Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This is a man with a simple and positive premise. His message isn't obtrusive nor is it harsh. It is clear that he believes in his lyrics and wants to share his insights. And he makes Jesus sound as cool as He really is.
Nico blazes with groovy tunes and inspirational expressions on his CD entitled Burn. He abandons the Christian music standards and opts for record scratches: drum loops and recorded samples anchored around his acoustic guitar. His lyrics drip with refreshing images of his impressions on his beliefs, like in the song "You", when he asks 'have you got a thought for us or have you got the time?'
Yet most of his songs are about Love in general - falling in it, falling out of it and living for it. Nico is even humorous and light-hearted as with the song "I just wanna be a hippy".
This CD is a journey into a multi-dimensional person not a religious crusade as one might have thought. Nico proves that true spirituality is acceptance, patience, and contentment. - Monica Arrington
Do you want music that reaches into your soul and uplifts your heart? Do you want music that grooves - I mean really grooves in a super hip, trip-hoppy modern rock manner? Throw in some funk here and there and acoustic rhythms and you've the superbly talented Nico and his new CD entitled Burn. I found myself at times utterly enchanted and other moments just completely digging Nico's CD. It is rare for one to like every single song on a 12-song CD - but I can honestly say that I do! Whether it's during Nico's catchy, cool numbers like "sillyman", the funky, trip-hop "I just wanna be a Hippy", or the Lenny Kravitz-like bluesy alt rock numbers "See you around", and "you" (a couple of my favorites) or his beautiful, inspirational acoustic songs like "How do you fall out of love", "In your eyes", "Blue Star", or a combination of the 2, like the soaring "real" (another fave), Nico purely captivates. Now that I've got your attention, I have to point out another major part of Nico's music - he writes in praise of Jesus and God in the majority of these songs. Yes, modern Christain-based music (or as his label aptly describes it - "funky soul rock") exists in MA despite the lack of radio stations supporting this. It's cool, you can dance or rock out to it and be inspired at the same time. It's not preachy at all, but rather is enlightening. There are songs about Nico's journey with Christ, which in turn could either open doors to Him or if anything at least offer hope and positivity amongst the slew of negativity out there. Nico shares his beliefs yet relates to the masses with his music and his words. I admire his honesty, am touched by his words, yet enjoy his spirit and the fun he projects (i.e. "sillyman" and "I just wanna be a hippy"). With a top-notch production team and accompanying musicians and catchy, well-written songs, this CD is worth all of the 4 stars and more. I only with music like this wouldn't get judged or labeled, as these songs are way too good to not be heard. Give it a chance...you'll be pleasantly surprised. Thank you, Nico. - Debbie Catalano
Discography
1999: Freekboy
2000: Sillyman
2001: Burn (NSI Records)
2002: An acoustic Fenomena
2003: Bly
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The sound began to evolve when front man Nico (guitars / vocals) started playing gigs in coffee shops on the West Coast of Canada where he grew up. In 1995 he packed up his guitar and a few albums of his most influential artists (U2, Sting, Dave Matthews Band, Martin Sexton) and moved to Amsterdam to help in a rehabilitation center for drug addicts and the homeless. On the side he refined his songwriting and started playing the streets, coffee shops, and bars; 3 years later he hooked up with Pappy (drums / percussion) and they started doing gigs together.
After playing shows in Switzerland, England, Holland, and Canada, Nico migrated to the States to do music full-time playing venues ranging from stadiums to colleges, to homeless shelters, to youth gatherings, to a few main stage slots at East Coast music Festivals.
Eventually, the momentum of success drew in Pablo Honey (bass) who brought a new paradigm of good ol' fashioned funk to the music and Scotty B. (guitars) who has camellia-like playing versatility where he can sound like Slash or David Wilcox depending on how many eggs he ate for breakfast.
The band sold over 5000 albums independently and with the help of a short-lived record deal (NSI Records) NICO was able to play in front of over 40,000 people and shared the stage with many national acts including Martin Sexton, the Virginia Coalition and Jars of Clay to name a couple.
Currently, Nico supports his wife and 2 kids working with youth near Hartford while the rest of the band lives in the Boston area. Meanwhile, the goal of the band is to shed the pressure of sounding like a typical mainstream band and capture the essence of a raw, bluesy, playful, jamming, spiritual experience in a live show. In other words, "reduce the junk...increase the funk".
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