Niswander

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 currently lives in the Los Angeles area and has also lived in Midwestern and Southwestern states as well as previously in California’s Southland. He also has spent a little time in Japan. While first living in California he 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.While living in Indianapolis, he created a following as a one man act and with a band playing live shows which are audio-visual entertainment extravaganzas incorporating characters, wild costumes, original video and spontaneity.In the late 90’s, he recorded with studio musicians Dane Clark of the John Mellencamp band and Eric Klee Johnson of Wonderdrug. The website niswander.net was launched in 1999. The first album "Revolution of the Heart" received an enthusiastic review from Steve Hammer at Nuvo Newsweekly 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. Nuvo Newsweekly named him ’Best Entertainer’ in their best of Indy 2001 issue. 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, singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin, 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 began making comedy club appearances as himself and as his character Buddy Shine. He also continued to perform music live while attending school.In 2006, he finished a Bachelor of Administration- Marketing degree in the fall. Other highlights included playing with the band to over 30,000 Mini-Marathon runners and others near the entrance of the Indianapolis 500 Speedway in May and in September performing solo on the stage at Verizon Wireless Music Center. He began releasing material from his video archives and introduced an Internet show called "Niswander’s Fun To the Nth Degree" with a cameo from actor/comedian/musician/writer Harry Shearer.In 2007, he began writing for new album and video projects. The online show "Weekend Videos" debuted and "Niswander’s Fun To the Nth Degree" included series about the Indianapolis Colts winning Superbowl 41, singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin, the YouTube phenomenon, and the Indianapolis 500. The story "YouTube- Art of Social Networking" about the 777 New York YouTube Meetup in Greenwich Village was published in Nuvo Newsweekly in September. Productions debuting online also included a series about traveling across country on a train, a week long New York City video journal and the 100th video on YouTube "Top Ten List of Things YouTubers Like About Letterman" which was also produced in NYC.Once again based out of Southern California, new surprises are in store for 2008. Niswander plans to return to the live stage and produce new music and film projects including "The Fun Show" which is based on the music and Niswander Rock Theater characters in the second album "Adventures In Wanderland."