Nicola Nicola - Lead Vocals, Guitars Jules "Bustelo" Rosaly - Bass, Backing Vocals Zak "Segovia" Rizvi - Electric Guitars Jimmy Wilgus - Drums, Keyboards Thursday Nov18, 2004 Reviewed By Diedre Kilgore Photographed By Krisztina Fazekas
Nicola

I walked into the Bitter End a couple of nights ago for Nicola’s album release party. On time!!!!! I know. What’s happening to me. I was sitting a little closer than I am accustomed to, however. I mean…I was practically sitting ON the stage. I usually prefer to hang back and observe music with my array of cocktails from a distance in some dark corner, but this was just fine. Actually, I was a little afraid of sitting all the way in the front, because, I was thinking to myself, “Holy shit. This is going to be loud. And if it’s bad…..I’m fucked.” But it wasn’t loud, it wasn’t bad, and I wasn’t fucked. Actually, to my pleasant surprise, it was just the opposite. The sound was beautifully balanced, the performers were loads of fun, and I didn’t even mind the occasional threat of getting my teeth knocked out by Nicola’s knees. (Yes, I was THAT close).

On stage, Nicola is hilarious. She’s got this contagious, vibrant energy that radiates into the audience and makes it hard not to enjoy oneself. The band is incredibly talented, and seems to share her sense of humor and energy, as well. And, I’m sorry. How could you not love a band who’s Drummer has a pink drum set? Okay, so anyway. As we all know, music is not an easy thing to write about in words. So I’m going to do two things. Provide you with a chance to hear clips of her songs AND THEN I’ll bullshit for a while, until I can come up with words that can describe their sound. Go to www.nicolanicola.com and select music.

I would say that Nicola is a mixture of alternative rock, folk and jazz peppered with Latin and African beats. Mm Hm. I know. Hey shut up, this is the annoying part that brings me mad cash and allows me to make payments on my Jag, okay. Um, now be quiet, I’m trying to concentrate. If I were to compare Nicola to someone, I would probably say she’s kind of a female Dave Matthews…on speed. The music has that same soulful energy, with a robust sound. Oh, and if I were to compare Nicola to a food, I think I would call it a Seafood Paella. Each bite (or song) is a wonderfully unique sensation, with just the right amount of spice.

Thanks Nicola, for a great performance!