NIIGHTS

Give It a Spin: “So Into You” by NIIGHTS – Song Premiere
Alyssa Welch September 28, 2018
Featured Post, Give It a Spin, Music Today

Cleveland-based outfit NIIGHTS is premiering their shiny new track, “So Into You,” exclusively on Midwest Action.

A night of infatuation with a celebrity crush resulted in the shoegazey goodness of “So Into You”. Glimmering guitars support poppy melodies during the verses, but then it all crescendos into a surging chorus, complete with soaring guitar, crashing cymbals, and dreamy vocals. “So Into You” has an energy that’s electric, and you really feel it here. It’s one of those perfect examples of a song that juxtaposes fuzzed out, melodic rock against sweet, poppy vocals to create a track that’s textured, interesting, and different.

“So Into You” is a polished, dream rock treat, and a track I’m unapologetically getting ‘so into’. Get into it yourself, and give it a spin below:

“So Into You” will appear on the outfit’s upcoming sophomore album, Hellebores. Pre-order Hellebores here and get an immediate download of “So Into You”.

Hellebores Tracklist

PART I
1. Generator
2. So Into You
3. Trail of Blood
4. Stars
5. Keyhole
PART II
6. It Was
7. Hellebores
8. With Bated Breath
9. Sylvia
10. Caterpillar - Midwest Action

There are a lot of different sounds going on in “So Into You,” and Niights pull them all off perfectly. Jenna Fournier’s vocals are melodic and soothing, and the beginning of the track sounds like we’re in for a dreamy pop track that’s pretty mellow. Then we hit the chorus and the rest of the band comes in with guitars and keys that wouldn’t sound out of place on your favorite pop punk record. Once you get over the initial surprise, this juxtaposition works really well. Neither side of “So Into You” overpowers the other, an impressive balancing act that delivers the best of both genres into one package. “So Into You” is definitely a track that deserves a few spins so you can hear all of the work and sounds Niights have assembled. - Substream Magazine

Niights – So Into You – Audio
BY TIM OCTOBER 2, 2018

The Ohio (USA) gaze-rock quartet of Francesco Maraldo ( Guitar / Vocal), Jenna Lorine (Vocal / Guitar), Jake Chandler (Bass / Keys) and Jeremy Dodge (Percussion / Keys) known as Niights are working towards the release of the LP Hellebores.

Released as a standalone single on the 28th of September, So Into You, slips in to the room on a fragile vocal, prior to gathering itself together and driving in to the ears in cascading instrumentation and electronica which is hazed in bleeding reverb and echo.

The quartet are able to measure doses of powerful rock with crystalline delicacy to create a song which is marked by its fluidity of changing mood… the fragility of voice that opens So In To You – don’t be fooled as this merely conceals, akin to the Trojan horse, the imposing presence to follow.

So Into You – Niights is available on iTunes.* - Emerging Indie Bands

Guitarist Frankie Maraldo formed the local indie rock group NIGHTS, a group that featured shoegazer guitars and high-pitched male vocals, back in 2009, but because the band was so unstable, it didn’t play more than a handful of shows. Maraldo was even thinking of pulling the plug. So when he came across Jenna Fournier, a singer, artist and graphic designer, who had just put her indie rock band Sparrows & Arrows to sleep and was trying to sell the band’s van, he thought it might be good to invite her to join the group as a way to jumpstart things.

“We’re both songwriters,” says Fournier one afternoon over pad thai at Phnom Penh, an Ohio City eatery near her and Maraldo’s home (in true DIY spirit, the two filled a beer growler at the nearby Market Garden Brewery before arriving at the BYOB establishment). “It was a good time for everybody. We were in the right mindset to pour ourselves into the project and we got some songs written quickly.”


“I thought instead of getting a guy who could sing like a girl,” adds Maraldo, “we should get a girl who can sing like a girl.”

The band initially started recording its debut, Whisper, at the locally based Bad Racket Studios. But those sessions didn’t go well and the group ended up discarding them after accumulated what they estimate to be $1000 in recording expenses.


“We started it three times and then scrapped it,” says Maraldo. “This album was four years in the making if you consider the release now to be its official release. The first time we recorded the songs we had difficulty with the studio. It was just an amateurish job.”

So the group teamed up with Jim Stewart, a veteran local producer who’s worked with a slew of local bands. Over the course of a year, they then tracked the songs at Lava, a midtown studio that’s regularly used by both local and national acts. Because the process was so drawn out, there was a lot of “going back and forth.”

“As a result, we ended up with an album that we felt we had compromised on and nobody was happy with,” says Fournier.

Last year, however, the group inked a deal with Tragic Hero Records. The label saw potential in Whisper and wanted to re-release it, so it enlisted Jim Wirt, a producer who’s worked with national acts such as Incubus and Fiona Apple, to tweak the songs at his Cleveland-based Crushtone Studios.

“Jim is a musician first,” says Maraldo. “He’s able to sweep the technical aspects under the rug bring out the musicality. The label saw the strength of the songs. It had taken almost two years to record this batch of songs and they wanted to bring those to light. There’s a learning curve to anything but he was easy to work with.”

The band cites the Smashing Pumpkins and Cranberries and My Bloody Valentine as influences, and you can hear those influences in the shimmering songs on the disc. Tracks such as the moody “Butterflies” and “Rosebush” certainly sound like the kind of atmospheric alternative rock/pop that could be heard on commercial radio.

“That’s just our age,” says Fournier when asked about the musical influences from the ‘90s.

“I haven’t listened to anything in the last 15 years,” says Maraldo. “Our bassist said our music sounds like if Brian Eno was in a heavy metal band with Tinker Bell singing over the top of it.”

Perhaps the best reference point would be the Cocteau Twins, the artsy Scottish act that was popular on college radio for a spell in the ’80s.

“We get that all the time,” admits Fournier when asked about the Cocteau Twins. “I wasn’t familiar with the Cocteau Twins music but people kept saying that we sounded like them so I had to listen to them. I love them now.”

“Mouthful of Sand,” one of the albums highlights, rocks harder than the rest of the material on the album. A breakup inspired the track.

“I was dating Bradley Hathaway who is a musician and had an album called A Mouth Full of Dust,” says Fournier. “After we broke up, I wrote that song about him.”

“Butterflies” has a particularly loopy sound to it. It starts with a repetitive guitar riff that’s set to an infinite delay.

“When we recorded that, all I did was play that one part and then walk out of the studio and our drummer and bassist built the rest of it in piecemeal,” says Maraldo. “It’s definitely a more abstract song.”

Maraldo and Fournier say they’ve already started working on tracks for their next album. They’re happy to now have the support of a record label, which they say will make it easier to record.

“One of the benefits of signing with a label is that they have studio connections,” Maraldo says. “They want to pay for us to record the next record. We don’t’ have to think about the money. It’s all part of the deal and that’s something you don’t see that much. Most labels don’t have that in-house connection anymore. I see that as a benefit for sure. We have a home base to go to. ”

NIGHTS, 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, Happy Dog, 5801 Lorain Ave., 216-651-9474. Tickets: $8, happydogcleveland.com. - Cleveland Scene Magazine

There’s no doubt that dream-pop and shoegaze have both made comebacks in recent years, and Cleveland trio Nights is doing both better than most. Today, we’re debuting the music video for “Walkaway,” one of the catchiest tracks off their new album Whisper. Produced and directed by Siân Wright, the video is a swirling collage of performance footage intermingled with nature shots and more, all covered in a soothing purple tone. Frontwoman Jenna Fournier elaborates:

“THE SONG IS REALLY ABOUT THAT BEAUTIFUL MOMENT OF CLARITY THAT COMES AT THE DEATH OF A RELATIONSHIP, SYMBOLIZED IN THE VIDEO WITH THE LIFE-CYCLE OF A DANDELION. SIÂN HAS A WONDERFUL WAY OF NOTICING AND CAPTURING LIGHT IN HER WORK, AND I KNEW THAT WITH HER ABILITY TO CREATE A DREAMLIKE AESTHETIC, SHE WOULD BE PERFECT TO MAKE THE VIDEO FOR THIS SONG. WE BOUNCED AROUND IDEAS AND SHARED INSPIRATIONAL MEDIA, BUT GAVE HER ROOM TO EXPERIMENT FREELY, AND SHE CREATED SOMETHING EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN I IMAGINED, LAYERING IMAGES BOTH IN CAMERA (USING PROJECTION) AND IN POST.”

Nights’ Whisper is available now via Tragic Hero Records. - Substream Magazine

By Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer ldemarco@plaind.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland dream-pop shoegaze band Nights traveled half-way around the world and found a crowd.

An appreciative one.

The indie band, which is playing the Beachland Ballroom Wednesday opening for Sleigh Bells, has twice played Japan, where its music is released by a small Osaka label.

"It's amazing," says singer Jenna Fournier of the band's experience overseas. "People over there are very respectful and appreciative, and for me, it reminded me people do appreciate what you do. You don't always see that playing in the States."

Nights are currently working on a new record at Crushtone Studios in Cleveland, with Jim Wirt (Incubus, Fiona Apple, Buffalo Killers). In addition to the Wednesday show, they'll be playing Cincinnati's MidPoint Music Festival on Sept. 24. Fournier has a solo show Saturday at the House of Blues opening for Mr. Speed.

The ethereal singer says no release has been set for the as-yet-unnamed CD, but described it as "much heavier" than the group's debut CD, "Whisper," released last year on Tragic Hero Records. They'll be playing some of these newer songs at their show Wednesday.

"We're better musician now, and the heavier sounds is where my interest is," says guitarist Frankie Maraldo. The two will be joined on stage Wednesday by Joseph Joseph (drums) and Jacob Chandler (bass). The recording line-up includes Chris Dalman on drums and Vincenzo Mauer on bass.

"The last record was more pop-oriented; this is more a collage of all of our interests, but the most extreme spectrum of them," says Fournier.

Nights open for New York's Sleigh Bells at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31. Tickets, $25, are available on Ticketfly.com. - Cleveland.com

Review Summary: Knife Teeth, Forked-Tongued, Spoon Eyes! Oh, Butterflies...

Nights is a band none of you have heard about. That's a bit unfair. Chances are you've never heard of this band, and it's a tragedy. They are a Cleveland-based dreampop/ shoegaze group that came out of nowhere in early March of this year with this lovely little debut. And boy, oh boy, is it lovely. What distinguishes Nights from the mbv copy-cats that plague modern shoegaze is that they don't do everything by the playbook. Not only is the production on this album the clearest and most crisp I've ever heard within the genre, but Nights slip a magic atmosphere under our pillow, and it carries our dreams for the rest of the record.

Now this album is pretty different take on the genre of shoegaze. While many bands spend a lot of time crafting the layering and aesthetic of an album, Nights puts much more focus on songwriting. The tracks here range from wonderfully bubbly pop tunes ("Rosebush") to heavier rock tunes ("Glow") that give a welcomed abrasiveness in contrast to the mellow fairy-ditties that occupy much of the album. All songs are accompanied by ethereal female vocals led by Jenna Fournier, and this does huge things for the songs on this album. It just exhibits another perfect example of why female vocals sound so inherent in the context of this type of music. Lyrically, many of the songs speak of things like gardens, beckoning trees, stardust, and butterflies. How odd for a shoegaze album. In addition, Nights is able to change the quality of their music easily, with the clever use of transitions and spaces of silence; each preceding track is met beautifully by the next. The melodies present are highly accessible, with vocal hooks left and right, complemented by memorable riffage.

A lot of influences are present here, which is a bit different for the genre. We get many moments of pure post rock, hard rock licks, and even little dabs of pure indie. The album plays it very safe, despite talk of experimentation. Even with the casual nods at other genres, they maintain their pop sensibilities in nearly every track. Is this a bad thing? For Nights sake, absolutely not. Their ability to continually provide us with consistent tunes of the same caliber is something that should be noted. There isn't a dry track on this thing.

With no precedent to follow, Nights explodes onto the scene with a release that's already competing with the greats of celestial pop. Bound to get clumped with the less-than-original acts of today, it's something that truly deserves a greater amount of recognition. Personally would recommend this to people who are fans of the style and those who commonly dislike the genre, because there are some things here that go against the traditional shoegazer's cookbook. - sputnik music

whisper is the debut album from Cleveland shoegazers, Nights. Fuelled by a heady mix of reverb, soaring vocals and foggy FX, whisper blurs the boundaries between alternative rock (Sunshine), power pop (Mouthful of Sand) and shimmering nugaze (Walkaway).

Recorded over the past twelve months at Lava Room and Whiteout Audio in their home city, whisper showcases a band as comfortable with ambiance as they are aggression - one moment drifting on the delicate drone of In The Garden; the next charging into the pummel and snarl of Glow.

But as moods change, one thing remains a constant; the spellbinding vocals of singer Jenna Fournier. Sitting somewhere between the elegance of Liz Fraser and the empyreal Alison Shaw, Fournier adds genuine sparkle to a record full of charm and power.

With a September release scheduled by Japanese label, 2670 Records, you can also stream or purchase whisper through the group's Bandcamp and merch pages. - Nugazer: The shoegaze blog

Nights are a pop/rock band at heart but don’t hide their shoegaze influences on ‘Walkaway’, the opener to their new album ‘Whisper’ - available now. If you like your rock with plenty of melodic hooks then prepare to have your dress lifted! However, some folks may find it too pop leaning – decide for yourself below. This LP follows the Ohio four piece’s 2010 EP ‘A Tangle Of Arms’. - soundsbetterwithreverb.com

Whisper is the debut full length from Ohio indie rockers, Nights. The eleven tracks are heavy and melodic, with a dreampop vibe. Anchored somewhere between Arcade Fire and Metric, but with a stronger rock influence than the former and more of a pop sense than the latter, the music has a familiar yet original quality to it. Stream and buy Whisper at the link below. - floorshimezipperboots.blogspot

Nights, "Whisper": The group makes big, lush, wide-open atmospheric rock that could, at times, pass for postpunk if it wasn't so melodic. It'll feel right at home in your headphones, all the while aching to escape to a much bigger stage. That wash of sound is anchored by impeccable songwriting and a wicked sense of humor. There's a solid pop backbone to these songs that lets Jenna Fournier and company dress them up with layer upon layer of sound without obscuring their heart so much that they fall apart. - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Nights
Whisper
(Unsigned)
Jenna Fournier's ethereal voice is the centerpiece of Nights' sophomore release, which swings from soft and melodic synth to percussion-and bass-driven beats. Standouts include the windows-down anthem "Mouthful of Sand" and "Rosebush," a worthy soundtrack for summer sunsets. nightsband.tumblr.com - Cleveland Magazine

(TRANSLATION)
The album "Whisper" of Nights is super good.
It is as good as the title, but super good.
A girls vocal and a shoegazer and a pop melody,
There is almost no losing, but this is also nice without complaint.
And this AA shoot! I really dive in the water and took a picture.
It is cool.
From September 2670 records in Osaka, the Japanese version comes out.
Why do not you try checking if you are interested. - Onimaga ( Japan)

It should go without saying, but not every band in your local scene arrives fully realized. For every one act you’re convinced could be huge, ok indie huge, if only the right person or right website would only notice, there are countless others who need more time to get it right. Unfortunately, when you’re working local gigs in a town like Cleveland, time isn’t always your ally. Whether it’s band members moving away or the tedium of playing for the same faces in the same clubs, even the best homegrown acts break up more often than they break out.

Thankfully, the Cleveland quartet, Nights, have kept it together long enough to record their first top jam. “Sunshine” may begin as a piece of standard, albeit, finely crafted fuzz pop in the style of UK revivalists like Yuck and The History of Apple Pie, then something extraordinary happens around the four-minute mark. Just as you expect to be led off to dream pop, la-la land, the band hits this heavy as hell, doom metal groove led by guitar ace Frank Maraldo. And to think, some of you had them pegged as a pretty band who liked The Sundays a little too much. Now, if only the right person would take notice…Nights will be hosting their album release show March 1st at the Happy Dog. - I ROCK CLEVELAND

A constant source of amazement to me in the lived-here-all-my-life city of Cleveland, Ohio is the astounding number of uber-talented musicians that most of you will never hear from. The band Nights can change that for you, if just give them one album’s worth of your time. Their first full length release, Whisper, weaves and wends its way in and out of fuzz-pop, buzz-pop, dreamwave, and full on rock-out shoegaze. Lead singer Jenna Fournier's elegant and graceful vocals mold themselves exquisitely to each track, and guitarist Frank Maraldo is simply a beast who can crunchbend or blastcore or shimmerpop (yeah I made up three words, so sue me) or whatever any one of the record’s 10 tracks calls for. I have watched Nights play some unbelievable shows locally over the past few years since they have been in existence, and this record captures them, and more. Go ahead and listen to the first three tracks on the record, and make up your own goddamn superlatives. And then be crushtickled you’ve now heard of these guys. - The Tour Volume Bus

Watch Me: “Trees” by Nights

Bill LipoldFebruary 2, 2013For Your Eyes and Ears4

photo by Kayla Sanders

Can I tell you a story? Frank Maraldo, the guitarist for Nights, used to play guitar for the Cleveland folk-pop band, Lowly, The Tree Ghost. I happened to catch them one night when they were slotted between Phosphorescent and Herzog, and it had to be one of the worst nights of their collected lives. I don’t know if a family member died, or a dog died, or someone just got evicted and left by their girlfriend. It was a performance where none of the performers in the band looked particularly thrilled to be there. My review said as much.

A couple days pass, and my inbox has this belligerent message from a roommate of one of the band’s members. I don’t remember the entire back and forth, but I do recall saying something like, “Hey, not everything about the band is bad, the guitarist can really play. Give him more freedom to do his thing and the band would be better for it.” I also remember a getting a reply along the lines of, “You probably like extreme music and Lowly, The Tree Ghost are not an extreme band.” Yes, the conversation had a Mountain Dew flavor to it.

Fast forward a few years and Maraldo now finds himself in a much better fit with the Cleveland dream-pop outfit, Nights.



What’s that you hear? It’s guitar, astutely strummed, gently fucked with, and it features a wonderful, glistening tone. Vocalist Jenna Fournier, shows similar development in this video for “Trees.” I’d like to think it’s not just the studio, but a woman gaining confidence in her own voice, embracing both it’s inherently soft tone as well as its ability to waver in despair. Together, they make the band Nights one to to keep an eye on as we progress through 2013. You can expect a new album from nights this coming March. A specific date has not been set. - I ROCK CLEVELAND

Without further ado, we give you our first on-location interview with a Cleveland band. Here’s the exclusive on Nights and a little bit about why they chose My Mind’s Eye in Lakewood to share with you.


What drew you to your instruments?

Francesco Maraldo: I was a bass player first. I think that since my best friend played guitar, and we wanted to play together, it made sense that I play bass. And that gave me a really good rhythmic foundation. Eventually, I wanted to write my own songs, and I think naturally if you want to write your own songs, you’ve got to step it up a little bit with a little more harmonically complex instrument. The six-strings allow for a little complexity.

Jenna Fournier: My mom played so we had one acoustic in the house growing up. I played with it a little bit when I was 15, 16, 17, kind of just learned basic chords and stuff. Then I moved out to Vegas and was hanging out with bands, and that’s what made me really want to play and song write. So I just started putting lyrics and poetry over the few chords that I knew and went from there. I picked up electric a few years later and I’m still, still growing with that.

FM: Still putting poetry over chords though, right? Making songs out of them?

JF: Yeah.



How long have you been playing?

JF: Roughly ten years.

FM: I’d say the same thing. I picked up bass when I was 17 and guitar when I was 21.

How long has the band been together?

JF: We started New Year’s Day two years ago.

Who would you say are your major musical influences?

FM: I mostly listen to everything before 2000. All the ’90s stuff, and ’80s stuff, and ’70s stuff is my main influence. I mean, Smashing Pumpkins is an undoubtable influence. I just tend to listen to stuff from when I was younger—Weezer, Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, and stuff I listened to when my dad had his records playing downstairs, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young. Then when I got a little bit older, The Cure. I just don’t tend to listen to a lot of new stuff, truthfully, which is why she keeps me a little more grounded with newer stuff. I just don’t have any interest in it ever. I’m more straightforward rock, metal, punk, classic kind of guy.

JF: I think as far as influence, not just what I like, I was mostly influenced by female artists like Jenny Lewis, Regina Spector, Joanna Newsom, just girls that had a quirky style that kind of did their own thing, sang in either story-telling ways or very honest ways.



FM: I think Jenna has a really distinct style, she doesn’t really sound like anyone else, but she reminds people of certain people. I think that’s cool that she’s got a unique sound to her while I tend to go all over the place. I struggle to make a sound for us because it always goes back to our really disparate influences; sometimes we’re really heavy, or sometimes we’re really light and poppy. I think it works out for the best, really. It definitely doesn’t stay boring, it definitely doesn’t put us into a niche.

How would you describe your sound to people who haven’t heard you before?

JF: When we are talking to older people, we kind of throw a Pink Floyd out there because they will immediately understand there’s going to be a lot of atmosphere, a lot of washy guitar. We also throw My Bloody Valentine out there, again, so they can kind of understand what they should expect as far as guitar sounds go. But I always tell people it’s kind of pop rock, it’s kind of unconventional pop rock. I do throw the Pumpkins out there because we will go from something really soft and pretty into something kind of heavy.

FM: And the pop rock element is, we always put strong melodies in songs—be it with guitars or vocal hooks. That’s always important to us. We’re not afraid of putting hooks and stuff in there. That’s the stuff I want to listen to. You want a good melody. You can add all the bells and whistles to keep them interested, but you’re not going to grab them without a good song first.

JF: I think when we write, we’ll start a song with a skeleton of a pop structure that I will write, and the guys will kind of build the meat up around that.



So which Cleveland band has been the most fun to play with so far?

FM: That’s a good question. It’s gonna take a minute. There was a fun Chicago band, Sybris. Who else is fun to play with, from Cleveland?

JF: I have the most fun playing with bands that are friends of ours, like Supermoon or How To Breathe Underwater, Sunspots, Old Boy. It’s fun to play with friends because you’re all friends and you’re all playing music.

FM: It’s better than playing with a bunch of people from out of town that you don’t really know because it feels more like a job then.

Where are you hoping to tour in 2012?

JF: We want to start with weekend tours- a weekend in Chicago, a weekend in New York. My old band did a tour through the deep south, and there are some venues that I would like to go back to with a new band. There’s - The Vinyl District

Deep Heaven Now 5, a Boston Psych Rock/Shoegaze Festival, Takes Place Next Weekend, 5/4 & 5/5
Next weekend brings the Spring 2012 edition of Deep Heaven Now. Continuing the bi/semi-annual tradition of the original Deep Heaven festivals of the 90s in Boston and featuring the best of the local and national ambient,experimental, psychedelic and shoegaze scenes.

The fifth installment of Deep Heaven Now is a two day event on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5 at Precinct and PA's Lounge in Somerville's Union Square. One $10 admission fee gets you access to both venues for that day.

Highlights from night one include east coast psych/shoegaze veterans from DC Screen Vinyl Image performing the first of two different sets that weekend as well as psych rockers Lead Stones from NYC. The New Highway Hymnal (pictured), the deli's Best Emerging Band of 2011, will also be performing.

Night two brings Thrushes (Baltimore), Nights (Cleveland), Is/Is (MN featuring Sarah Nienaber of Gospel Gossip), as well as local favorites Night Fruit and Velah (featuring two former members of Static of the Gods).

This event is sponsored by Narragansett beer and WZBC 90.3 Flyweight. - the deli

Interview: Jenna Fournier
February 12, 2014
Best recognized as the songstress fronting the shoegaze-steeped Nights, the multi-talented Jenna Fournier recently traveled to Japan to tour in support of the melodic, fuzz-laden Cleveland-based band. Also a fine artist, Fournier’s whimsical work often appears in the band’s various designs and music videos. We talk to Fournier about touring overseas, her art, and what’s in the works for Nights in the future.

Select interviews will be printed in the Premium Guide Book along with CD samplers of Brite artists given as a reward to Kickstarter backers. // Interview by Nikki Delamotte

“Thoughts and ideas being filtered through the same soul and out the same hands and mouth — just different mediums.” — Jenna Fournier, on being an artist and musician.
jennaf1This past year was a big one – you toured Japan and just announced you’ll be returning as a full band. How was the experience? What are you most looking forward to in April?

Touring Japan was amazing. It was both humbling and encouraging; I was billed with very talented bands. People were very kind and so excited to have me, very welcoming. The room was so quiet when I played you could have heard a pin drop. It’s wonderful to share your music to such an attentive audience and so cool that, despite the language barrier, I was able to really connect with people through music. Two different guys told me I made them cry! I do have some sad songs — but that was a first!!

I’m most looking forward to returning with the whole band. I love my guys so much, they are so talented. I know they will blow people away. And I picked April because it’s the season the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

In addition to the musical side of Nights, you also have composed a recent video from your own art and do some pretty incredible work on the side. Would you say your art influences your musical side and vice versa?

My drawing and painting only influences the music in a way of branding, in that I often design our merch and posters, or in the few occasions where I consciously do drawings or art to go along with a song, like the “Lullaby” video. Otherwise, I wouldn’t say they influence each other, rather, that they stem from the same place — thoughts and ideas being filtered through the same soul and out the same hands and mouth — just different mediums.

You recently released “Crazy”, a track that had previously only been available in Japan. Can you tell us about anything new you’re working on and any other developments with the band?

Right now Nights is focused on sharpening ourselves behind the scenes in preparation for our Japan tour. We have new material written, some of it recorded, and another music video on the way, but don’t have a release planned anytime this winter. I am also working on a solo album.

What’s your favorite material to play live?

I usually prefer to play heavy songs live and get off on the energy of hearing everything loud. I write some really depressing songs, and don’t always feel like playing them when I’m on stage and bumming everyone out. There are some nights though where it just feels really good to sing a sad song.

If you could play one place – your dream gig — where would it be?

Right now I’ll have to say Iceland. I’m a big fan of their music scene and feel like maybe some sort of magic might rub off onto me if I could play there.

Brite takes place every winter. What’s your favorite thing about winter?

I enjoy the beauty of woods and trees covered with untouched snow. But, I hate being cold, and usually become somewhat of a hermit in the winter, replacing many nights of friends and beer and ‘adventures’ with books and tea and painting and writing.

Keep up with Nights on Facebook, follow Jenna on Twitter, and stream Nights’ music on Bandcamp. - BriteWinter.com

Nights "Whispers" to us

BY BILL SMITH
MUSIC CRITIC

There is a stigma when you hear the term “local band.” Is it to say you should be ashamed or embarrassed of the talent that lives in your own backyard? Certainly in some circumstances, yes. However in the case of Nights, I am positive that after one listen to their debut full-length LP "Whisper ,” you will change your mind. Nights is a band who's member all live in, and around the Greater Cleveland area and exemplify the great artist's that along with the rest of us call Cleveland home. The members of Nights include Jenna Fournier on guitar and vocals, Francesco Maraldo on vocals and guitar, Vinnie Mauer on bass guitar and vocals, and Chris Dalman on drums. This talented group of musicians have created a masterfully crafted and well thought out Pop gem, that is sordidly missing on the radio airwaves these days.

Many of their peers are following suite with a trend of shifting through 80's nostalgia, by emulating the sounds, styles and sonic textures of that era. Nights, however have purposely stayed far away from sounding like the rest of the crowd. If I were to compare their sound I would say they are very heavily influenced by several 90s bands. Some of these bands include Smashing Pumpkins, the Cranberries, Verruca Salt, with just a hint of Sixpence None the Richer. This certainly is not to diminish the craftsmanship displayed here, only intended as a point of reference. This album is loaded with unique and atmospheric sounds that derive from musicians who are endeavoring to offer something not yet heard or experienced. Nights weave a tapestry of dreamy and lush pop tunes distilled through the filter of grungy and gritty alternative rock. “Whisper” was recorded in Cleveland at Lava Room and Whiteout Audio, which is a great compliment because the album sounds as if it were recorded in Nashville, New York or L.A. The sound is incredible, and it justly fits the performances on “Whisper.”

Standout tracks on “Whisper” include “Walkaway,” “If I Had A Dollar,” “Glow,” “Trees,” and “Lullaby.” This album is one of those rare finds that compels you not to skip through the different tracks offered, but instead it beckons to the listener to take their time and enjoy the album as a whole.

Nights is starting to gain a large following, and the band are beginning to have some impressive doors open for them, including a international tour in the fall. Before they leave on their tour this fall you can catch the band Friday, July 12 at the Beachland Ballroom. They will be performing with The Joy Formidable. This is sure to be a great concert, and one you will not want to miss. For more information on the band, and where to purchase “Whisper,” check out the links below.

Grade: A - Lake County Sentinel

Lugging musical instruments and gear to a roof accessible only by a ladder and a ceiling exit is no easy task. But that’s what Director Aaron Freeder and the Bad Racket Recording Studio team had to do to pull off the Nights Live from Bad Racket video shoot last fall. In fact, Nights front-woman Jenna Fournier said the production team had to tie the drums with ropes and pull them up the side of the building.


Bethesda was the first band to be filmed on the roof of the studio on Lorain Avenue for the “Live” series. However, the Nights production was fittingly the first Live feature shot atop the building after dusk. Some residents in the Ohio City neighborhood apparently were not too thrilled with the raucous rockers performing amidst bright flashing lights late into the evening.


"Someone had actually called the cops on us. We had to quit for the night and come back the next day," Fournier said, adding that night two wrapped earlier in the evening to avoid another noise complaint.


Freeder released the Nights Live from Bad Racket music video via Vimeo on January 1. The black-and-white feature stars the band performing “Walk Away.”


"Aaron who shot it, i thought, is very talented," Fournier said. "He had a vision, and we just did what we do and played."
On being asked to join the Live from Bad Racket featured artists, Fournier said, "We were flattered, and they have done a lot in the year they've been around. They did it kind of as a perk for us recording there. If we were to hire someone to do that, it would be thousands of dollars. It's a nice promotional tool to have."


Nights recorded its upcoming full-length album with Bad Racket, but is still working on wrapping up the final product. Fournier said the group is re-tracking a few things and outsourcing mixing. The record is expected to release in early spring. The band is hoping to be on tour by summer.


Nights' next show is at The Happy Dog on Tuesday, January 10. The band will play with psych-pop rockers DOM.


Nights is also scheduled for February 18 at the Beachland Tavern. Twin Sister will headline the show featuring Ava Luna.
Posted by Priscilla Tasker at 11:27 PM - The Rhythm Report

NIGHTS
With a blend of shoegaze and slender psychedelic leanings, this Cleveland quartet weaves a gentle dreamscape with waves of guitar drone. It makes a fitting bed for the angular leads and airy vocal — though it’s not without heavier parts. All these movements and shifts carry the listener through a tumbling and rolling sea of lyrics constructed from half-forgotten daydreams, like the Black Angels running down an old set list from Rainer Maria. Has the potential to dazzle the less jaded, or maybe vice versa - Buzzbin Magazine

NIGHTS is definitely a band to keep an eye on. I’ve seen them around town a few times now, but their recent performance opening up for DOM was one of the best local sets I’ve seen to date. Indie rock that ranges from anthemic to spacey; these guys have a lot of character in their sound. Check out their recent live performance with Bad Racket (another Cleveland institution well worth looking into), along with some BR-recorded audio from the group below. Their 2010 debut EP is available at BandCamp and a new album is supposedly on the way. - headnodz.com

Gleaming Ohio group, Nights, is fronted by Jenna Fournier. The tracks showcase her silken words which are sung tenderly. Satiny, clean effected rhythms on guitar fill the space of silence and create a wide sauntering sound. Heavily influenced by Pop, the Bass serves as a cushion to the soulful bounce and raspiness of Jenna. We experience a slow motion view into the artist’s dream. The music soothes, tangles, and sets free an aloofness that is incredibly humble. Ribbons unraveling from bouquets of mysteriously joyful clouds. - dontspreadbullshitspreadmusic.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Five of Cleveland's top female-fronted rock bands will hit the House of Blues stage tonight for the Women Rock CLE special event.

The show will feature Niights, The Katy, Samfox, AJ & The Woods and The Whiskey Hollow.

Now in its second year, the event has seen a lot of growth since debuting at the Happy Dog last summer, said AJ & The Woods singer Alison Tomin.

The idea for the concert started with a conversation between Tomin and Joshua Alan Collins, the guitarist of AJ & The Woods, a couple of years ago.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we had a show with all female frontwomen? It's rare for us to play shows with other female singers," said Tomin. "Josh's idea was, if we were going to do this, why don't we go for it and also make it a fundraiser."

The concert donated its proceeds to Laura's Home Women's Crisis Center, a local women's shelter. - Cleveland.com

Last year, several local bands teamed up to launch the inaugural Women Rock CLE, a concert showcasing some of the best female-fronted bands in the city.

Earlier today, organizers announced that the event will return this year on July 6. It will take place at House of Blues and feature local female-fronted bands such as the Whiskey Hollow, AJ & the Woods, Niights, Samfox and the Katy. Actress Megan Brautigam will host.

A portion of the ticket proceeds will go directly to Laura’s Home, a shelter supporting women and children in need. The bands will also donate autographed merch that’ll be auctioned off live during the event and donated to the shelter.

With 166 beds and 55 rooms, Laura’s Home provides “a bridge from crisis to stability and self-sufficiency.” - Cleveland Scene Magazine