester also appears in Kram
Mark Maher
Kram is the drummer/singer of Australian band Spiderbait. His stage name is an anagram of his first name; "Kram" is simply "Mark" spelled backwards...
's "Silk Suits" music video as a tennis umpire alongside Australian Tennis Player Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik is a Australian professional female tennis player. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the...
.
Personal life
Cester currently splits his downtime between his homes in Como, Italy and Melbourne, Australia. He has a longtime girlfriend and now fiancee, Pia McGeoch.Amplifiers/Heads
- HiwattHiwattHiwatt was a British company that manufactured amplifiers for electric guitars and electric basses. Starting in the late 1960s, together with Marshall and Vox, the company contributed to the sonic image popularly termed "British sound"....
Amp Head - Hiwatt Quad Box
- MarshallMarshall AmplificationMarshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
Quad Box - OrangeOrange AmplificationOrange Music Electronic Company is a British electric guitar and public address amplifier manufacturing company, famous for its distinctive sound and bright orange Tolex-like covering on amplifier heads and speaker cabinets...
Amp Head - VoxVox (musical equipment)Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
AC30 Heritage Head - VoxVox (musical equipment)Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
V212 Heritage Cabinet
APRA Awards
The APRA AwardsAPRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA).
|-
|rowspan="3"| 2006
APRA Awards of 2006
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2006 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 5 June at the Sydney Four Seasons Hotel, they were presented by APRA and the...
|| "Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Are You Gonna Be My Girl
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" is a song by the Australian rock band Jet, featured on their 2003 album Get Born. It was the first single from the album, released in 2003 in Australia and the UK, and in 2004 in the United States. Written by Nic Cester & Cameron Muncey, the song is often cited for ...
" – Nicholas Cester, Cameron Muncey
Cameron Muncey
Cameron Thane Muncey is an Australian guitarist and vocalist. He is the mainstay lead guitarist and one of the songwriters of Melbourne-based rock band Jet which formed in 2001...
|| Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
| "Cold Hard Bitch
Cold Hard Bitch
"Cold Hard Bitch" is the fourth single by the Australian rock band Jet, from their 2003 album Get Born. It was released in 2004. The song reached #1 on Billboards Hot Modern Rock Tracks, giving the band their only #1 Modern Rock hit...
" – Nicholas Cester, Christopher Cester
Chris Cester
Christopher James Cester is the drummer and backing vocalist from Australian rock band Jet. His brother is Nic Cester, the band's lead singer...
, Cameron Muncey || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
| "Look What You've Done
Look What You've Done
"Look What You've Done" is the third single by the Australian rock band Jet, from their 2003 album Get Born.-History:The single was released in 2004 worldwide, and in 2005 in the US...
" - Nicholas Cester || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2007
APRA Awards of 2007
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2007 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
|| "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" – Nicholas Cester, Cameron Muncey || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||
|-
| "Look What You've Done" – Nicholas Cester || Most Performed Australian Work Overseas ||