Steel Toed Slippers

'Steel-toed' harmony
by Wendy Butler, 5/30/2007

It might have been better if he had been wearing toe protection, but if he had, Will Nicoll wouldn’t have been inspired by a unique albeit rather bizarre name for his band.

“I used to wear these sort-of slippers. One day I dropped something heavy on them,” Nicoll said. “I assumed it would be good to have reinforced shoes.”

The 16-year-old lead guitarist and McKinleyville High School student and his then-bassist Wil Benedict agreed they’d happened on a remarkable naming opportunity.

“After I said I need some steel-toed slippers, me and our first bassist thought that’d be a cool band name,” Nicoll said.

Steel Toed Slippers was solidified. The band got its start in November of last year and has played around 20 gigs so far.

The ensemble is now comprised of Nicoll; Matt Moss, drums; Bobby Amirkhan, bass; Emily Totten, vocals; and Sierra Totten, also vocals.

The group will perform on Saturday at 1:20 p.m. on the Lawn Stage at the Mateel Community Center’s Summer Arts and Music Festival at Benbow Lake State Recreation Area in Southern Humboldt.

Amirkhan, 20, has been with the group for a bit less than two weeks. He is majoring in music at Humboldt State University.

“I’ve just been trying to learn the forms that Will has written,” Amirkhan said. “I’ve always played the electric bass, more-so percussively.”

His style could be thought of as something comparable to a combination of strumming and drumming.

The beats are an effort to “make the music stand out more,” he said.

Nicoll, who writes the music and lyrics, said he doesn’t consider this a punk band.

“You can’t put a single label or two or three” on this band, Amirkhan said.

For his part, he was raised on Pink Floyd and Miles Davis. Amirkhan also has a special affinity for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. He said he’s particularly attracted to that group’s banjo work and the way the members have music “interplay.”

Amirkhan plays the banjo, but hasn’t introduced that to Steel Toed Slippers, yet.

Moss said his influences are bands like Little Feat. Steel Toed Slippers performed during the encore of Little Feat guitarists’ Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett’s ALS benefit concert held May 19 at Garberville Theater.

Moss, 14 and also a student at McKinleyville High School, said he also likes Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

“Sometimes I’ll go see a concert and there’d be something that I see (and) I try to incorporate it into what I do,” he said.

Emily Totten, 15, and her sister Sierra, 13, both attend South Fork High School in Garberville.

Sierra said their neighbor knew Moss’ father David, so that’s what helped connect the Tottens with Steel Toed Slippers.

“We used to sing in our grandpa’s band The Nonprofits,” Sierra said.

During a rehearsal this past Thursday at the Moss’ Fieldbrook home, the band went over several songs, including “Social Strategies.”

The piece, which Nicoll said is “one of our sort-of ballads,” sports a classic-rock sound.

Nicoll introduced a new arrangement on this particular Thursday, which the Tottens hadn’t heard. It features a solo by Amirkhan during which the music seems to fade out and then builds to a second intensity.

The song “Stencils” features a solo by Nicoll.

He said this song is “about sort of living in a cookie-cutter society” and “not abiding to it.”

Then there’s “Water Bucket,” a song with no actual meaning but “just fun,” he said.

Nicoll said the band’s music is developed organically.

“There’s things (for which) I say, ‘Do what you want here,’” he said.

Sierra said she and her sister write songs, but haven’t yet shared them.

“Most of the time I at least write about personal stuff,” she said.

Sierra arranges the vocal harmonies for songs.

Nicoll said he is happy to have his songs realized in public.

“I think it’s epic having the songs I write at home on my acoustic guitar (and) we get to play it live,” he said. “It’s really awesome.”

Nicoll said much of the realization of this group’s music is like collective improvisation taken from a framework.

“If you show it to somebody else, they have ideas that will just keep it going farther,” Amirkhan said.

“I just have a love for the music, period,” Nicoll said. “If we don’t have any success, I would enjoy just playing.”

Amirkhan concurred.

“There are very few things you can do until the day you die,” he said.

But, this is one.

Moss said music has been the most consistent thing in his life.

“If I’m having a bad day, I can just come home and play drums; everything is good,” he said.

“You really have no intimidations when you’re on stage,” Sierra said. “It’s really exciting, an adrenaline rush.”

“The fact that this is our art” is what stands out for Emily the most.
- Eureka Reporter

Local band to compete in National Battle of the Bands

John C. Osborn/For the Times-Standard
Article Launched: 06/22/2007 08:01:39 AM PDT


Local jam band Steel Toed Slippers will compete with 26 other bands in a nationally-televised Battle of the Bands hosted by CBS.

CBS's “The Early Show,” beginning next Monday, will play clips from videos recorded in “living room” settings of bands selected for the contest. Steel Toed Slippers will be among the first three bands aired next week during the premiere of the nine week-or-so contest.

The way the contest works is that people go to the Early Show's Web site to view the band videos. After viewing, people vote -- and can vote unlimitedly -- on which of the three bands competing that week they liked most. The winner moves on to the next round, this process repeating until one band stands ahead of the others.

The band that wins gets a trip to New York City to play on the early morning show. Needless-to-say, Steel Toed Slippers members see this as great for getting exposure.

”We'll see what doors it opens,” said Bobby “BassFury” Amirkhan, bassist for the band.

The band sent in a video of their song, “Social Strategies,” a harmonious blend of powerful vocals, spine-tingling bass and guitar riffs and a steady drum beat that fused into a
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groovy, feet-moving sound.

The key is getting people out to vote. The band has a dedicated fan base ready to click away, such as the “Bobby Fan Club” started on MySpace by a group of girls.

”Any support is good support,” Amirkhan said.

David Moss, father of drummer Matt Moss, said the contest was a matter of community pride and an opportunity to send locals to New York City.

”If they win it's big news for this small community,” he said.

Steel Toed Slippers formed in Nov. 2006 after guitarist Will Nicoll, 16, and Will Benedict met up with Matt, 14, through Chris Evans, a counselor at McKinleyville High School. The “Tater Tottens”: Sierra Totten, 13, and Emily Totten, 15, joined as vocalists after recommended to the band by their neighbor in Southern Humboldt.

”A few romances later...” Nicoll said, laughing.

”It's inside band dirt,” Matt said.

After Benedict left in May, Amirkhan, a 20-year-old music student at Humboldt State, joined.

The name of the band came from a time when Nicoll played with Benedict and wore slippers. One day, the amp fell on his foot, and the idea of having steel-toed slippers came to mind. When asked if he ever made a pair, Nicoll replied, “That's coming in the future.”

Each of the band members came from a different influence. Amirkhan said the styles of Pink Floyd and Miles Davis influenced him, and you can hear the workings of '70s rock and old school blues in Nicoll's sound.

Matt had the opportunity to grow up watching the drum workings of Little Feat, a jam band that's been around for 30 years. The experience influenced him greatly. The band even had the opportunity to open for them a month ago during a benefit concert for the ALS Association.

STS has made a mark in the county already, winning both the KRFH SLAM Fest Battle of the Bands and McKinleyville High Battle of the Bands this year.

The band members will be taking a break during the summer until August, but look forward to getting on the road soon and playing more.

As for the CBS contest, the band is optimistic.

”It's Decision 2007,” Nicoll said.

John C. Osborn enjoys a good cup of black coffee almost as much as he likes writing. Contact him at jco11@humboldt.edu - Eureka Times Standard

Local musicians get national accolade
6/16/2007

Steel Toed Slippers, a Humboldt County-based musical group, has been selected by CBS television’s “The Early Show” to participate in a “National Battle of the Bands.”

The group comprises teenagers Will Nicoll, lead guitar; Matt Moss, drums; Bobby Amirkhan, bass; Emily Totten, vocals; and Sierra Totten, also vocals.

Their musical influences range from Pink Floyd to Miles Davis to Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.

The national “battle” will take place on TV, with bands submitting a video of themselves performing one song, a Steel Toed Slippers news release stated. If a video is selected, it will be aired on the “Early Show” beginning June 25, along with videos of two other bands.

Steel Toed Slippers has been selected to participate in the first round of the competition; its video clip will air Monday, June 25, at approximately 8:30 a.m. The clip will also be posted in the “Early Show” section on the CBS News Web site (www.cbsnews.com), where it can be viewed and votes can subsequently be cast.

Once all three videos have been viewed, the voting opens. The voting period will remain open from that Monday morning at 9 a.m. until Wednesday, June 27, at noon.

The Monday-Wednesday rounds will continue an additional two weeks.

Each Thursday morning the network will announce who won that particular round and the winner moves on to the semifinals, the release continued. They then repeat this process each Monday until they have three semifinalists.

Once that is decided, the public votes again and the winner becomes a finalist.

The whole process is repeated two more times until they have three finalists.

Another vote is taken and the winner is flown with all expenses paid to New York City to perform their song live on national television.







- Eureka Reporter

Steel Toed Slippers playing to win
Melody Stone/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 07/15/2007 04:20:12 AM PDT


Age isn't always a requirement for good musicians. The members of Steel Toed Slippers are all under 21 and well on their way to local if not national stardom.

The group sent a video to the CBS Early Show's “Living Room Live: Battle of the Bands” contest and is now vying for a chance to play live on the Early Show in New York. During the first week of competition, they beat out three other bands with 57 percent of the vote and are now in the final leg of the battle.

On Monday, the polls open at cbsnews.com/earlyshow, where music lovers can log on, watch the band's videos and vote for their favorite. The polls end at noon Wednesday. Steel Toed Slippers will be competing against the winners from the past three weeks.

The kids from Steel Toed Slippers have been playing together since November 2006 to be exact. Playing original stuff with a unique twist, the members include Will Nicoll on guitar, Matt Moss on drums (at the tender age of 14), bassist Bobby “Bassfury” Amirkan, and singer sisters Sierra and Emily Totten.

“I'm excited, but nervous because the competition is pretty tough this time,” Emily said. “They've narrowed it down more.”

Even though she's
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nervous, she's also confident about the band's chances.

”Not if, but when we go to New York, we are just gonna make it a vacation and go see the sights,” Emily said.

Emily and Sierra live in southern Humboldt and drive north for shows and practice.

”It's a lot of gas money, but it's worth it,” Emily said.

Even though they may be young, they are very serious about their art.

“It's both an advantage and a hindrance, we've got our foot in the door, but sometimes people don't take us seriously,” Emily said. “If we get as big as Humboldt County, then we're happy, but if it goes national, then we are happy, too.”

Emily said that if someone offered them a big name record label they would jump at the opportunity and go on independent study.

In the spring, the hard-working young musicians beat out the competition in the KRFH Battle of the Bands, winning the popular vote and getting the opportunity to play the main stage at Humboldt State University's Sustainable Arts and Living Festival, or SLAM Fest.

After playing every weekend from February to mid-June, the band has taken a short summer break so the members can travel and attend various camps.

According to David Moss, Matt Moss' dad who books many of the band's shows, Matt played drums with a drummer from Jane's Addiction at a music camp. David Moss said he made sure his son was surrounded by excellent musicians and spurred him on to play drums.

Melody Stone can be reached at mstone@times-standard.com.

On the Web: cbsnews.com/earlyshow - Times-Standard

Steel Toed Slippers “Rock” in Fieldbrook

Humboldt County has a newly formed band, called, The Steel Toed Slippers. Their next public performance will be at the Fieldbrook Elementary School on Friday, March 16, 2007 at 8 pm. Cost for tickets is $5.00 on sale at the Fieldbrook Family Market, Fieldbrook Elementary school office, and from band members. Proceeds for this event will be split between Booster Club, band members, and the 7th and 8th grade trip. This is an alcohol and drug-free event.

The opening band will be Arcata’s Tsu Tain Guu Faita. Steel Toed Slippers will be playing mostly original music but also cover songs such as Crossroads, Hey Joe and My Friends by Cream, Hendrix and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, respectively.

The Steel Toed Slippers band members are Matt Moss, age 14, William Nicoll, age 16, William Benedict, age 20, and Sierra Totten, age 13, and Emily Totten, age 15. Moss and Nicoll attend McKinleyville High School, Benedict attends HSU, and the Totten sisters attend South Fork High School. The band got their name from an incident that happened one day when they were moving heavy equipment and a piece fell onto (Will Nicoll?) feet and they said, “Hey, you need Steel Toed Slippers!” The band formed in various stages. Nicoll and Moss met through Mr. Evans, a counselor at Mac High, who pointed Moss out to Nichols when he asked if he knew of any drummers. They began jamming the same day after school. Nicoll and Benedict were already playing together and the Totten girls met the band through a mutual friend of the Moss family.

The Totten girls recently joined the band as singers and have been singing since they were as young as 3 years old. The Totten sisters were greatly influenced by their Grandpa, Lloyd Hauskins who plays guitar for a band called, “The Non-Prophets” The girls have performed with the Non-Prophets at Reggae on the River, The Mateel, and the Summer Arts Fair.

Matt Moss, who lives in Fieldbrook, plays drums. He has been playing since he was four years old. Moss has played in many places around Humboldt County, at open mics, with Kulica, at the Van Duzer Theater with his school, and a few local gigs with Steel Toed Slippers. He was greatly influenced by the band, “Little Feat” who have supported him since he was little. He credits them for giving him the drive to keep playing because they have been so kind to him and by their great music. When Moss was 6 years old, he had an opportunity to sit in with Little Feat at the El Ray Theater in Los Angeles. Moss states, “Not only was it the first time playing with them, it was the first time jamming with other people.” He says, “It’s always great to watch the video of their drummer rocking out behind me.” Moss possesses 5 cymbals for his drums that were given to him by the drummer, Richie Hayward. The cymbals have been in concert with Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan and toured with Little Feat.

Will Nicholl plays guitar and harmonica and sings in the band. He’s been playing guitar for about 5 years and has been taking guitar lessons from Dave Wilson in Eureka for about 3 years. He has opened for his Dad and uncle’s band, ”The Nicoll Brothers Band”. Will has been influenced by pre 1950’s blues and jazz musicians such as Robert Johnson and Django Reinhardt and more recent artists including Frank Zappa, Jimmy Hendrix, Les Claypool, and The Beatles.

Will Benedict plays bass guitar. He’s been playing for six years and has performed with various groups for five years. Will has been influenced by musicians such as; The Police, Pantera, Lous Reed, Sonic Youth, The Smiths, Violent Femms, and the Stray Cats. He also composes his own music but feels that he couldn’t produce it himself and says it’s too progressive for Steel Toed Slippers, “and that’s saying something.” He says.

Most of the band members plan to stay involved in the music world well into the future. Benedict would like to show the world that Humboldt can produce rock as well as chill vibes. He also has design and invention ideas for speakers and amplifiers. “It’s not just the noise,” he says, “it’s the science as well”. Nicoll says that making a living through music would definitely be ideal and that he plans to keep studying and improving his musical cognizance through college and beyond. Moss would love to keep playing music forever, he states, either in Humboldt County or he dreams of touring the world playing for different crowds everyday. “Right now,” he says, “we’re just teenagers having fun, you never know where it’s going to go in the near future.”

“Come check us out, we’re a lot different than most rock bands out today”, states Nicoll, “I think you’ll be surprised.”
- Mckinleyville Press

Steel Toed Slippers playing to win
Melody Stone/The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 07/15/2007 04:20:12 AM PDT


Age isn't always a requirement for good musicians. The members of Steel Toed Slippers are all under 21 and well on their way to local if not national stardom.

The group sent a video to the CBS Early Show's “Living Room Live: Battle of the Bands” contest and is now vying for a chance to play live on the Early Show in New York. During the first week of competition, they beat out three other bands with 57 percent of the vote and are now in the final leg of the battle.

On Monday, the polls open at cbsnews.com/earlyshow, where music lovers can log on, watch the band's videos and vote for their favorite. The polls end at noon Wednesday. Steel Toed Slippers will be competing against the winners from the past three weeks.

The kids from Steel Toed Slippers have been playing together since November 2006 to be exact. Playing original stuff with a unique twist, the members include Will Nicoll on guitar, Matt Moss on drums (at the tender age of 14), bassist Bobby “Bassfury” Amirkan, and singer sisters Sierra and Emily Totten.

“I'm excited, but nervous because the competition is pretty tough this time,” Emily said. “They've narrowed it down more.”

Even though she's
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nervous, she's also confident about the band's chances.

”Not if, but when we go to New York, we are just gonna make it a vacation and go see the sights,” Emily said.

Emily and Sierra live in southern Humboldt and drive north for shows and practice.

”It's a lot of gas money, but it's worth it,” Emily said.

Even though they may be young, they are very serious about their art.

“It's both an advantage and a hindrance, we've got our foot in the door, but sometimes people don't take us seriously,” Emily said. “If we get as big as Humboldt County, then we're happy, but if it goes national, then we are happy, too.”

Emily said that if someone offered them a big name record label they would jump at the opportunity and go on independent study.

In the spring, the hard-working young musicians beat out the competition in the KRFH Battle of the Bands, winning the popular vote and getting the opportunity to play the main stage at Humboldt State University's Sustainable Arts and Living Festival, or SLAM Fest.

After playing every weekend from February to mid-June, the band has taken a short summer break so the members can travel and attend various camps.

According to David Moss, Matt Moss' dad who books many of the band's shows, Matt played drums with a drummer from Jane's Addiction at a music camp. David Moss said he made sure his son was surrounded by excellent musicians and spurred him on to play drums.

Melody Stone can be reached at mstone@times-standard.com.

On the Web: cbsnews.com/earlyshow - Times-Standard

Steel Toed Slippers are young, but they're serious about their rock `n' roll. At least that's what the drummer's dad assures me. I accepted their invite and became their MySpace friends, so I've heard a song or two and they're not bad at all. They wrote to tell me, "Hey! How's it going? We are starting a YouTube account and loading as much footage up as possible! Keep checking back for new vids and spread the word to everyone about this!" I haven't had time to check it out, but consider the word spread. Friday evening, while Steel Pulse is down at the Mateel, the Steel Toed youngsters play a benefit at Fieldbrook School, an all-ages thing with money going to the booster club and the 7th/8th grade class. Saturday they take it down to Out of the Sun in Fortuna, another all-ages venue, where several other bands will join the fun. - North Coast Journal

Steel Toed Slippers: It All Started With the S-Word?
Ron Thunman/For the Times-Standard
Article Launched: 03/15/2007 04:21:16 AM PDT


I was privileged today to hear a group of five musicians attacking rock and roll. It looked like a team effort was taking place as these fresh, yet seasoned, seeds of rock allowed me into one of their practice sessions. They are one of the newest and perhaps youngest of the new NorCal bands to be created. Like any good journalist I had to ask about the name. Let's face it, ever since The Beatles, names have meant everything. I asked band member Will Nicoll of the name's origin, to which he smiled and then said, “I dropped either a guitar case or an amp on my foot, which was clad in slippers and I said I wish they made steel-toed slippers.” He looked across at bass player, Will Benedict, who nodded approval and soon the deed was done, the band that began with the s-word, steel; became known as Steel Toed Slippers.

Sixteen-year-old Nicoll not only got a sore foot, he got the opportunity to play and sing music with his friends. Nicoll comes from a musical background, and his dad and uncle are local favorites, The Nicoll Brothers. He seems to conduct the band with his eyes and shows approval with that million-dollar smile. Benedict is a 20-year-old that has been playing bass for more than six years and he
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smokes the strings. We can't leave out the beat, as in drummer Matt Moss. Moss is 14-years-old on the calendar, but when he hits a drum stool his age quickly becomes irrelevent. He has been pursuing percussion for over 11 years and has played with greats and near greats, including local band Kulica and famed-rockers Little Feat. If he were any more seasoned, I'd have to frisk him for chili peppers.

The reason Steel Toed Slippers are going to get good in a hurry lies in their secret weapon, which comes in the form of two sisters. They hail from Southern Humboldt and music and singing run in their family. They are young, but have been singing all their lives, according to both sisters, having sung with their Grandfather's band, The Non Prophets. Emily, at 15 is the eldest of the sisters while her younger sister Sierra Totten is only 13. As I hinted before, age is nothing with this band of hungry rockers and the same goes with the sister singers. They have range, can harmonize and have that anticipatory sister thing that keeps their vocals extremely tight.

The band has been playing gig after gig and if you want to catch this climbing combination of creative kids then come out at 8 p.m. Friday as they play a special benefit at the Fieldbrook School. Tickets are $5 at the door or from band members. This benefit which features food and beverages is held to assist the 7th and 8th grade classes from Fieldbrook. They are planning a trip to Catalina Island and all funds raised will help them to defray the cost of the trip. As an added bonus, Tsu Tain Guu Faitaa will open the show.

The performances are lining up and the next one will be held at HSU on March 22. The KRSH-Slam Festival is holding a high quality battle of the bands and if you win over that crowd, you are on your way. Steel Toed Slippers is a band of musicians that are growing in more than one way. As their maturity meets their musical ability, they are going to soar. For more information and booking dates call David or Matt at (707) 840-0341. - Times Standard

Steel Toed Slippers are young, but they're serious about their rock `n' roll. At least that's what the drummer's dad assures me. I accepted their invite and became their MySpace friends, so I've heard a song or two and they're not bad at all. They wrote to tell me, "Hey! How's it going? We are starting a YouTube account and loading as much footage up as possible! Keep checking back for new vids and spread the word to everyone about this!" I haven't had time to check it out, but consider the word spread. Friday evening, while Steel Pulse is down at the Mateel, the Steel Toed youngsters play a benefit at Fieldbrook School, an all-ages thing with money going to the booster club and the 7th/8th grade class. Saturday they take it down to Out of the Sun in Fortuna, another all-ages venue, where several other bands will join the fun. - North Coast Journal

Well tonight was the KRFH SLAM Festival, Battle of the Bands. It took place at Humboldt State University, in the Kate Buchanan Room, a room that has seen the likes of Phish, Leftover Salmon and Fishbone to name a few. There were 10 bands competing. Two stages so the transitions were pretty smooth all things considered. We were third in the competition. Each band was competing for either $300 or $200 along with a spot at the Humboldt State SLAM Fest scheduled for April 21, 2007. Last year it was attended by over 5000 people!! There were two categories. The $300 or top prize, was decided by the panel of judges. The $200 was determined by audience vote done with ballots (not sure where the elections committee was.....but.......). Each band was allowed 20 minutes to play. Steel Toed Slippers performed "Mind and Sky" "Billy The Kid" "WaterBucket" and "Manadee". At the end of the night the MC announced the winners. 2nd Place....Steel Toed Slippers!!!!! We won the audience vote!!! Not bad considering none of our friends were able to attend due to the fact that the show was 18 and older......We did it based on our music and that was awesome!! We were the only band that was primarily a High School Band. We competed against adults and college bands!!! We KICKED ASS!!!!

Stay tuned for more from the Steel Toed Slippers!!!!!! - Battle of the Bands....

Well tonight was the KRFH SLAM Festival, Battle of the Bands. It took place at Humboldt State University, in the Kate Buchanan Room, a room that has seen the likes of Phish, Leftover Salmon and Fishbone to name a few. There were 10 bands competing. Two stages so the transitions were pretty smooth all things considered. We were third in the competition. Each band was competing for either $300 or $200 along with a spot at the Humboldt State SLAM Fest scheduled for April 21, 2007. Last year it was attended by over 5000 people!! There were two categories. The $300 or top prize, was decided by the panel of judges. The $200 was determined by audience vote done with ballots (not sure where the elections committee was.....but.......). Each band was allowed 20 minutes to play. Steel Toed Slippers performed "Mind and Sky" "Billy The Kid" "WaterBucket" and "Manadee". At the end of the night the MC announced the winners. 2nd Place....Steel Toed Slippers!!!!! We won the audience vote!!! Not bad considering none of our friends were able to attend due to the fact that the show was 18 and older......We did it based on our music and that was awesome!! We were the only band that was primarily a High School Band. We competed against adults and college bands!!! We KICKED ASS!!!!

Stay tuned for more from the Steel Toed Slippers!!!!!! - Battle of the Bands....