Members of Another Day of Glory band, from left: Cesar Henrique da Rosa Silva, Nick Hildreth, and Max Kostiuchenko. (Courtesy photo)
After running the gamut from skepticism to certainty, Nick Hildreth, who has deep roots in Harvard, being inventor Edwin Hildreth’s great-grandson, left his family home on Nov. 17 to go to Brazil, joining Max Kostiuchenko and Cesar Henrique da Rosa Silva as the drummer in a band called Another Day of Glory.
In a conversation before his departure, Hildreth, a 2013 Bromfield graduate, said when he first told his mother of his plan, she went into mama bear mode. “What? You’re going where?” Her skepticism mirrored his own initial wariness, but over the course of a few months, he worked out his misgivings. “I don’t want to be on my deathbed and regret I had never taken this chance,” he said.
Although music was always an interest, only in the past seven years or so has Hildreth fully committed himself to it. At Bromfield, he played percussion in the band—but not for long. The older boys intimidated him, and he didn’t believe he’d ever play as well as they. At Regis College, he earned a business degree and, feeling more confident, “jammed at places, but nothing serious.” After graduation, he worked in sales. Though pretty extroverted, Hildreth said after five or so years, he got burned out making cold calls and being “brick walled” by other people.
A deep dive
Hildreth changed companies and decided to take a “nosedive deep into music,” joining a band called The Coozies. He likened their music to garage rock—“short songs, pretty light, party music with a Nirvana vibe.” The trio recorded four singles; it was Hildreth’s first experience with professional recording. After a while, the logistics weren’t working, and the group split up.
Hildreth, who was self-taught, “an instinctual guy,” decided he wanted to do more than just play; he wanted to learn some music theory. He found an experienced drummer from whom to take lessons. While he “soaked up all the instructor’s knowledge,” the two did a lot of just hanging out and “drum talking.” Through connections that he had, his mentor introduced Hildreth to someone who knew of two musicians looking for a drummer.
The new band, White Bear Principle, was a step up and a decided contrast to The Coozies—longer songs, rock, more progressive metal, “pretty dark and complex.” The impact was a “wall of sound,” where “you could hear how heavy we were hitting.” After four years with the band, Hildreth realized that he was in a very different place from the other two musicians. They were older, both had jobs as engineers and settled lifestyles. They weren’t ever going to be interested in moving forward with greater commitment to the music.
Too good to be true?
Hildreth had put his profile on a social media platform, Band Mix. Since he was using the platform for free, he had to wait for someone to reach out to him rather than also being able to contact a posting. Nothing happened for a long time. Then, four months ago, he had a message from Cesar in Brazil, saying he, a vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and Max on lead guitar, were looking for a touring-level drummer for punk rock, someone really committed who would “live by the music.” Hildreth was definitely interested. A video call with Cesar followed, and Hildreth said they hit it off immediately. Cesar and Max had met previously on Band Mix and had been writing and playing together remotely for three years. They have nine songs on Spotify and an 11-song album being mixed that they will pitch soon. Max was living in Ukraine.
In a video conversation with Max in late summer, Hildreth learned Max had been in a band with another Ukrainian and two Russians, and they were on the rise. Then came the war, and it shattered them. Max was living in survival mode; though he was in a relatively safe area with no bombs dropping nearby, the war was ever present. He had obtained legal documentation to leave the country and was getting ready to do so. Hildreth said he was convinced Max was super serious about his music if he was ready to give up his homeland for it. “I sensed a level of desperation, and it moved me.”
The plan was for Hildreth and Max to go to Cesar’s home in Brazil. Hildreth was excited, but skeptical, feeling this might be too good to be true. Cesar seemed great, but what if he were luring Hildreth to Brazil to be trafficked or worse? Maybe Brazil wasn’t a very safe place to go.
Going for it
Over the next month, Hildreth grew less skeptical and more convinced that he should chase the dream; this was the closest he had been to doing exactly what he had been wanting to do for a long time. Both Cesar and Max were in his age range, and, like him, single and living at home. He talked to Cesar’s mother, who was very warm and told Hildreth she was happy to welcome him into their home, which was in the country, about 80 miles from Sao Paulo. At Cesar’s suggestion, Hildreth talked for an hour with Brandon, a young man who had spent a couple of months studying Portuguese with Cesar. Brandon assured Hildreth of Cesar’s character and made Cesar’s home sound like the Harvard of Brazil. And the bottom line was, if the band failed, he could come back home.
Hildreth told Cesar and Max he’d join them, and then he began to discover more and more positive factors. Cesar has a basement where they can practice. He has a friend who, at almost no expense, will do their mixing and mastering, paying attention to the details, adding effects, leveling things out, adding cool production elements. Another friend can film them playing so they can post publicity. Cesar’s other connections can get them shows.
The plan is for Hildreth to first learn and replace the drum music the computer has added to songs Cesar and Max have recorded—“juice what they’ve done.” Then he’ll write the drum parts, adding his own flavor. “The music is pop rock now, but who knows how it will evolve.” The group is looking for a fourth member to do backup vocals and play bass.
Hildreth said he had become more fearful of not going and missing this opportunity. “We’re all on the same page and have all the pieces to be successful . . . including our international flair.” He quit his job, got his visa, and is learning Portuguese. Still not 100% sure, Hildreth said he would buy his plane ticket as soon as Max landed and was with Cesar. When a picture of the two of them came to his inbox in early November, he booked a flight.
Hildreth is now exactly where he dreamed of being—in Cesar’s basement on his drum set, with Max on guitar, and Cesar doing vocals on a song from Another Day of Glory.
