What do you get when you add two sets of brothers and one dope singer? A Cape Cod indie band on the rise.
By Jennifer Sperry
Photography by Joe Navas/Organic Photography
Produced by Erin Scimeca
Styled by Five Five One
Location Dream Day on Cape Cod
Nikki and The Barn Boys started out with two sets of brothers. “We lived about a block away from each other; we grew up together,” says guitarist Graham Hempstead. However, the band didn’t form until Covid hit: “The pandemic limited us to our core group, and we had time on our hands. Liam’s dad was a musician and had a bunch of instruments and gear in his basement,” continues Graham.
The Hempstead brothers, Graham and Liam, had more experience with music and gravitated to guitar and drums respectively. The Bresette brothers, Thomas and Johnny, caught up quickly, rounding out the band with rhythm guitar and bass respectively. (Johnny picked up bass “out of necessity—somebody had to play it,” he says with a laugh.)
The band found its lead singer, Nikki Childs, through Tinder (it’s not how it sounds) and an introduction by Graham’s tennis partner. “I walked in to sing and thought, Wow, that’s a lot of boys,” recalls Nikki jokingly. “I didn’t think it was going to work, but we played for over two hours. They had a gig that night and basically kidnapped me.”
The rest is history.
Follow @nikkiandthebarnboys
Meet the band
Nikki Childs – Lead Singer
Graham Hempstead – Lead Guitar & Vocals
Johnny Bresette – Bass
Thomas Bresette – Rhythm Guitar & Vocals
Liam Hempstead – Drums & Vocals
Nikki and The Barn Boys are in demand locally and in Austin Texas. See their upcoming events and hear their music at nikkiandthebarnboys.com.
