Nova
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Nova

Long Island City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | SELF

Long Island City, New York, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2008
Band Alternative Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Nova-Midnight Sun"

'Nova is a band that formed in 2009 and earlier this year they released their debut album called Midnight Sun. The band comprised of Alex Salazar, Emmanuel Lorenzo, and Ralgy Cepeda blend funk and rock with a low-fi aesthetic that sounds somewhere between a combination of Acid Mothers Temple, Ty Segall Band and The Mars Volta.

The album contains six songs, which are instrumentally based compositions as opposed to having the vocals drive the music. There is a fair amount of strong vocal melodies throughout the album but the success of the songs doesn't necessarily rely on them. Instead the vocals are strategically placed within time to create structures that are unique and against the commercial grain.

The album starts with a short sort of introduction called “Midnight Sun.” It last a little over a minute and consists of a memorable vocal melody backed by a single guitar. Without much warning the band goes into a frantic jam session on “Plexus Complex” displaying their chemistry. It contains a live low-fi aesthetic that I wished was a bit more polished at points. The third song “Xibalbia” surpasses the funk/rock mesh of the previous song “Plexus Complex” and delivers convincing moments of post-rock, experimentation and funk. Effects manipulate their guitars and vocals are sparse but effective.


“Fissure” is a nine-minute success that feels like the most structured song in a good way. Cascading guitar lines and a strong vocal presence is heard throughout. The last song on the album entitled “Saturnia” feels the most relaxed and laid back out of the bunch. It’s a spacious song that was a bold choice for a closer.

Nova has a couple of solid tunes that deviate from typical verse - chorus - verse structure and is ultimately the most appealing aspect of the band.' - Ted Rogen


"Band Alert! Band Alert"


The Beatles, Nirvana, NOFX, and Green Day are all male bands that have started and bloomed in the subgenres of the rock world. Whether for the purpose of fame, notoriety, or just for the music, they all have made hits and gained popularity with album after album making them celebrities. Although they are well-known names now, there was a point in time where they, like many others today, were struggling to get their names out there. Some have described the journey in music stardom not being an easy feat but still worthwhile.And now with the music business booming with artists, one can even say that being an artist one has to have a talent, a name, and a dedication. In the case of Nova, a name that is now seen in venues like the Moonlight Bar and Webster Hall, that is not the problem. In an interview with Rockinglicious, both Ralgy Cepeda (vocals & bass guitar) and Alex (electric guitar) described their experiences being in Nova.
According to Salazar, the lead guitar of Nova, the band started in the fall of junior year of high school. The name back then was Running on Empty and they had 6 members already willing to put down music time. As time passed by, the band started “shedding layers and layers of people” and soon enough the band ended but on a good note. After Running on Empty ended, Nova was born with band members Alex Salazar, Ernesto Baez III, and Ralgy Cepeda. And since then Nova has gained quite a fan base.
When asked how the band members came up with a name like Nova, Alex answered, “I saw a supernova in my dream. It destroyed the galaxy. The next day I came up to Ralgy and asked him ‘what do you think of Nova?’
Of course some things have changed and other things have stayed the same with Nova’s members. At 14, both Cepeda and Salazar thought about different things than music: “I didn’t think about the world as a whole or about universal politics. I guess you can say I was more centered on myself and my friends,” Cepeda shared.
However for Nova, being young and in a band is not easy. “It wasn’t until we were 18 that we had access to venues. Now, venues don’t want to pay anymore. We don’t have money. So now I have to work for Starbucks eight hours a day,” says Salazar. Then there is band rehearsal to take care of as Ralgy notes in the difficulty of meeting up: “We don’t get to see each other every day. A lot of times Alex is in school and on the days that he is not in school I still work [on music].” But for these two band mates, music is life. When asked what they do when they aren’t playing music, Cepeda answers “Our music reflects our life so metaphorically speaking when we are not playing music, we are playing music. When we talk to each other or look out the window, it serves as an inspiration. We don’t live outside the [band] lifestyle.” For Salazar, music changed his life a little more than expected: “My complete lifestyle was changing. I noticed my complete social life crumbled because I played music.” Despite it all, music has brought them many friendships and conversations with their fans. Of course, Rockinglicious was curious to ask what new goals Nova had in mind whether hitting the list of featured artists in the famous Warped Tour or taking part in the Loolapalooza music festival. Surprisingly, for Salazar and Cepeda that goal is not really the main deal. Salazar says, “At the end of the day it’s not about making the dollars but the music. The biggest goal I could say for Nova would be progression. Self- development is very important for us. Right now we are working on writing a five part song with a prelude, a symphonic poem (no lyrical parts), and a lyrical part. It would be mostly influenced by classical music.”
Through hearing the voices of both Alex Salazar and Ralgy Cepeda on what it’s like to be in a band such as Nova, it can be ascertained that starting your own band is like growing a tree: there has to be dedication, care, and a love for music along with the equipment to keep it going. - Rockinglicious


Discography

Midnight Sun Jan 7th 2014

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Bio

Nova is the manifestation of everything we've seen in our sleep and of every sound we've ever heard. It's the result of a connection between three story tellers, who love music and poetry, and who share a desire to move the soul. 
The soul of the band is represented by the ever changing and adapting modern jazz and metal influence of the drummer, Emanuel Lorenzo, the deeply rooted and passionate salsa and prog rock influence of bassist, Ralgy Cepeda, and the powerful and fluid blues and classical influence of guitarist, Alexander Salazar. 









Band Members