Tone & Niche
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Tone & Niche

Detroit, Michigan, United States | SELF

Detroit, Michigan, United States | SELF
Band Pop Acoustic

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

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Press


"MetroTimes Blowout Blurb - March, 2006"

At the sardine-tight Whiskey in the Jar, the violin-led Tone & Niche show was, in a word, passionate. This is what Blowout is all about — bands like Tone & Niche, who are terribly underestimated and never get ink, blowing the doors off a tiny neighborhood dive bar to a frantic and frothy crowd of brand-new fans.






hitsingles@metrotimes.com

- Metro Times - Detroit


"WDET 101.9 FM"

"The distinct texture and sound of the music of Tone & Niche is created by the wonderful interplay of Anthony Retka's straight forward singing and guitar playing balanced with Nicole Varga's soaring violin and viola, producing a unique folk-rock fusion."

-Ralph Valdez, WDET 101.9 FM
- WDET - Ralph Valdez


"You Sing For Them All"

Deep Cutz
by Jeff Milo

Tone and Niche brew refined, lightlyjangled, warm-toned folk with pensive setting-sun piano accompaniments and shimmering, beautiful violin/viola swinging saws that lull your heart into a teary-eyed smile; the perfect soundtrack to the inevitable warming of the winds as winter turns to spring.

Anthony Retka (Tone) on guitar/vocals and Nicole Vagra (Niche) on violin, started playing around Detroit in 2002 doing covers, but soon originals, and in ‘03 and ‘04 released two recordings. Since then they experimented with a rhythm section and recorded their masterwork, Rust; and now have solidified drum and bass in Scottie Stone and Nick White.

Upcoming shows: The Belmont on February 23. Up next: “Taking the band on the road for a Midwest tour in the summer and continuing to record,” Tone says. “Songs are coming out of our ears!”

The Internet sometimes feels like a mumbled rabble shouting seven-words-per-second. For calmer musical dissection and an uncut version of this article, check out: myspace.com/dccharlie and for more info: myspace.com/toneandniche. | RDW - Real Detroit Weekly


"Rust CD Review"

Rust is the third album from Tone and Niche, the Detroit based group, consisting of guitarist, Anthony Retka and violinist, Nicole Varga. The male/female folk rock duo has a distinctive sound, which stems from a unique songwriting style and edgy string arrangements.

The album opens with “Brand New World” and their polished, mature sound instantly stands out. “Freak” is perhaps one of the most enjoyable pieces on the entire album. Tone and Niche completely mash out, as rock stars should, while maintaining balance, intonation, and dynamics! “What I Could Have Done for You” is an emotional depiction of a woman attracted to a man who brings pain to her life when she could have so much more. Retka sings, “You came up to me/ said something that made sense/ but your head was in the clouds/ your heart was on the fence.” The lyrics capture you while leaving room for the imagination to expand on the stories they present. Opening with a piano intro, the song slowly builds, eventually leading to a dramatic collision of strings and a strong vocal performance.

This eclectic musical collection of songs does not fit into the typical radio station play list, but every song, including the not so up-tempo pieces, are full of energy and passion that will keep your Ipods on “play”.

Written By: Erin Worm
- Evolution Of Media


"Tone & Niche"

There's a truism among the devoted, those who spend a good portion of their scratch and large chunks of spare time haunting hole-in-the-wall music venues. And it's that the city of Detroit has a very real scene behind the superficial "Scene." In it, conversation is secondary. People listen. Don't bother looking for the emotionally-genuflecting 21-year-old who read about the joint or band in her greasy copy of Mojo. She can't even find this other scene, and even if she did, she wouldn't understand a collective of musically-inclined people as unabashed about their love for John Lennon as they are about having played in high school marching bands. And thick inside this familial environment is a group called Tone & Niche. They are Anthony Retka on guitar and Nicole Varga on (yes!) violin and — while they're adept enough to play just about anything — they are rock 'n' roll singer-songwriters.
"Music's the only thing we know," Niche says. "He'll call me on his lunch hour and sing new melodies into my voicemail so I can write them down before he forgets." Tone's songwriting has a so-cool-I'm-not-cool Harry Nilsson quality to it, and, with the augmentation of Niche's gorgeous violin, the duo gives off an aura similar to college radio of the 1980s. (Think R.E.M., Marshall Crenshaw). When over-produced, over-thought, and image-driven can feel like the name of the game, what wafts from Tone & Niche is built for listening. And an appreciation for great violin licks, of course.

—Eve Doster, MetroTimes - Detroit, MI., 2007

- Metro Times, Detroit


Discography

Rust
(2007)
1. Brand New World
2. Freak
3. From Her To Me
4. Rust
5. Medallion
6. What I Could Have Done For You
7. Conscious As I Am
8. He's Always Stones
9. Hearts Never Break
10. My Own Good Grace
11. Hold On
12. What To Do
13. So Long

Lemonade
(2007)
1. Lemonade Rag
2. Billie's Theme
3. How Many Times
4. Goodbye To You
5. If I Dream
6. Sentimental
7. Tone's Blues In G

From Your Hands SINGLE
(2006)
1. From Your Hands
2. You Sing For Them All

Song One EP
(2005)
1. Sour Heart
2. Another Love Song
3. Wait
4. Song One

On The Streets Of
(2004)
1.Broken-Hearted Army
2. Spin Violins
3. Fast Fade
4. Strings and Bows
5. The Story
6. On The Streets Of
7. I'm Not Gone
8. Fix My Head
9. No Time To Be Crazy {Lyrics}
10. You Don't Love Me
11. Tragedy
12. Pandemonium

Anthony Retka
Full-length Solo Acoustic CD
(2003/2004)
1. Hum
2. In Good Time
3. Nothin' More Than You
4. Where is She
5. Impromptu #1 In
6. City Sets In
7. All The Leaves
8. I Miss You
9. Your Eyes Don't Look In Love Anymore
10. In A Blue Sky
11. I'm Not Asking For The World
12. When You Left (Live)
13. All The Leaves
(Alternate Version-Demo)
14. Can I, Can't I
I, Can't I

Tone & Niche
Self Titled Debut CD
(2003)
1. Sour Heart
2.Rust
3. Another Love Song
4. Tones Blues In G
5. How Many Times
6. Sweet Roses
7. It'll Pass
8. Wait
9. Hearts never Break
10. Hold On
11. Song One
12. The Chord

Photos

Bio

Tone & Niche (tone & Neesh), an original pop/rock band based out of Detroit, entices their audiences with energy, talent and passion. The band consists of singer/songwriter Anthony Retka, violinist Nicole Varga, bass guitarist Nick White and drummer Scottie Stone. Tone and Niche’s eclectic mix of pop/rock and singer/songwriter styles stem from influences of performers such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Radiohead and Mike Viola. Tone and Niche frequently perform in cities such as Nashville, Chicago, Cleveland, and have become a driving force in the Detroit music scene. The band has shared the bill with several national recording artists including: Martha Wainwright, Mike Errico, and Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. Over the last five years Tone and Niche have released three albums and a single. These recordings emit a mysterious brilliance of creative song structure, lyrical depth and polished performance.

"...while they're adept enough to play just about anything — they are rock 'n' roll singer-songwriters."
-Eve Doster, METROTIMES - Detroit, MI.