Nichole Alden

Nichole Alden's first effort, Under the Skin is an incredibly touching tableau of lyrics and haunting music that conveys hints of her vastly diverse influences of everything from Ella Fitzgerald to Sebastian Bach to Jeff Buckley. "I guess it's sort of eclectic acoustic alternative, with some rock and maybe even blues and jazz undertones."

Those undertones come from Nichole's first few years of guitar exposure when she began taking classic blues lessons at age 12. She attended sessions at the National Guitar Summer Workshop in Connecticut and later shifted her focus to rock and metal playing under the instruction of legendary UFO guitarist Paul Chapman. As the glam-rock-ballad era approached, Nichole bought her first acoustic. "Guitar wasn't my first instrument. When I was younger I played violin, stand-up bass, and piano, but I always wanted to be a guitar player."

At 15 she found herself playing central Florida clubs several nights a week as the lead singer of a teen rock band appropriately called "Insane." And if her Axl-Rose-attitude and plastic shorts didn't get people's attention, then her rich soulful voice certainly did. After several years of playing around Florida, and graduating from high school, she set out for college.

After her first year at Florida State University, she took time off to gain some valuable experience as an intern at Mammoth Records in Raleigh, NC. During the following year, she worked for FSU's Student Campus Entertainment, booking bands and setting up shows. "It was great. I had a chance to meet a lot of the bands that I loved as a kid and at the same time, got a chance to see the business from the other side." A few years later, with a degree in Economics in hand, Nichole set out from Florida for Los Angeles with a plan - to make her first record.

Initially working in a music store, then several scattered temp jobs and subsequently landing at a Help Desk at The Walt Disney Company answering computer questions, she was able to get enough money together to produce Under The Skin. "I don't want to sound like one of those musicians that had a really tough life, and this is the tortured result. I loved making this record, and as difficult as it may have been at times, I love doing this."

Nichole is currently setting up tour dates across the country as well as here in Los Angeles. And although she has just begun distribution of her first record, the next one is already in the works. "I'm still writing so much. I'm anxious to get back into the studio to work on the next one."