Ian James Bain

Ian James Bain is a singer, songwriter and guitar player based in Hamilton, ON.

As a core member of Nicolette & the Nobodies (2016-present) and touring guitar player for Jeremie Albino (2024-present) Ian's career as a guitar player and collaborator has taken him around the continent to stages of all shapes and sizes in barrooms, basements, theatres and concert halls alike.

Having spent years on the move serving the songs of others, Bain began to find his own voice somewhere along the highway.

Taking some time to reset, Ian traveled to Golden British Columbia in the summer of 2019 to work on a ranch. In a small cabin on the property some of his first songs began to take shape, recording the demos to cassette in the evenings after his day of work.

Returning to Ontario, Bain continued to hone his craft, frequently appearing with Canadian country music legend Paul Weber at the famous Maryhill Commercial Tavern.

Here he began an apprenticeship of sorts, studying the band and internalizing the work of the great singers and songwriters of country music.

He recorded his first album with Jonas Bonetta at Port William Sound, finding a personal, grassroots sound that embraced sonic and textural experimentation while remaining firmly rooted in traditional country music.

'Where I Wanna Be' was released independently in October of 2022, received significant community radio play and established Bain as an important new voice in the Canadian songwriting community.

Ian next recorded a collection of songs with award-winning producer and pedal steeler Aaron Goldstein (Kathleen Edwards, Julianna Riolino, Junkhouse, Jerry Leger)

Released as an EP in August 2025, “At Your Service” was distributed by Arthaus Music/The Orchard and saw widespread community radio play, moderate rotation on Sirius XM Canada and CBC radio as well as significant playlist and publication placement with media outlets such as Holler Country, Gems on VHS and Front Porch Music.

Ian is becoming a mainstay on the songwriting scene in Ontario, frequently performing at venues such as The Horseshoe Tavern, The Cameron House, Burdock Music Hall, Mills Hardware, Sonic Hall, Jethro's and countless others.

His songwriting continues to evolve and grow as he collects years and stories and he continues to find new ways to talk about those old and timeless things that don't get tired of being told.

You can find him somewhere down the road.