KickActs interviews Nikol!
Recently James Lowe from Kickacts Magazine sat down with one of the very exciting
artists on the scene. The following is a written interview we conducted with the
artist while they were working on their next CD and Tour!
Welcome to Kick Acts. Tell us a little about yourself and your band and were you
can be found at on the web.
I have been on the stage since forever. When I was old enough to walk, I would follow my older sister up onto stage while she performed a solo in church and when I felt like it I would sing a note, when I didn’t, I’d just stand there with my thumb in my mouth…I just wanted to be ON the stage. I’ve attended Berklee College of Music for Stage Performance and been to AMTC three times. When I was in school I was in every singing group they had (girls ensemble, chorale, chorus) and I played violin for 4 years (when my parents moved us from MA to NC the
school we attended didn’t have an orchestra, so I stopped playing). I bought my first guitar (a black thin-body Martin acoustic/electric) right after I turned 18 and started taking private lessons at Raleigh Music Academy. Since then, I have
opened up for a few fashion shows and have been playing shows at live music venues in Virginia and various cities in North Carolina. My first album just released on
July 30, 2013 it’s available on iTunes, Amazon, etc\’94bittersweet.\’94,
check it out!!\
\pard\pardeftab720
\cf2 www.nikolmusik.com\
www.reverbnation.com/nikolmusik\
www.facebook.com/nikolmusik\
www.twitter.com/nikolmusik\
www.soundcloud.com/nikolmusik\
nikolmusik.bandcamp.com\
itunes.apple.com/us/album/bittersweet./id668405769\
http://www.amazon.com/bittersweet-Nikol/dp/B00D8KCC9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384482686&sr=8-1&keywords=nikol\cf0
http://www.battleofthebands.com/u/nikolmusik\cf0 \
Who are your musical heroes, influences & why?
Paramore – Hayley WIlliams has an amazing voice and their lyrics are incredible.\
Lacey Sturm – she was the lead singer for Flyleaf (she has since stepped down). i
wish i knew how to scream and sing like that, you know, and still have it sound
good..Christina Aguilera – her voice is unreal. that power, the unending range, and just
overall amazing talent, whoa!!!
Do you have any advice for someone just getting started in playing music? Any
pitfalls they should avoid?
stay positive – pitfalls to avoid: all negativity. the more work you put in,
the better your results.
Do you have a greatest gig story you’d like to share?
i played a show in Chapel Hill, NC that was flawless performance-wise. the
energy was really there that night and the crowd was a lot of fun. also, i got
scheduled for a show at a big venue in Raleigh through a booking agency a couple
years back, and was given the wrong time for my set – they changed it when i got to
the venue, so i went from being 3rd or 4th on the lineup to 1st. i went on and only
had a handful of people there to watch because nobody planned on getting there until
much later. when the set time i was originally given came around, i did a little
show for people in the parking lot. that’s one of my favorite nights. the fans
really loved it and i felt good about turning the night around into something
positive.
On the same token as the above question. How about a worse gig story.
i actually just played an acoustic show and completely blew the beginning – i
forgot the words to the verse i was singing, so i moved on to a different one that
made people laugh just by the title – it was a cover by The Downtown Fiction called
“I Just Wanna Run” because that’s what I really wanted to do at that time, haha –
the rest of the show was successful from then on – sometimes all it takes is a
little loosening up
Do you have any other hobbies other than playing music? Collect stamps? Collect
hats from off the side of the road? Draw pictures of boobs?
every time i go to a show, i get a tshirt. so i have a collection of band
tshirts. my aunt makes beautiful quilts and she helped me cut and design a concert
tee blanket and i love it. it might be time for tshirt blanket part 2
What do you think about the present music scene or lack of? Care to address that?
i just kind of hate that schools are cutting music education.
Tell us something about each of your band members that we wouldn’t expect to hear… Like their hobbies or something like that.
Chris, drums, teaches at the Living Arts School in NC and is a black belt in
Tae Kwon Do. Damien started playing guitar when he was 14 years old and has spent a
lot of time doing volunteer environmental work. Justin has played guitar for over 15
years and likes to kayak. Anthony started playing bass when he 14 and is an avid
mountain biker.
9. Hypothetical situation. You’re stranded on Gilligan’s island and you getto hook up with only one of the girls… Is it Ginger, Mary Ann or Mrs. Howell, and why?
i would love a vacation on the island!!
Our last question is called “Shout It Out Loud”. It’s were you get to talk about whatever you want to talk about. So go ahead and ’93SHOUT IT OUT LOUD’!
keep up with what’s new on www.nikolmusik.com and check out my CD on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bittersweet./id668405769\
Nikol is ready to be entered for Ernie Ball’s Battle of the Bands at the beginning
on next year and i would really appreciate the support:
http://www.battleofthebands.com/u/nikolmusik\
i hope to see you at a show!!!!
Categories: General Tags: amazon, cd, facebook, itunes, jiggy jaguar, nikol, North Carolina, pet sounds, reverbnation
Kickacts interviews “The Antics”
Welcome to Kick Acts. Tell us a little about yourself and your band and were you can be found at on the web.
The Antics are a very hot band from Princeton, New Jersey. We started in 2010 and came out with our debut album “Running Faster” in late 2012. You can find us at www.facebook.com/theanticsnj as well as www.wearetheantics.com. We’re also on twitter.
Who are your musical heroes, influences & why?
Some of our musical influences include The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Smiths, The Doors, and The Strokes. Our sound is heavily influenced by post-punk, garage rock, and surf rock.
Do you have any advice for someone just getting started in playing music? Any pitfalls they should avoid?
Stay away from trying to sound exactly like your favorite band. It can be tempting at times but you just have to keep working towards your own sound and style.
Do you have a greatest gig story you’d like to share?
Our greatest gig ever for us was probably when we played in Connecticut and got to “trash” a hotel for the first time. We left pizza out on the table and woke up to the smell of spoiled cheese in the morning.
On the same token as the above question. How about a “worse gig” ever story.
The high school talent show when Luke decided to slide across the floor and ripped his cable out in process. It’s on video. Very funny. We didn’t win.
Do you have any other hobbies other than playing music? Collect stamps? Collect hats from off the side of the road? Draw pictures of boobs?
In our spare time we enjoy going to Princeton and stuffing ourselves full of hot wings and energy drinks. We like to live on the edge.
What do you think about the present music scene or lack of?
We expected pop punk to be dead. I guess that makes us “post pop-punk” or something. It’s disappointing when a band’s influences don’t date back further than 1996.
Tell us something about each of your band members that we wouldn’t expect to hear… (Like their hobbies or something like that)
Luke enjoys the art of language. He speaks German and Korean. Josh is into anime and Japanese culture. Kyle is actually a big fan of abstract artwork. He is a big supporter of local artists and often buys paintings from his friends. Last but not least, Derek is a car enthusiast. He likes reading about cars and modifying them.
Hypothetical situation. You’re stranded on Gilligan’s island and you get to hook up with only one of the girls. Is it Ginger, Mary Ann or Mrs. Howell and why?
Mary Ann or Ginger (Yum!!). Mrs. Howell scares me.
Our last question is called “Shout It Out Loud”. It’s where you get to talk about whatever you want to talk about. So go ahead and “SHOUT IT OUT LOUD”
Be our friend on Facebook, we might send you a love note..wink wink
The guys in The Antics and their promotional company have been kind enough to provide a Cd to giveaway to one lucky reader. Send your mailing address to submit@kickacts.com (include the antics in the subject matter) and we will draw for a winner!
Categories: General Tags: CBGC's, cd, free, giveaway, kickacts, new jersey, new punk, princeton, running faster, the antics